But It's Cold!!!
We know the winter can be a super hard time to keep motivation to skate high, its not exactly the dreamy sunset skates in short shorts & Bikini's that flood our Insta explore page and finding that motivation when the days are wetter, colder and shorter can definitely be tough but we believe winter is the time to drill those trickier moves so that come the Summer your flow is untouchable! We chatted to some of our fave skaters from different off seasons to see how they stay motivated and to hopefully give you a reason to pop your wheels on today no matter where in the world you are!
Tell us a bit about yourself! (What you do when you started
skating, type of skating you do etc.)
Hi!! I’m Kay and I’m a 22 year old student. Before the pandemic I worked as hype crew/dancer for Bingo Loco and when that had to close I was devastated. I’m a social butterfly and I hate being inside or in the same place all the time, I have
too much energy to sit still. I love to jam skate but I also skate as my main method of transport so you’ll see me flying down Henry Street on my skates (getting coffee usually).
Where in the world are you right now and how’s the weather?
On the Northside of Dublin, Ireland and it has been rainy and grey for far too long. However, now that the winter solstice has passed the days will get longer and brighter *yay*.
Do you find it harder to skate in the Months outside of summer?
It’s definitely harder, there’s less meet ups and events, the days are short and cold and most people are working/studying the majority of daylight hours. On a personal level my physical and mental health tends to suffer a good bit so times I can’t skate whether I want to or not, though I do think this makes me appreciate skating even more. Ireland’s abysmal lack of indoor skate parks means park skating is mostly undoable for now. I definitely hit a slump when winter crept in, but I think it’s fairly normal to slow down sometimes and take a breather anyway so winter is a good time for it.
What keeps you motivated to Skate through the winter?
Finding an *indoor* space close to home, and I have a list in my notes app of tricks and flows I’m working on so I’m never kinda aimlessly skating. I’m glad I built up my confidence in a group setting as now I feel comfortable to skate on my own and I do it a lot. I stopped looking at skating as something I *had* to do every day and kept it as something I *want* to do, to relieve stress or relax and improve at my own pace. Watching skate content (both your own and other skaters) is massive too!
What are your best tips for someone maybe lacking motivation
due to the colder weather and darker evenings?
Track down a space, be it a room in your house or a shed or a car park or whatever that’s easily accessible, well lit, dry (and safe), somewhere you can walk to any time you want. I like to think of these months as my practice time, to improve as much as I can so in the summer I can enjoy going to skate meets and
making content. Find some and make some playlists that make you want to move your body, and JOIN THE COMMUNITY!! It’s the best thing motivation wise to keep you going.
I think being creative in any way is sooo important to keep your head happy and I rely on art (painting, drawing) in the times I can’t skate. It’s important to move your body even if it’s not skating and I’m a big fan of pilates and yoga because these
skater knees ain’t it.
What’s your go to winter skate outfit?
I always layer up when I skate in the winter because I tend to heat up and cool down a lot during skate sessions but I always include knee high socks, thick leggings/tracksuitbottoms/jeans and a little top with 45 jumpers on top. I’m also a fan of the tights- as-tops trend and cut outs in general. Comfort is key!!
Kay Wearing Subtle Poison for a Music Video shoot!
Tell us a bit about yourself! (What you do when you started
skating, type of skating you do etc.)
I'm Perry, aka Shreddie Mercury, and I've been skating for 3ish years. When I started I just wanted to skate around my neighborhood in Brooklyn and maybe learn some dance moves. I was introduced to park skating a couple months after starting, and that quickly became my main focus... i like to go fast :)
Where in the world are you right now and how’s the weather?
I moved to Bali, Indonesia just before the pandemic, and haven't left since. Being this close to the equator means winter = rain. I prefer rain to snow because I hate the cold, emotionally but also physically. After some major injuries as a teen, the cold really limits my mobility. The nice thing about the rainy season is that when the big rains come the vibe gets cozy like I remember from snow days off from school, but with the hot, wet asphalt smell I love so much from summer thunderstorms in summer vacation.
Do you find it harder to skate in the Months outside of summer?
