NEVER MISS THE WATER, TILL YOUR WELL RUNS DRY…
November 19, 2008
When Chaka Khan sang these words more than a decade ago, I never thought that they would be more than just lyrics to me. For the past two years, my passion of roller skating has been starved and forced to feed itself only in moderation and small portions.
I moved from Detroit, MI (A skater’s paradise) to Chandler, AZ (A skater’s hell) for a number of reasons. At first it didn’t bother me not being able to enjoy R & B music at an adult session several times a week. I was new to the area, and there was so much to do like familiarize myself with the area and get to know people. However, as the months went by, I started to long for some Patrice Rushen cuts or the occasional Gap Band song when I did visit the rinks here. I was soon forced to put my IPod into overdrive and load up as much music possible and turn it up as loud as I could to drown out the wails of children and undecipherable lyrics that were un-skate able.
I begin to envy what I had so easily taken for granted before and started wishing for a miracle. No longer being able to “leave it on the wood”, now I had to “leave it on the epoxy-glide” (The blue stuff). That doesn’t even sound right. Now, instead of checking into a mental hospital, I travel five hours to California once a month or to the occasional out of town skate party just to get my roll on.
Some may ask, “Is it worth it?” Real skaters already know, “Of course it is!” But I’ll do whatever I have to do to get my roll on.
So when your rolling during the week get a slide, a split, a one-stop, a jack-leg or whatever you style calls for in for me! J
KP “DETROIT STYLE ALL DAY”
Skater of the Week Profile
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Roller Funk: How long have you been skating? D-Breez: I've been rolling since I was 2yrs old!! Roller Funk: What would you call your style of skating and how did you develop it? D-Breez : JB Style, the late great James Brown and the JB's band are the musical foundation for our vibe. I didn’t create the style, I only helped elevate it to another level. That is what all of us do for our styles as we evolve and become the best we can be. I used to skate 5 nights per week, all adult JB sessions, which helped me get better quickly! You get to a point when you're not learning from others, you begin to create on your own! You dream something one night, and it becomes reality the next day. Or you slip and almost fall, but create some move or step in the process of saving yourself!
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Roller Funk: What is it like skating in movies and TV commercials? D-Breez: Different! You spend a lot of time waiting, then do something, stop, do it again, stop, do it again! But when they give you a spotlight time to showcase, it's great because everyone is so excited like they've never seen this before! The people outside of our skate world are always so amazed at the things we (skaters) can do on wheels! I keep telling skaters that we need more commercials, movies, and videos in all parts of the country. Get in some of the upcoming artist’s videos or something! Roller Funk: What are your two favorite rinks and why?
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Roller Funk: What would you like to do with skating in the future?
Roller Funk: What was the best skate jam you ever attended and why?
Sorry, I have no best ever jams, I give and receive so much love at too many events to ever pick one! My favorite jams are the ones where the skaters are really showing skate love, because then we are more than good skaters, we are good people and become good friends! I love the wheels, but I love the people more than they know! Roller Funk: If you could tell the skaters around the world just one thing, what would it be?: Keep your hearts in your roll! Because if you love it,
you cherish it, you protect it, and you enrich it!
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