Labor Day weekend marked the 19th Annual Joi’s Skate-a-thon in Atlanta. This was my first major out-of-town skate trip. My friend Kai and I decided to share the experience together since we both started skating at the same time about 5 years ago. Here’s “1-Flow” and I relaxing at the VIP party at Cascade before the main event on night #2.

I was so busy skating, I didn’t get to take too many photos/videos, but here’s just a peek at my trip!

Friday Night – All American Rink, Stone Mountain, GA

I couldn’t even venture a guess as to how many skaters filled the floor that night, but it was absolutely mind-blowing to watch hundreds of skaters, all with different styles weave in and out of each other effortlessly. For me, it wasn’t so effortless at first, but I started to get the hang of this great big dance. The DJ’s did a phenomenal job of keeping everyone in the groove.

Saturday Night – Cascade Skating Rink, Atlanta, GA

Ahhhh, 25 and older skaters at this party. I love the young bloods, but this was party all about the grown-folks. This was my favorite night by far. The energy and the love in this rink was palpable and there was a little bit more room to get it in. With some encouragement, I even ventured into the middle circle and busted out some moves. I hope someone somewhere got some of it on video, because it was one of those out-of-body experiences, where the right song comes on and your feet just take over. DJ Big Bob had us sweating, and it felt so good!

Sunday Night – Golden Glide, Decatur, GA

Night #3 of the festivities and Northern California came out in full force on “Rep your City” night. *Orange Alert!!* Again, the house was packed and the energy was high. There were a few stops and starts from a couple falls, and some knucklehead who brought a drink out on the floor. I was afraid I had lost my groove. They slowed things down a bit and then it was time for Roll Call. This is where the regions with the most distinct skate styles get a chance to do their thing on a much less crowded floor.  Do yourself a favor and check out some of these styles on Youtube, expand your mind and your skating; JB, Open House, Snapping, Sliders, Fast Backwards.  After that, I got my second wind and managed to put in some middle work before the end of the night.

Here’s my Northern California Skate Family representing in Orange! We roll deep!

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I was fortunate to end my trip with the hospitality of “Queen of the South” Joi herself. We enjoyed a nice relaxing visit before heading back to the Bay. Here’s our crew with Joi’s “Wall of Fame.”

White Chocolate is SUPER proud to be on that wall. I can’t thank Joi enough for her years of dedication to this event and to skating in general. I had the time of the my life and I feel so fortunate to have had this experience!

Stay tuned for some videos from the event. I gotta show you guys some of these different styles. I hope my footage came out alright. 😉

#RollWithSoul