Spin to win
This article is part of “We Create SF” — a series of essays highlighting artists, performers, small businesses and anyone else that makes San Francisco iconic and irreplaceable.
By Cayenn Landau
Glide past Golden Gate Park and you’ll likely spot Colleen Jones soaring through the air on one foot, showcasing her latest skating trick while her long white locks fly behind her. With a collection of roller skates that could rival a local boutique, Jones is a force to be reckoned with in San Francisco’s roller skating scene.
Her journey began decades ago on our city streets and sidewalks, rolling near the Conservatory of Flowers in the early days and then donning skates for Castro Halloween. Much has changed since the 1990s, she said, but the sense of camaraderie among roller skaters remains an unwavering constant. For Jones, roller skating is more than just a hobby.
“It’s family. You need something, people help you. All you have to do is ask,” she told me.
Jones has become a fixture in Golden Gate Park working as a skate instructor and part-time teacher for The Church of 8 Wheels, a legendary family-run San Francisco rink. Through the Church, the skate-loving community recently teamed up with the city and expanded into a park area called “Skatin’ Place” — even though everyone has been skating there for decades.
Jones’ friend Aimee Stevland — who goes by White Chocolate — designed a mural for the newly-repaved rink, so now it’s much easier to perform spins on a level ground; and it is there that you’ll find Jones giving lessons. People often flag her down because of her distinctive look:
“I had a woman chase me down in the park once,” Jones said. “It’s my hair. People recognize my hair, and they see me at the park — I’ve been there for 25 years. The kids think I live in the park. They say, ‘Let’s go see Colleen!’ And the parents go, ‘Well, we don’t know where she is.’ And they say, ‘No, she lives in the park!’”
Her skates draw eyeballs, too. Jones has three pairs of quads, two pairs with “the three big wheels,” and four pairs of roller blades. But her current favorites are the ones she wore during our Feb. 23 interview at the Coffee to the People in Haight neighborhood: Elegant black-and-white inline skates with bright pink laces.
“I’m really rough on my skates,” she said, smiling. “I’m surprised I haven’t worn a hole through the toe yet.”
Jones cited David Miles, known as “the Godfather of Skate” and the founder of the Church of 8 Wheels, as helping to foster such a warm environment. A decade ago, a number of skaters including Jones took a class to become instructors for the Church.
Now, Jones teaches private lessons on Mondays and Fridays — often in “skate dancing,” like doing Samba just on wheels — and she devotes Saturday mornings to teaching children. People hire Jones as an instructor mostly through word-of-mouth, or after seeing her skate or teach others.
She doesn’t actually live in the park. When she’s not on wheels, Jones works for a periodontist as a surgical assistant. Though there isn’t much overlap between skating and gum surgery, she enjoys her position; the entirety of her 30-year career has been in dentistry. Jones also loves spending time on local beaches.
“One of my favorite beaches is down past Pescadero, called Bean Hollow and they have these really interesting rock formations called Tafoni where it looks almost like sponges — holes have been eaten away in it,” she said. “And the beach, instead of being like sand, it’s these little tiny pebbles that are polished and so beautiful, oh my god — like sparkling jewels.”
Jones also skates for special events. She attended Pride as part of a group of rainbow “glitterinas” about five years ago, and she continued going since then.
“My friend said, ‘OK, here are some pasties.’ I had to arrive first because I was dressed in silver to match my hair. We wore underwear, and I crafted a sparkly skirt that provided some coverage. I was nervous about the pasties, but everything turned out fine.”
One day though, Jones hopes to work full-time as an instructor. She highlighted watching people grow in themselves as being one of the most rewarding aspects of skating.
“This young girl, she’ll get down on one foot, lean down on her back heel, and put the other food straight out in the air,” she described of a student of hers. “I told her, ‘Someday, you’re gonna be better than me. Just watch.’”
Cayenn Landau is a recent graduate from Brandeis University in psychology, creative writing, and journalism. She lives in the Bay Area.
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