Chloe Lanham
Staff Writer
Lake laps around Lake Hollingsworth have become part of the cultural for FSC students. Now, thanks to the FSC Skate Club, those laps come with wheels. What started three years ago as a few friends skating together, has now grown into an official organization.
Today, the club is under the leadership of President Sydney White, Vice President Crimson Clawson and Secretary Summer del Valle. They were founded originally three years ago, but became SGA recognized in the spring.
“Sydney is the one who sets everything up, she’s in contact with everyone. It’s great, and we love her,” said Clawson.
Every Thursday, the Skate Club hosts its signature event: Skate Around the Lake. Open to anyone with wheels, the group gathers at 4:30 p.m. at The Sump to warm up and practice. The official lake lap begins at 5 p.m.
“As long as you can go forward, you’re good,” Clawson explained. “You’ll figure it out on the way. That’s what the lake’s for, right?”
Every Thursday at 4:30 p.m., the members learn and try out new tricks. Hosting weekly lessons is a goal for the board this year. “It’s up in the air currently on when we can do that, but we are hoping to do that this semester.”
“I’ve had some friends be like, ‘I would like to learn, but I don’t have the equipment or money for the equipment,’” Clawson said, “So I’m very grateful for the one skateboard that we do have right now.”
Their goal is to purchase more skateboards and eventually roller-skates, but sizes vary.
The goal of the organization is to create a safe space for skaters of all levels.
“We’re hoping to host a learning night this semester to teach people the basics,” Clawson said.
A skateboard was the organization’s most recent purchase, to allow members to practice their skills.
As skating equipment is expensive, the club is working to expand their equipment offerings through fundraising. Their latest fundraiser was the Late Night Bake Sale, featuring sweet treats such as homemade cake pops and lemonade.
Proceeds from the fundraisers will go towards funding larger events, as well as purchasing more rental equipment so that anyone can ride whether they have equipment or not.
While their weekly Skate Around the Lake is a staple event to the club, the members hope to branch out to the broader Lakeland community in the future.
“As much fun as the lake is, it’s the same path every time,” Clawson said. “We’d love to explore more places together.” The group hopes to host events at Skate World, a popular roller rink in Lakeland. Along with Skate World, the club is looking to host events at local skate parks.
Though the group has three or four regular members, the club is eager to grow. The club hopes to grow its membership over the course of the year, as well as their leadership.
As of right now, the three executive board members are handling multiple roles at a time.
“Right now, it’s just the three of us on [the executive board] I’m hoping if we do grow our club to more than just the three or four of us that show up weekly, we can fill more exec members, so us three aren’t as busy as we are.”
Students interested in learning more about the club can follow them on Instagram at @fsc_skaters, or join their GroupMe linked in their Instagram bio.
