Seventy-seven-year-old Bradford woman Rosemary Williams loves to roller skate and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Williams' father and aunts were avid roller skaters part of the John Inglis Club.
In 1961, her aunt gave her a pair of hand-me-down boot skates which propelled her into the Toronto roller skating scene.
Williams remembers learning her first moves by rolling to the cornerstone in Cabbagetown where she grew up.
"I remember standing there trying to move my feet and cars whizzing by, and I'd stand at the top there and practice backwards skating," she said. "My dad was really happy I got into rollerskating because he enjoyed it, I enjoyed it; you meet a lot of people."
She would spend hours on end at Toronto-area skating clubs like The Terrace, Mutual Arena and Wheelies working on her tricks and techniques.
Eventually, she went on to compete in area championships, taking home multiple medals and awards.
Once she had a job of her own in the mis '60s. Williams was able to purchase her own brand new pair of Snider Douglas Deluxe roller skates for $100.
"And they're the skates that I still have at home with leather peeling off," she said with a laugh.
These are the same skates she uses when rollerskating today with the Bradford Pop Up Roller Skate group which started up earlier this year by Bradford resident Tracey Stanway, and runs every Friday night at the Bradford and District Community Centre.
When Williams first heard about the local pop-in skate, she couldn't wait to sign up.
It had been about 10 years since she had been on skates, but was determined and excited to get back to it.
"The first night I spent two hours on my skates; my feet were killing me," she said. "My feet have changed, and (I had) to get used to the floor and get your balance."
Williams says the best type of floor to skate on is hardwood.
"You get good traction from it and you feel more relaxed in it," she said.
Williams has lived in Bradford since 1986 and is an active senior. She enjoys keeping busy attending events at the Legion, visiting with friends at the Casino once per week, and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Her husband Walter passed away a few years ago. He always supported her skating passion, watching in the stands. Coincidentally, his father was also active in the roller skating world.
When asked how she keeps in good physical health to keep skating, Williams says she takes calcium every day.
She believes rollerskating is making a comeback because it gets people outside after being cooped up indoors for two years due to the pandemic.
"It was so fun and that's what I did growing up, even when I got married and had kids," she said. "It's come back, it's come back a lot. With the pandemic, people were not able to do very much and if you want to get out and get some exercise, you can skate."
Although she is happy there is a new club located within walking distance of her house, she hopes to see more rinks open up in the future for others to enjoy.
Williams is looking forward to the next season of the Bradford Roller Skate Pop Up which starts up again in the fall.
