MILWAUKEE — When it comes to skating or riding BMX, there aren't any rules. Just send it and have fun.
"I love it so much. It's so fun," Tiffany 'Pika' Gorski said.
Although, if you ask Pika, she might say there is one rule.
“I do get a lot of people who call me a roller blader which is the one deadly sin of roller skaters. Do not call me a roller blader," Pika said with a laugh.
Rocking her eight wheels, she tears up the streets of Milwaukee and 4Season's Skate Park. She has modified her equipment to be a blend of inline skates and quad skates (the type of rollerskates you'd see at a roller rink). What she does isn't "necessarily something you've seen at the skate park environment," she said.
Watch TMJ4 Reporter James Groh and Pika skate together...
It's not just the skates she's wearing. It goes beyond that. You don't often see women or roller skaters at a park. She wants to change that.
“Show that roller skaters can shred too. Women can shred too. Queer people can shred too, and kind of like putting yourself in uncomfortable situations it brings a lot of benefit to other people," Pika said.
The former roller derby athlete has been on skates for 13 years. Now the 25-year-old wants to inspire others to come to the skate park. You can see her video clips on Instagram or YouTube. She also helps organize specific skate seshs for people who want to practice in a safer environment.
“Some femme and queer meet ups after hours which we like to do because it kind of cultivates a community where people feel a little bit more comfortable coming in trying to do some goofy stuff or just trying it out for the first time without all the chaotic energy sometimes," Pika said.
Her journey to skating in parks and the streets of Milwaukee started when the pandemic hit. Her roller derby matches stopped, but she still wanted to skate. That's when Pika and many fellow roller skaters began going to 4Seasons.
“And much like the skateboarding, BMX community here, the roller skate girls here are all killers. like they all are like top-notch," Jeff Gozdowiak, the owner of 4Seasons Skate, said.
He has seen Pika's progression and the influx of roller skaters into his park since 2020.
"She's been getting after it since day one. Always like I’m going to try this. I’m going to try this. I’m going to take it to this. Yea, it’s cool to see," he said.
I’m actually going to make a correction to this story. There is one other rule here. Show up - not just for yourself but for the others you may inspire without even knowing it.
“I think beyond myself and I think that this is making a bigger impact than I think it is. And me just showing up is really giving other people the confidence to also show up in these environments," Pika said.
Follow 4Seasons Skate Park on Facebook and Instagram to keep updated with skate meet-ups happening throughout the year.
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