It's a Wrap! 2021 Recap
2021… What. A. Ride!
This has been a massive year filled with twists, turns and milestones! It feels as if 2021 began 10 years ago, and yesterday at the same time and it definitely deserves a reflection! We have truly loved every second spent getting to know you this year, and we can’t wait to meet more of this incredible community in 2022! But there were a few key highlights and milestones this year to take note of and look back on. I’m starting at the beginning of Keaskates, December 2020 well before we officially launched, at the first event Keaskates was a part of...
We were so honoured to be a supporter of the first annual Valonia Bowl Jam in Auckland on December 12th 2020. This was New Zealand’s first EVER Aggressive Quad Roller Skate Competition and we were just fizzing! We met incredible quad skaters from all over New Zealand showcasing their talents and competing for some great prizes!
(Image credit: CIB_Auckland Instagram 2021)
During the craziness of 2020, Kea decided to take her business idea to the next level and study Small Business Management, which she completed in October. On December 19th her certification arrived and it all became official!
(Image credit: Keaskates.nz Instagram 2021)
Februrary 27th 2021. We made our way south to Tauranga for the first annual Vert Ramp Champs on one of the nicest Vert ramps in New Zealand! This Competition was New Zealand’s second ever Aggressive Quad Skate competition, and attracted even more participants from around the country!
(Image crredit: Cibbop Instagram 2021)
On April 3rd a small group of about 10 buddies got together for an Autumn roll from one skatepark to another. This roll out lasted roughly 40 minutes over around 5kms from Valonia Skatepark to Waterview Skatepark. little did we know, this would be the beginning of Auckland Roll Outs!
(Image credit: Rollerskate_fever Instagram 2021)
April 10th 2021 the highlight of the year: Keaskates Launch Party! We ran into a few hiccups with Covid 19 lockdowns and wet weather, but we made it work! Aggressive skaters, Dance skaters, Inline skaters, Skateboarders and scooterers, beginners and seasoned skaters all came together under one roof, to celebrate skating and the launch of Keaskates! Our launch party was a very different skating event, supported by a number of local and skating businesses, focusing on introducing skaters to the different skating disciplines and including all wheels and ages. We split the event in half, first running over the basics of Roller Skating, learning a few cool moves and having a boogie around the venue. In the second half of our event, we set up the ramps and got a quick demo from some epic local Aggressive Skaters! We helped our Launch Party attendees learn to skate for the first time, learn new stalls and even unlock their first ever drop in! All our attendees got right into the spirit, helping each other, trying different styles of skating and changing from Roller skates, to skateboards to Inline skates and made the day so special! These memories will stay with me forever!
(Image credit: Originally posted by Keaskates.co.nz 2021)
After meeting Lady Trample, founder of CIB (Communities In Bowls, formerly Chicks In Bowls) at the Tauranga Vert Ramp Champs competition, we sussed out our first retail stock and launched the retail arm of Keaskates on April 28th!
(Image credit: Keaskates 2021)
Gearing up for something big down the track, the Crazy Eight Roller Skates and Hey Mac! team threw a roller disco on July 16th, the likes of which us Aucklanders had never dreamed of; Intergalactic Roller Rodeo! Inspired by outer space themes and rhinestone cow-people, it was a night filled with glitzy home-made cowboy chic outfits and great vibes!
(Image credit: Intergalactic.Roller.Rodeo Instagram 2021)
On July 22nd at a beautifully smooth outdoor basketball court, Keaskates gained our first Roller Skating student, officially launching the Recreational Coaching branch of Keaskates!
(Image credit: Keaskates.nz Instagram 2021)
After weeks of days blurring late into the night, on July 27th Kea clicked “Continue”. Keaskates Website went live with new stock! Setting up online was a huge milestone for us, helping to really make Keaskates official while at the same time, making it easier for you to access our products and services!
(Image credit: Keaskates 2021)
August 1st, before Auckland’s lockdown, Keaskates ventured South to Cambridge for the 3rd annual ACID Invitational and ACID X CIB Roller Ramp Attack and mini ramp competition! This was the first Skateboard and Roller Skating Competitive event Keaskates had been involved with, and we witnessed so many skilled skaters over the weekend of the competition!
(Image credit: CIB "Crooks" / Cailtin Burns Instagram 2021)
August 17th Auckland was plunged into another strict lockdown. But we were more than happy to help keep people entertained and rolling with blogs, a dance challenge issued on Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook and the start of Keaskates Online Lessons!
(Image credit: Keaskates.nz Instagram 2021)
Along with all the other madness going on during Lockdown, Kea was also working really hard on a special project behind the scenes. On November 17th we announced the launch and pre-sale of our first merch collection: Harmony! A collection designed to express the balance and duality of Quad skating and Inline skating. This is something we are very proud of as it represents one of our core goals and values; equity of treatment and inclusivity!
(Image credit: Keaskates.nz Instagram 2021)
Kea finally headed back out for a skate at the local skatepark! A positive and energetic surf skate crew were extremely interested in roller skates on the ramps and, without trying very hard, convinced Kea to come back to the park at their next meet up on December 3rd with some skates for them to try out! And as if meeting this supportive group wasn’t good enough, skateboarders swapping out 4 wheels for 8 wheels instead was a massive highlight!
(Image credit: Skateseen Instagram 2021)
On December 15th Kea bumped into Santa while he was visiting our local area on a little holiday before Christmas! He loved seeing roller skates and had to give it a go! Kea had a blast teaching him the basics to help get Santa Rolling!
(Image credit: Coastiechristmas Instagram 2021)
December 18th was a big day! We had 2 events mere hours apart. The first one at 3.30pm; The Coast Driving Santa Parade! What an honour to skate alongside Santa while he toured the coast with his parade, putting slimes on faces and spreading the Christmas cheer!
(Image credit: Coastiechristmas Instagram 2021)
We did a rushed costume change at turned up at our second event of December 18th, which started at 7:30; Intergalactic Roller Rodeo! Every single character really got in the intergalactic rodeo spirit! There was head to toe sequins, outlaws, full body paint and Auckland’s own Cowboy King, Monty Montgomery bringing the hype all night!
(Image credit: Intergalactic.Roller.Rodeo Instagram 2021)
We wrapped up the year by sponsoring a HUGE Coast Christmas Giveaway alongside Hoyts HBC, Water World, Backyard flicks, Megazone Silverdale and heaps more amazing and generous local businesses!
We’ve skated in the parks, in the rinks, on the streets, on squares of plywood and in garages. We’ve been graceful, we’ve been clumsy, we’ve flown and we’ve fallen. We’ve laughed, loved, longed and cried. We’ve been close and we’ve been apart. 2021 was a rollercoaster, and we’ve been through it all together!
We have so many plans and we are really looking forward to a bigger and brighter 2022!
In the timeless words of The Carpenters;
We’ve only just begun…
See you soon!
Love, Kea x