[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/retroskating-the-return-of-the-bygone-craze-of-roller-skating\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/retroskating-the-return-of-the-bygone-craze-of-roller-skating\/","headline":"\u2018Retroskating\u2019: The return of the bygone craze of roller skating","name":"\u2018Retroskating\u2019: The return of the bygone craze of roller skating","description":"Out of the way, inline skaters! The roller skaters are back with a vengeance. Youths can be seen making reels of themselves shuffling backwards down the streets, overlayed with new-age R&B on social media. And with many indoor rinks shut during the pandemic, more roller skaters have been gliding into parking lots and parks. Roller […]","datePublished":"2022-01-18","dateModified":"2022-04-16","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/rachel-teng\/#Person","name":"Rachel Teng","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/rachel-teng\/","identifier":367,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rachel_Teng-100x100.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rachel_Teng-100x100.jpg","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/S3-Feature-1920-x-1080-px-V1-11.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/S3-Feature-1920-x-1080-px-V1-11.jpg","height":900,"width":1600},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/retroskating-the-return-of-the-bygone-craze-of-roller-skating\/","commentCount":"2","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/retroskating-the-return-of-the-bygone-craze-of-roller-skating\/#Comment1","dateCreated":"2026-05-28 22:34:54","description":"I don't think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article. https:\/\/accounts.binance.info\/register\/person?ref=QCGZMHR6","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Binance\u6ce8\u518c\u5956\u91d1","url":"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/register?ref=JW3W4Y3A"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/retroskating-the-return-of-the-bygone-craze-of-roller-skating\/#Comment2","dateCreated":"2026-05-27 22:35:19","description":"Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"binance","url":"https:\/\/accounts.binance.info\/register\/person?ref=IHJUI7TF"}}],"about":["Community","Health & Wellness","Short Read","Singapore"],"wordCount":745,"keywords":["80s","covid hobby","covid-19 hobby","culture","east coast park","hi roller","hi roller singapore","history","hobby","inline skating","jam skating","retro","roller skating","Singapore","style"],"articleBody":"Out of the way, inline skaters! The roller skaters are back with a vengeance.Youths can be seen making reels of themselves shuffling backwards down the streets, overlayed with new-age R&B on social media. And with many indoor rinks shut during the pandemic, more roller skaters have been gliding into parking lots and parks.Roller skating has seen a revival since the Covid-19 virus hit, with many calling it a \u201cCovid sport\u201d.\u00a0Ms Atiqa, for one, picked up the sport last August when the nation was knee-deep into the pandemic.\u00a0\u201cI needed an active sport. Something free, easy, and something that I can stay committed to,\u201d says the 30-year-old, who fell in love with roller skating after watching Drew Barrymore in the movie, Whip It.\u00a0Ms Kristianne Fajardo, a 24-year-old interior design student at LASALLE College of the Arts, was inspired by the likes of prolific Instagram skaters Ana Octo and Kamry Lorin.\u00a0\u201cI always see them on Instagram looking so carefree and relaxed \u2014 so different compared to how stressed I was in school and how unsettled I was because of the Coronavirus,\u201d she shares. \u201cSo I thought, if they could be so carefree skating, then maybe I should try it too, and have some fun in the middle of a pandemic.\u201d\u00a0\u201cI know I get bored very easily when it comes to hobbies. So the thing that pulled me into roller skating is that there are so many different styles \u2014\u00a0dance skating, cruising, urban skating, derby, park skating,\u201d she adds.\u00a0Cruisin\u2019 into the past\u201cRoller skating has been around for twenty to thirty years, both locally, and regionally,\u201d says Ms Daphne Chua, Director of longstanding family-run business Hi-Roller.\u00a0The Chua family opened its first outlet outdoors along East Coast Park, as \u201cback then, it was definitely an outdoor sport\u201d.\u00a0The Chua family\u2019s first rollerskating rental and merchandise shop along East Coast Park, around from 1999 to 2009. (Photo courtesy of Daphne Chua, Hi Roller)Land reclamation by the government prompted them to shift to a bigger locale, still at East Coast Park from 2010 to 2017. But the advent of E-commerce and sports franchise Decathlon badly affected retail stores like theirs.\u00a0\u201cThe haze also hit us quite badly during that period, as we were facing the beach and no one wanted to go outdoors,\u201d adds Ms Chua.\u00a0In 2019, they decided to take a very different direction when roller skating made a comeback and underwent a rebranding of sorts.\u00a0Enter \u2014 or rather, re-enter\u2014 90s retro music, bell-bottom pants, and neon signs.\u00a0The Chua family rode the waves and opened Singapore\u2019s first-ever indoor roller skating rink, complete with disco balls and coloured lights \u2014 the ultimate roller disco starter pack.\u00a0They even brought back the two-by-two quad-skates \u2014 as opposed to in-line skates, which are more adjusted to the needs of outdoor skating.\u201cUntil recently, roller skating was never seen as an indoor activity. [The sport] works very closely with fashion, culture, and local trends,\u201d says Ms Chua, citing indoor skating rinks like those in Australia and South Korea. Now, the rink has regular themed nights for lovers of different subcultures and music genres.\u00a0\u201cEveryone is wearing the same Uniqlo Airism Size M these days that it\u2019s almost like a uniform,\u201d says Ms Fajardo. \u201cBut when it comes to roller skating, you have to make conscious choices to [look the part].\u201d\u00a0\u201cThese choices show up in your clothes, your movements, and your expressions,\u201d she adds. It seems roller skating has inadvertently morphed into an art as much as it is a sport.With safe distancing measures slowly reopening, Ms Fajardo says that the social aspect of skating is a big part of the appeal.\u00a0\u201cSkating is no longer about training your stamina or fitness to go really long distances,\u201d says Ms Chua. \u201cThe image is now closer to when a group of girls come together, and they just want to dress up, look pretty, and jam to certain kinds of music.\u201d\u00a0\ufeffMs Atiqa, who also coaches at Hi-Roller, adds that she appreciates the strong sense of community among those who practise the sport.\u00a0\u201cI think the community is unique because it has both young and older veteran skaters. You also have new skaters, and we meet regularly and share skating tips with each other,\u201d she says.\u00a0The real OG \u2014 \u2018veteran\u2019 skaters like Uncle Steven have been skating since the 80s.\u00a0Join the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia’s Facebook and Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"\u2018Retroskating\u2019: The return of the bygone craze of roller skating","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/retroskating-the-return-of-the-bygone-craze-of-roller-skating\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]