In our first edition of Teacher Leisures for the 2025-2026 school year, The Accolade‘s layout editor, Kevin Lee, interviews Spanish instructor Natasha Tricoche about her experiences as a roller skater and teacher.

Some of the questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Question 1: What was the reason you started roller-skating in the first place?

Answer: “I started roller-skating more seriously because of COVID-19. During that time, a lot of people suddenly had extra time and picked up random hobbies, and I was one of them. Roller-skating became the hobby I discovered during that period, and I have stayed with it ever since.”

Question 2: You said you started more seriously during COVID. Does that mean you skated before?

A: “I used to roller-skate as a kid, but I never took it seriously. I thought of roller skates like a bicycle or a toy, not something you could actually become an athlete in or be on a team for. I did not even know people did that. So yes, I skated when I was younger, but after COVID-19, it became something I did regularly and made part of my lifestyle.”

Question 3: What was the motivation behind starting your roller-skating journey, and how serious are you about it now?

A: “Yeah, I am pretty serious about it. It is my main hobby now. I have been on a couple of teams, worked with different coaches and even traveled for sports conventions. I am very active with roller-skating. [I started] probably more in the middle [of the pandemic]. At first, we were all just waiting to see how long the shutdown would last, and it kept getting extended. I am a fitness person who loves going to the gym. I used to go four or five times a week, so having the gym close felt really strange. When things still were not reopening, I got bored and felt like I needed something active to do. Roller-skating made sense because it was outside, it was safe at the time and it was free. It did not require a gym or equipment besides skates.”

Question 4: What rink do you skate at?

A: “The rink I skate at the most is Fountain Valley Skating Center. It is really famous in Orange County. Sometimes, for team practices, we also practice at Pigeons Roller Rink in Long Beach.”

Question 5: What is your current skating schedule like, including team practices and individual training, and how do you approach those sessions?

A: “Right now, I am on a team, and we skate together every Saturday. Plus, I skate about two times a week on average after school. Those extra practices are on my own. At this point, my skill level is high enough that I do not need constant coaching. I only need a coach for specific things. For the additional practice days, I repeat what previous coaches have taught me. It is kind of like studying, so you keep the skills sharp.”

Question 6: Could you describe the two different teams you are involved with and the style of skating associated with each?

A: “I am involved with two teams, but the first one I am practicing with right now does not have a name. It is just called the show team. This style of skating looks similar to ice skating. We perform little roller-skating shows where we lift people into the air, spin, dance and do choreography. So it is simply called a show team. The other team is a sports team called Orange County Roller Derby. That is a completely different style of skating. On that team, I am technically an athlete, but because I am injured right now, I am working as a referee/non-skating official, while I recover.”

Question 7: So the show team is artistic skating. What is the other team?

A: “The show team is artistic roller-skating, which is similar to dancing or ice skating. The other team is roller derby, which is a full-contact sport. It is kind of similar to football. People hit each other, block each other and knock each other down. It is basically the complete opposite of artistic skating.”

Question 8: When did you decide to join that athlete league, and why?

A: “As I kept skating more, I started meeting people with different styles of skating. Roller rinks became where I made all my friends, especially after I moved from San Diego. Everyone I knew skated, and I was at the rink all the time. Seeing how skilled people were, skating on one foot, on one toe stop, never falling, really impressed me. I wanted to understand how they got that good, and I thought being on a team might help me build those skills. That is what attracted me to roller derby. I wanted to be able to do what those athletes could do.”

Question 9: Any details about the league or roller derby in general?

A: “I just wanted to try it because I had never played a sport before. I wanted to see what it would be like to have a coach, a structured training schedule, practices three times a week and teammates who were better than me. I wondered if that structure would make me a better athlete, and it did.”

Question 10: Is the practice schedule you mentioned earlier the one you follow for the show roller skating team?

A: “For the show team, yes. Because it is more dance-based, we only need weekly Saturday practices. It is not as intense as roller derby. When I am not injured, and I skate with the roller derby team, I have to practice three times a week, just like student athletes do, because you need to build muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance.”

Question 11: Since you started competing in roller derby, have you had any records or notable achievements?

A: “Not really, because I am still new to roller derby. I only played a couple of games before getting injured, so I am still learning. My accomplishments are more in artistic skating. I have not won awards, but I have been lucky enough to study with some of the best coaches in the field, people who invented certain dance styles, like Roller Dance Man, Dirty Deborah Harry and the Labriola family. They are widely known in the roller-skating community with large YouTube followings. Being able to learn from them is something I feel very grateful for.”

Question 12: Are there any major roller-skating dance shows or tournaments coming up?

A: “Yes, I have a show team performance coming up on Sunday, Dec. 14. It is like a dance show but on roller skates, with a Christmas theme. I will be dressed as a little Christmas puppy for that performance.”

Question 13: Does that show have a name?

A: “I think it is just called the Christmas Show for the Fountain Valley Artistic Roller-Skating Team. It is a yearly tradition. Fountain Valley is actually a really famous rink in Orange County. They send their artistic skaters to national competitions, and they win a lot.”

Question 14: How often do you talk about roller-skating in the classroom?

A: “Not much this year. Last year, I talked about it a lot because I was new to the team and always chatting with coaches and other teachers. Students would overhear, and I sometimes brought my referee shirt, which made it fun. This year, because of the injury and because I am skating less with the derby team, it is not on my mind as much. Maybe I should talk about it more because it is actually such a fun part of my life.”

Question 15: Can you explain your injury and whether it affected you at school?

A: “My injury was a complete freak accident. During practice, a skater bigger than me hit me with illegal contact, purely by accident. She fell, and it became a dog pile. She is six feet tall, and I am five foot six. Her hand struck my neck like a karate chop, and because we wear protective gear with hard plastic, it felt like being hit with a stick. Then her body weight landed on my neck, which is fragile. This happened a year ago, and I am still doing rehabilitation. It affected me a lot at school last year because teachers move their heads constantly. I was in a lot of pain, but I managed. I am okay now, just cautious. I love teaching and do not want a hobby to jeopardize that, which is why refereeing appeals to me. I can still skate without being tackled the way derby players are.”

Question 16: Did your students know about your injury?

A: “They did, because they could see I was in pain. It affected my occipital nerve, so I had facial twitches and headaches. I am usually a very high-energy teacher who is always moving, so when I had to sit down, students knew something was wrong. They were patient and encouraging, especially since many of them are student athletes and understand injuries.”

Question 17: How do you balance roller-skating with teaching at Sunny Hills?

A: “It is really hard. Before Sunny Hills, I taught college, and that was simpler because you just taught your class and left. At Sunny, I have many more students, and I help with dances, tutoring, clubs and events. The only way to balance everything is through organization and time management. If I had a game coming up, I knew Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday mornings were blocked, so I planned lessons earlier. It is easy to let skating slip, but I try to hold myself accountable.”

Question 18: Is that why people call you professor?

A: “Yes, partly because I used to be a college professor at San Diego City College [before I came to work here]. But also in Latin America, the word profesor or profesora simply means teacher. You can also say maestro, but that word can mean other things too. So profesora fits both my background and the cultural tradition.”

Question 19: As a final note, what does roller-skating give you that teaching does not?

A: “Roller-skating is incredibly important to me. If anyone reading this is curious, I really encourage them to try it. The community is so kind. As a teacher, I am around teenagers all day, so skating lets me connect with adults in a positive way. When I skate, I feel like a kid on a playground, happy and energized. Even though it is physically tiring, it is emotionally uplifting. Roller skaters cheer each other on, and I feel like a student again hearing positive feedback. It fills my cup with joy and connection, and I value that deeply.”