Roll On America
May 16—LAWRENCE — As a Latina growing up in the city, Angie Estevez felt there was an expectation she would be a great dancer with smooth rhythm and flawless moves.
She wasn't.
But when that same girl put on roller skates, it was a whole different story.
"When I am on skates I feel like I am gliding. Roller skating just felt like who I was," she explained.
Estevez, now age 47, is still dedicated to roller skating, a sport she fell in love with at age 7 while living in the Hancock Projects.
Some four decades later, roller skating remains a passion in Estevez's life.
A married mother of two grown children who now lives in Rowley, Estevez is hoping to roller skate in all 50 states by the time she turns 50. She's got seven states under her belt so far.
Estevez also wants to spark the love for roller skating locally and has a 90s-themed event planned for June 13 at Skateland in Haverhill.
"Even though roller skating hasn't been as mainstream throughout the years, it has remained alive and well in many urban areas throughout the country," she said.
Also, the COVID-19 pandemic "has revitalized the sport and in the past year, roller skating has made a major comeback throughout the country. My hope is that it gains popularity in the Merrimack Valley too," she said.
Throughout the pandemic, roller skating videos on social media, including TikTok, increasingly became the norm. With fitness centers and gyms closed to prevent infection, roller skaters found they could exercise safely while socially distancing.
"People started picking it up because of the pandemic," she said.
Estevez said roller skating promotes a bunch of great things including fitness, self confidence, diversity and social skills.
"I am a very curious person and have always been fascinated with meeting new people and hearing their stories even details others would consider mundane or boring," Estevez said.
"Skating the states and meeting all kinds of people across the country has been a great way to express this part of me even more. Skating brings people together. It creates community. I especially love seeing people of different ages, races, socio economic class ... breaking bread together."
When she was 7, her father bought her her first pair of roller skates. They were blue and came from Stuart's department store, then on Essex Street in Lawrence.
She would skate all around her Bernard Avenue neighborhood in the Hancock Projects, where her mother, grandmother and close friend had apartments.
By junior high, she was regular at the Roll On America roller skating rink in South Lawrence. Every weekend and on vacations, the schools would partner up with Roll On America and offer discounts for Lawrence students.
"I never passed on those offers. I had so much fun with my cousins and neighborhood friends," she said.
She will occasionally skate outdoors, but Estevez said she loves the feel of being in an indoor rink.
"It's when I'm in the rink that I really feel confident," she said.
Also, she advertises no fancy moves or tricks when she's on skates. She described herself as uncoordinated and said she's been overweight most of her life. But she personally finds roller skating therapeutic and uses it "as a spiritual practice ... as a way to decompress from my own stressors."
"It also helps me feel confident ... when I am on skates, I can move smoothly. I love gliding across the floor without feeling awkward," she said.
Estevez works part-time at the Diaz-Healy Funeral Home in South Lawrence. She is affiliated with the Rowley Congregational Church and is studying pastoral ministry and chaplaincy.
She is not a preacher but feels she has a calling to "accompany people when they are going through difficulties," she explained.
Estevez is hoping to introduce herself to many new faces at Skateland on June 13.
She stresses the roller skating community is very inclusive and "everybody is welcome."
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill.
Get Ready to Roll
90's-themed Skate Jam, Wear your freshest 90's gear
June 13
6 to 8 p.m.
Skateland, 19 Railroad Ave., Haverhill
Tickets must be purchase in advance on Eventbrite
Roller skate rentals are $3
More info available at @Skatethestates_ on Instagram and at Skatethestates50@gmail.com
