Roller skating as community, competition, and transformation

Remember how fun roller skating was as a kid? Well, the adults you’ll meet this hour are still having a good time on roller skates, but they take that fun to the next level!

Takina Pollack Shafer brings pop-up skating events to her hometown of Bridgeport, CT, where she creates space for people of all stripes to forget their worries and experience the joy of roller skating. It’s a pop-up with a purpose.

You'll also meet the 2024 Men’s National Jam Skating Champion, LeRoy Mcsmith, and the designer known as “Rollerman.” He invented a full-body suit covered in wheels: hands, elbows, chest, back, even his butt. He puts the suit on, lays down and bombs down mountains at speeds around 70 miles an hour.

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GUESTS:

• Takina Pollock Shafer: Owner of Skateport in Bridgeport, CT, a pop-up designed to spread and support the culture of roller skating in Connecticut
• LeRoy Mcsmith: Athletic skater and the Men’s National Jam Skating Champion 2024
• Jean-Yves Blondeau aka Rollerman: Inventor of the Buggy Rollin wheel suit, a full-body armored jumpsuit outfitted with dozens of small inline-style wheels placed on the major joints, the torso, and the back

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