Roller skating: City skaters glide home with gold

WINNERS: The Rotorua team took part in the New Zealand Roller Sports Artistic Championships last week. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

The Rotorua Roller Skating Club have claimed their first national title, following a fine routine by young skater Georgia Crowe.

The annual New Zealand Roller Sports Artistic Championships were held in New Plymouth last week, finishing on Saturday.

A team of 13 skaters from the Rotorua club qualified for the nationals and brought home seven medals. Rotorua team manager Janine Anderson said Georgia, 12, from Mokoia Intermediate, won their only gold medal in the novice ladies freestyle event.

"That is the Rotorua Roller Skating Club's first ever national gold," she said.

"We are only a new club - this is year two."

Anderson said the skaters competed in dance, freestyle and figure skating at the nationals.

"In every division they did really, really well. This is the first time our younger skaters have ever done figure skating or dance skating," she said.

Anderson said David Hook and his wife May set up the club a couple of years ago and had done a great job.

"David does all the routines for our skaters," she said.

"We are lucky to have him. He has been in skating for 40-plus years."

Anderson said the skaters had been training for months in their divisions and it was great to see their hard work pay off. Liam Fraser, 8, was the only boy in the Rotorua team and picked up a silver medal in the primary boys freestyle event.

Ava Hook, 9, won two bronze medals, while sister Rosa, 11, Claire Self, 15, and Holly Forbes, 15, also won bronze.

The roller skating club are based at Lynmore Primary School, with about 60 skaters.