Jam Skating
Future Plans
LCritt plans to continue to refine her Jam skating. She's already proficient in the basics and plans to combine her love of dance with her skating coined 'Roller Dancer' (source unknown).
​
Roller Dancers will use their knowledge of choreography, styling, and technique and combine it with the basics of roller skating and jam skating to create a unique variation of roller skating that is performative as well as culturally relevant.
​
She also aims to continue to build her community with the Queens on Quads group through fellowship, sisterhood, and skating.
Why Jam Skating?
Roller skating has been a big part of LCritt's childhood. Her father and grandfather were avid skaters who took her to the roller rink on a regular basis. Roller skating is considered an integral part of Black American culture; therefore, it's hard to pin point when she first began skating.
​
Her father and grandfather were versed in JB or 'James Brown' style of skating that was popular in near by Chicago. However, as she moved around from state to state, skating was a hobby that remained consistent. LCritt found a rink wherever she lived and would save money on a weekly basis in order to go.
​
Skating was a safe place for Black youth to connect with their culture and to find a place away from the struggles of life.
Jam Skate Experience
When LCritt was first introduced, there were no names given to the styles of skating that she was learning. She quietly observed and duplicated what the more advanced skaters were doing.
​
It wasn't until the 2020 lockdown, that A.Lorraine found a revitalized love for roller skating after many years of absence. She bought her first skates and ran into a local Charlotte woman gathering a group of Black female identifying skaters. This allowed her to have a safe place to admit that despite her many years of experience, she hadn't learned anything new since her teenage years.
​
Now, she attends regular skate sessions with the group and networks with other skaters to continue to refine her skills and gain a new sense of confidence.