Sometimes the rainy season is a welcome relief from the extroversion and intense heat of the dry season, but depending on the type of house I'm in, it can really slow my practice and progress too. I'm lucky to currently be in a "skate castle" -- a converted warehouse with massive, polished.concrete floors that I'm also building park elements at -- so skating around at home is super enjoyable. I also live on a great road for street skating (rare on Bali), and can usually find at least an hour of dry road every few days.
What keeps you motivated to Skate through the winter?
My best tip is to remember that you're a human. You have natural cycles of rest and effort in every day, month, and year -- if the weather or other demands of a certain time of year slow your skating, that's okay. If the line between rest and avoidance gets blurry, start super slowly. I like to trick myself into skating by lacing up and just stretching or watching a movie or making some food. Usually, if I can get through lacing up, gravity and a good playlist take care of the rest.
Tell us a bit about yourself! (What you do when you started skating, type of skating you do etc.)
My name is Cliodhna, I’m 25 and I’m a retail makeup artist. I got my first set of skates in January 2021 and fell in love with it straight away! I do a mix of different types of skating such as jam skating and park skating. Park skating is my favorite though and in the skatepark is where you’ll usually find me. I love being able to see the progress I’ve made since the first day I went to the skatepark and the feeling I get when I land a new trick I’ve been working on is amazing!! It always motivates me to keep skating.
Where in the world are you right now and how’s the weather?
I’m currently living in Dublin, Ireland. The weather here at the moment is awful. It’s gotten so cold and is constantly damp outside. Currently, it’s extremely windy and rainy - not ideal skating conditions.
Do you find it harder to skate in the Months outside of summer?
I definitely find it so much harder to skate now that summer is over. I would have spent almost every single day during summer outside skating whereas now I’m lucky if I get to skate even once or twice a month. Even if there is a few dry days here, the air still seems to be damp making the ground stay wet and unskateable. It’s also really hard to want to go outside when it’s super cold out. Skating while wearing 5 different layers of clothing to stay warm is not as easy! Sometimes I’ll make the trip up to Belfast to their indoor skateparks so that I get to skate but it’s not possible to do that all the time.
What keeps you motivated to Skate through the winter?
The fun and enjoyment I get from skating is what keeps me going out through winter. I also love the social aspect of it as usually when I go out to skate I’m meeting up with some of my friends that I might not have seen the last time I skated. Also thinking about next summer and trying to keep up everything I’ve already learnt so I can progress even more keeps me motivated. When I’m out skating I don’t have to think about the other things that are going on in my life. Since I work in retail, this is the busiest time of year so when I do get out skating it’s a nice break for my brain where I don’t have think about how hectic work is.
What are your best tips for someone maybe lacking motivation due to the colder weather and darker evenings?
Even though it’s so hard with how dark and cold it is, my advice to anyone would be to try get out when you can and make the most of any dry day that there is. But if you can’t get out I find even just staying in touch online with everyone I’ve met through skating is nice because then I know we’re all in the same boat and sad that we can’t skate. It’s easier to not be so disheartened when you know there’s other people out their feeling the same way and desperate to get out too. I also love to watch videos of other skaters for example reels on Instagram and tiktoks. I always try to take note of tricks and new moves I see people do that I want to try next time I can skate.
Is there any other hobbies you do to keep your mind healthy throughout the darker, colder and wetter months?
My other main hobby is swimming so unfortunately that’s also a mainly summer hobby, however, I’ve also tried to keep that up too because the peace and calmness I feel when I’m in the water is worth it even when it’s literally freezing! I do some indoor hobbies too though like yoga and home workouts. I love exercising and getting my body moving even for a short time. I might be feeling really stiff or tense but after I’ve done some kind of movement I always feel way better afterwards.
What’s your go to winter skate outfit?
I usually wear baggy trousers like jeans or cargo pants or sometimes cosy tracksuit bottoms to keep me warm. I’ll usually layer long sleeves, t-shirts and hoodies and a jacket as well if I need it. I will also always be wearing some kind of beanie - they’re my favourite and I hate having cold ears!
