How long have you wanted to learn to roller skate, but you just haven’t gotten around to it? Or maybe you have been on your skates a few times, but haven’t put in the time to get really confident? Maybe you used to roller skate, but stopped months, years, or decades ago, and really want to get back to it? Maybe you are an awesome skater, but just haven’t made time for it lately? Heck, maybe you are an avid expert, and are looking for any where, any time, to get more practice in?

For any or all of the above, what are you waiting for? Come to Raw Meat Vancouver Roller Skating! We meet every Saturday at Thunderbird Community Centre, 2311 Cassiar St., from 5 to 7 PM. Sessions are only $7, and are always drop-in, so just come when you can.

At Raw Meat, we’ll teach you roller derby style roller skating. You’ll learn all the basic skills you’ll need to try out for a league, except for contact skills. Our sessions are always non-contact, so no matter what your skating level, you can participate in all of our drills. Not interested in roller derby? That’s ok too! The skills you’ll learn at Raw Meat will give you the perfect foundation for skating the seawall or learning jam skating.

The skills you’ll learn include plow stops, t-stops, transitions, Mohawk stops, backwards skating, jumping, agility, weaving, skating with others, pace lines, and more. And that’s just your first class! (Just kidding. Sort of. You’ll learn faster than you think you will, guaranteed.)

For each session, you’ll need roller skates, helmet, mouth guard, and wrist, elbow and knee pads. You will also need to make sure that your toe stops are white or light-coloured, and black knee pads must be covered with white hockey tape. This is at the request of the venue, to protect the floors.

If you don’t yet have your equipment, you can find everything you need at Rollergirl, at 11th and Main. Rollergirl also rents equipment, so you can try out skating if you aren’t sure it’s for you, or if you are visiting from out of town without your gear.

At Raw Meat, we only have two rules: 1. Be safe. 2. Don’t be an ass-hat.

See you Saturday!