In this newsletter find out about:
Return to in-person classes in April 2021
Online classes
Product re-stocks aka When will stuff arrive?
Getting in touch with us
Â
In-person classes in Leeds, from April 2021
We have been following the 'Return To Play' roadmap, set out by the British Roller Skate Federation (our governing body) which tells us that
"From 29 March
Outdoor sports facilities can reopen. Formally organised outdoor sports - for adults and under 18s - can also restart and will not be subject to the gatherings limits."
We will be using the Bodington Fields facility to train on, from 10am - 12noon every Sunday starting after Easter. We will have exclusive use of the track during this time.
We will be offering 2 x 1 hour sessions.
You will be welcome to skate for both sessions.
Within each session, you can choose: Facilitated Skate Practise or Super-Powered Skills Practise
Facilitated Skate Practise:
Using the 300m smooth oval track, that is fairly flat (there is a very slight incline that you can't see, but on skates you feel it), our instructors will support you to improve your skills while you skate. They will run mini workshops throughout the session and support you with your skills. For example crossovers, rolling outside, skating backwards or even skate tricks.
If you are confident to skate on hills, you can accompany our marshalls to the top of the hill and use the circuit. There are both flat and hill parts to this circuit.
All levels welcome.
Super-Powered Skills Practise:
Using some of the flat parts of the track, our instructors will support smaller groups to practise particular skills. We will include slalom work, stops and falls, starting to skate on hills, backwards skating, jumping and more. Each week there will be three workshops and all groups will rotate to do all three during the session.
All levels welcome.
We like our skaters to feel relaxed during our sessions (we know you have a better posture which supports your balance) so we will have our big speaker and a good selection of tunes to get your Sunday off to a positive start!
Booking is NOT YET OPEN. We will let our members know first (as always) in the Breaking News forum. If you are a member, you can turn on notifications for the forum, by clicking on the three dots and choosing to 'follow'. You can update your notifications at any time.
Terms and Conditions of booking:
All sessions must be booked in advance. We are unable to take payments on the door.
£7.50 per 1 hour session. We are not able to offer discounts at this time, but hope to in the future.
Please be sure you can attend, as we cannot refund you for missing the class for any reason.
You must have all your own equipment to use the track. At the moment, we are not able to loan equipment. We hope to be able to do this later in the year.
All track users must wear a helmet. This is stipulated by Bodington Fields, and forms part of our risk assessment. If you arrive without a helmet, you will be refused entry and no refund will be given.
Sessions are for age 16+ only. Once we are allowed to, we will offer social skate sessions suitable for all ages.
Please bring a face mask in case you are unable to adequately socially distance.
ONLINE CLASSES
The community that we have met and gotten to know during lockdown are important to us. You've supported us through the variety of Zoom sessions we have offered for the last year!
We will continue to offer online sessions. These will decrease, as we expect that you will also return to skate at classes or rinks closer to you, however we know that some people don't live close to skate provision. Please keep an eye on our classes page as we don't know what the offer will be as the world re-opens just yet, and it will change over time.
Â
When will skate products be re-stocked?
The short answer is, we don't know.
Long answer is here (or skip it)
We can't give you delivery estimates for many of the products that are out of stock, as in the last year, delivery estimates have consistently been shown to be incorrect.
The delivery estimates given to us by the various distributors are deliberately vague - they don't want to over promise something that is then pre-sold and isn't delivered on time. (This exact scenario has happened repeatedly by the way!) We used to put delivery estimates on product listings, but so many were missed that we have gradually removed them. Please notice the word 'estimate'. This is exactly what it says. There are so many factors beyond our control at the moment, we are simply not able to promise an accurate delivery date on items that are not in stock at the shop.
Here are some of the vague delivery estimates we know about:
Luminous wheels - Spring
Riedell roller skates - 10 - 12 weeks from order confirmation
Re-stock of Moxi Lolly roller skates - 6-9 months? (We are talking about skates that are not available to pre-order).
Penny trucks / CIB grind trucks - no idea. CIB are looking for a new manufacturer.
Sunlite plates - anywhere from 4 - 10 weeks
Moonlight roller skates - Moonlight are streamlining their ordering process for international skate shops. It's likely to be at least a couple more months before they are ready due to the backlog of orders they had and the work needed.
Derby Laces colours - variable. We get hold of whatever we can.
We do our best to keep our shelves stocked with products we believe offer good value, are user friendly and support other small businesses or skate creatives. Sometimes products that were readily available one week from a supplier, may not be available or takes longer to arrive the next time we order it. Our supplier network is international, and is heavily affected by the pandemic at all levels from manufacturing to shipping. It is as frustrating for us as products we have championed over the years have become incredibly popular and now we can't get them! We are doing our best to keep prices as low as possible but some of our products may have to be increased in price. International shipping in particular has become much more expensive, as delivery companies navigate the pandemic and now Brexit.
We see ourselves as one small part in the jigsaw that makes up the roller skate community. Every skate shop plays a part and all need support. Once UK lockdown eases, it would be great to have a skate shop in every town.
We appreciate the loyalty of our customer base, but we're skaters and we get it. Please do support other skate shops if we are not able to get hold of something and it is in stock elsewhere!
Â
Getting in touch with us
We have had to streamline our channels of communication, as in the last month we have had a surge in enquiries and orders. We honestly thought everyone in the UK must have a pair of roller skates by now, but apparently you all go skating and continue to inspire people around you!
We don't have the biggest following on Instagram, but we do have a very friendly, chatty and socially responsive community. While we welcome quick responses to stories and any comments you may have, we simply cannot respond to every DM, like or quick response, as we would do nothing else. We will do our best to respond to anything we can.
Please don't ask us about your order or send us address details over IG DM as we may not see it. We may have done this a couple of months ago, but right now, we are swamped!
For similar reasons, we have closed FaceBook messenger as a channel of communication.
We ask that you email in the first instance.
If you have an product enquiry or order: shop@rollergirlgang.co.uk (SHOP)
It helps us if you include your order number (if your query is about an existing order), so we can locate relevant information quickly.
If your query is about classes/workshops/events/press: skate@rollergirlgang.co.uk (SKATE)
We will reply to your emails during our office hours. We do our best to reply to emails the same or next working day. Occasionally it does take us longer, and we apologise.
Lockdown office hours are:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. 11am - 5pm
Office hours are in our email footer and on the website so if they change we will change these details.
We are here to support and serve our community, and are compiling a list of FAQs to help you find the information you need more easily.
Eventually, you'll find these in our highlights on Instagram and we will have a dedicated page on our website.
Â
Thank you for continuing to support our corner of the skate community.
We welcome everybody.
Â
Note from Mel:
Hi everyone,
If you made it this far, then thank you. I appreciate you being here and part of the Gang. I absolutely cannot wait to get back to real life classes and see how you've all got going and meet new members of our local skate community in person for the first time.
I also recognise that it's a time that many people may be feeling anxious. I'm currently training to be a Mental Health First Aider and while I'm not a qualified health professional, I hope you can see that at RGG we take mental wellness as seriously as physical wellness. Our approach is centered around you.
Cant wait to skate with you!
Mel xoxo