Born Out of the Pandemic, Rollerskating Club All Skates Go to Heaven Is Still Rolling

Lindsey Koggan was suffering from a nasty bout of cabin fever when she put out an open call for a roller-skating meetup five years ago. In the shadow of pandemic lockdowns, she found an audience eager to join her.

"That’s kind of how All Skates Go to Heaven got started," Koggan tells New Times. "It was pretty much born out of the need for freedom during lockdown in 2020. Roller skating basically gave me a way to recreate and reconnect with joy and community."

Today, the organization hosts rollerskating meetups, performances, and classes all over Miami. People attend in droves, and Miami Roller Rink and popular skate brand Impala have sponsored her pop-ups. More importantly, though, Koggan says the meet-ups have become a space for "collective healing through movement."

Though she's been skating since she was eight, her passion for the sport was reignited post-pandemic, thanks to the explosion of online content depicting it as fun, freeing, and accessible.

"I went to the skate park, and I started to get back onto my rollerblades again," Koggan says. "It really pushed my limits in terms of what I was capable of. My first drop-in experience on that ramp at Lot 11 told me that you're capable of doing anything you put your mind to. It sounds so cheesy, but that's what I love about skating — that you can really see the progress immediately."

"A lot of 2020 was really hard on people," she adds. "So, just seeing everybody grow at the same time was kind of liberating. Everyone has come so far; even if it's people’s first time putting on their skates or coming to an event, everyone is so welcoming. They really understand what it's like, because they've been in their shoes before. So they'll come and help people."

Koggan says some of the skaters who attended her first, nameless events have stuck around long enough to see the development of the organization's popular themed skate nights, often branded as "Roller Boogies" and "Pop & Rolls." The community she’s helped create is somewhat self-perpetuating, with veterans ensuring the environment remains welcoming for newbies.

Part of the mission behind All Skates Go To Heaven, Koggan says, is to provide a space for people to feel present and in tune with their peers after the disconnection of the COVID lockdown. She wants to bring as many people into the fold as possible and strives to make her events accessible to everyone — regardless of the equipment they have on hand or their experience.

"Our philosophy is that all types of skaters, all ages, and all levels are welcome," Koggan says. "So even if you have roller blades, roller skates, or skateboards — we welcome all of that. I think people, whatever their wheels are, whatever they prefer, they feel like they can join in."