The summer is proving very busy for the Roller Girl Gang team, with classes, outdoor meet ups and events on the way, we have so much to share with you.
Spill the tea! What is the RGG Team all about?
Off our wheels, last week we were so excited to be invited to the House of Lords to the Small Business Charter Business School Excellence Awards. Mel proudly represented our growing company, having the opportunity to hear from other small businesses and to share the RGG story in return. Lord Bilimoria’s talk on improving access to lifelong learning through business programs was particularly inspiring, as it reflects an ethos we are truly passionate about.
All members of the team are provided with access to a range of support and training. For our instructors this includes first aid and coaching and for the shop gang this has included opportunities to access business qualifications and professional development training programs.
In the past months, members of the gang have accessed mental health in the workplace training and mental health and neurodiversity training.
We have worked hard to create short term and longer term goals following this training. We hope to continually build our collective knowledge and experience, to provide the best service for our customers, whilst also helping our amazing team to grow professionally.
Back on Wheels
When we’re not training or taking trips to the House of Lords… as you may have guessed, we can’t resist having a skate! With the weather being so good (most of the time!) we have taken the opportunity to enjoy as many outdoor meet ups as possible- with more
on the way.
To the left you can see Karen and Jen from our fab coaching team taking part in the Summer Solstice Roll Out 2023, whilst also clocking in their marathon miles in their new skate marathon t-shirts! While the marathon can be done anywhere on any surface, we know that both marathon participant and non-participants alike, have been enjoying skating outdoors this summer. So we thought how better to focus our classes than to hold our first Outdoor Confidence Workshop at the Ramgarhia Sikh Centre. It can be daunting exploring new places at first, with varying surfaces and inclines to consider but the joy outdoor skating can bring is incredible and worth every moment of effort in building the skills to enjoy it!
Book your place on our next Outdoor Confidence Workshop here 🙂
So far this Summer, we have held a beginners roll out, a Summer Solstice roll out, the East Leeds Orbital roll out and then this week our first skate park meet up of 2023 at Horsforth Hall Park. Come and join us at these laid back meet ups, they are great opportunity to meet other skaters and explore new spaces with the gentle support of your fellow skate buddies.
If you’ve missed these don’t worry, we still have plenty of outdoor summer events on the way! See below and follow our Instagram @roller_girl_gang for updates on what is coming up!
Huge shout out to all those taking part in the Roller Girl Gang Leeds Virtual Skate Marathon 2023!
We also know that many of you have been taking part in our first ever skate marathon event. The first of the marathon tees and medals have now been sent out, with the first people completing their100km. It’s amazing to see both local Leeds skates to skaters from as far as Hawaii and Arizona taking part. We can’t wait to see and hear more about your skate marathon journeys. Introduce yourself and share your stories with us now on the marathon Facebook page.
If you have yet to get started, now is the perfect time, with three whole months left to go, there is plenty of time to get your wheels on and skate recording your skating this summer. For more information please see our blog on this years skate marathon.
Mel’s myth busting series
Ahh the internet…for skaters it can be an amazing source of helpful tips…or a very confusing tangle of conflicting pieces of advice, all insisting there’s only one ‘right’ way to do things.
We are determined to make things easier, less confusing and more accessible, so that everyone can feel empowered to make their own decisions when it comes to their roller skating. Mel has created a Myth busting Series on the Roller Girl Gang YouTube Chanel, to hopefully help you out!
Check out Mel’s video here on wheels, this is a great example of the conversions we have all the time in the shop and one which we hope we can share more widely as people make choices about their skating equipment.
Keep an eye on the Roller Girl Gang YouTube Chanel for future myth busting videos.
Drum roll please…
We are so happy to be able to launch our brand new Skate Hire Party Package.
We know how much everyone LOVES a roller skate party! Suitable for all small events from birthday parties, stag and hen dos to work team building and school events. Hire up to 50 pairs of roller skates from our Leeds Corn Exchange Shop now. Simply book through the website or at the shop. A member of the team will check availability for your desired date and the number of skates your require for your skate do.
