Rolling together: Humboldt Park Skate Club builds community on wheels
CHICAGO - We all spend most of our time either at work, school or at home. Having a third place can be any safe space that doesn’t fall in those first two categories. It could be a church, the gym, the mall or even a coffee shop you frequent.
A group on the West Side has found their third place and it happens to be on four wheels.
"I was working remotely at home and had just moved back to Chicago," Justine Ingram said. "I was looking for a way to get to know members of my community and neighbors."
Like many people, Ingram dusted off her roller skates during the pandemic. What eventually became the Humboldt Park Skate Club, started as a way to foster community connection when everyone was isolated and looking for a reason to get out of the house.
"Skating has a huge social culture surrounding it," Ingram said. "The other thing is you don’t need a lot of equipment for it. As long as you have skates, you’re good to go."
The HP Skate Meet up gets together at least once a month at the Humboldt Park outdoor soccer cages. Not only is it free, but if you don’t have skates, they’ll provide them for you thanks to a grant.
"We have people who are barely learning how to stand on skates," said Jessica Maldando, who co-founded HP Skate meet up with Ingram. "There are people doing twirls and there are people traveling the worlds who have been on TV in skates. There’s a place for everyone here."
Inclusion and access are two of the principles the group was founded on.
"One of our goals was to remove barriers to access," said Maldanado. "A lot of the skate rinks in Chicago are in the suburbs or far into the South Side. There’s a very high chance that people on the Northwest Side aren’t going to get to those rinks. There’s travel barriers and accessibility. We provide a pop-up center in the middle of the West Side. Free skates, free classes. Our instructors are some of the best instructors in Chicago."
HP Skate Meetup is having their third annual skate jam on Friday. It’s from 5-8 p.m. at the Humboldt Park Soccer Cages. That’s right next to Little Cubs Field. There’s going to be free skates and lessons. It’s open to people of all ages and skate levels. Plus, they’re going to have a couple of surprise collaborators.