Early in 2021, Henty woman Bec Wawszkowicz dug up an old pair of roller skates she hadn't touched in over 20 years, dusted them off and she hit the ground rolling.
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Six month later, the mum of three is running Twin City Skate, a roller skating club running classes in Albury, Wagga and Culcairn that has proven to be more popular than she could ever have imagined.
"In Skate NSW, we're the newest club having started in April, and we're the largest club already," Mrs Wawszkowicz said.
"Canberra Roller Derby was the largest with 140 and within three months we exceeded that and now we're at 170. It just goes to show there is a demand for this in the Riverina."
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She may be running NSW's most successful roller skating club now, but 12 months ago Mrs Wawszkowicz had all but forgotten about the sport that she first started at just 6 years old.
"I spent 10 years competitively skating at a state and national level and then at 16 I hung up my boots and didn't put them on again for another 23 years," she said.
It was while taking her three sons to skateboarding in Wodonga in February that she spotted an advertisement for a free roller skating night, something her husband encouraged her to try.
"So I got my 30 year old skates down, I cleaned them up and put new bearings in them," she said. "They just fit, I thought they would rip my toenails off."
A snap border lockdown that month meant the Wodonga event didn't go ahead, but with the old flame already ignited, Mrs Wawszkowicz knew she had to get out on a rink.
"I found the rink in Albury instead and went to a session," she said.
"I was shaking like a leaf, I could barely even COVID check in but I gave myself some time to relax and get back into it and by the end I was beginning to spin and jump a bit and people asked me if I could teach them."
"So I came home and my husband and I spoke about the club and it just sort of grew from there."
She wasn't the only one back out on her wheels after an extended break - since COVID the sport that was hugely popular in the 1990s has made a comeback across the globe.
"In the middle of a worldwide pandemic there's a real mental health need for it," Mrs Wawszkowicz said. "You see 40-plus year old women who've got those memories, at the mere mention of roller skating their eyes light up."
Mums with those nostalgic ties are some of Sister City Skate's most loyal members, often coming along for sessions with their daughters in tow.
Kristy Retzlaff and her daughter Tahlia are one such pair, lacing up their skates together at this Saturday's Learn to Skate session.
Mrs Retzlaff said being able to enjoy an activity together with their daughters is a big reason why her and other mums are drawn to the sport.
"I used to skate as a kid and it was so much," she said. "My daughter came for the first term and I thought I would sign up as well and it has been such a positive experience being able to enjoy a sport together."
Sister City Skate runs 10 sessions per term in Albury-Wodonga, Wagga Wagga and Culcairn. For more information you can visit their website here.
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