Please note the price charged also includes a refundable deposit, this will be returned to you once the skates have been returned and checked by the team.
You can add on cute RGG Party Bags, including; a RGG fan, an enamel keyring, 2 patches and a pair of Derby sunglasses or mood glasses. The host will even have a pair of 14″ skater socks added into their Party Bag 🙂
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our skate and events team: skate@rollergirlgang.co.uk
Products in the spotlight
We are so proud of the latest addition to the RGG Custom Collection, the Jessie’s Rodeo Rollers! Inspired by the feisty Jessie the Cowgirl from Toy Story, the parts were selected and built by Emily. Featuring the comfy and supportive Wifa Street Suede boot in Redwood, mounted onto the trusty Powerdyne Thrust plate. It took time to decide upon the personality of these skates but as soon as Emily had decided on the Redwood Boot with the Cow Print Derby Laces, the rest of skates came together quickly. Fitted with Luminous white ‘All Star’ LED red and blue light up wheels, the hibiscus Moxi Brake Petal toe stops, to channel both Jessie and a cow chewing on a flower <3 and finally finished with none other than the Flowering Cacti Fabrikk Charm. We can’t wait to see these skates roll out to their new home soon!
The long awaited, frequently requested, new addition to the RGG Shop: The Triple Eight RD Bumsavers. The Roller Girl Gang team have been asked about these highly padded protective shorts since we first opened the shop back in October 2020. We love hearing from our customers about they products they’d love to see…so here we are, the Bumsavers have arrived!! Specially designed with roller derby players in mind, Triple Eight have produced the Bumsavers for endurance and high performance during the highly active game. Their Lycra stretch material means they are able to provide a snug, cool fit, whilst offering protection with out impeding on your movement. They even have a convenient small pocket, which you can pop your mouth guard in. So whether you’re a derby player or just wanting some extra protection at the skate park, give your tail bone some padding and save your bum from those skating bumps!
Ready to hit the skate park?
Speaking of roller derby and the skate park, for July 2023 only, RGG will be offering the Antik Skyhawk Skate Park set up at the discounted price of £239.96 from £299.95 but not only that, we’ll be throwing in the CIB Slide blocks to fit your SkyHawks for free! This amazing package is worth an incredible £399.94, while stocks last and is designed to be the perfect introduction to the skate park or even derby.
The Antik Skyhawk is great for those who are new to skate park skating, for those wanting to explore aggressive street skating or for roller derby players. They offer a very durable boot, mounted onto the trusty Powerdyne Thrust Nylon Plate- also featured on the Riedell Uptown and Crew Skates, Moxi Lolly Skates and many many more! This skate is fitted with Sonar Stratus Park wheels – with a 98A hardness great for that smooth concrete, with a small width of 57mm.
As part of this offer, we will throw in CIB Slide Blocks to fit your new Skyhawks, futureproofing your skate park journey for when you are ready to push your skate park adventure to that next level.
Events on the Way
The Annual Summer Skate Picnic is almost here! It’s that time of year again, we couldn’t be more excited to be inviting you all to this lovely day of skating, workshops, relaxation and fun. Our latest blog post outlines all the details of the event. From what to expect, amenities available on site, timetables of activities, rules for keeping everyone safe, to our recommendations of what to bring along and even a map of the site and video tour 🙂
Planned and run with care and excitement by the RGG Events and Shop Gangs, this event highlights what it is to be part of Roller Girl Gang family.
We have lots of summer skilling up workshops on the way. The next is the ‘Get Outta The Way!’ Workshop. We all know the feeling of dread when you just do not feel in control. This workshop is here in answer to that feeling, so get ready to build those skills, feel confident in your ability to control your direction so you are prepared for those busy spaces. Whether you’re visiting crowded rinks or navigating park pathways and pavements, this workshop is for you!
