Today we’d like to introduce you to Tricia Plinzke.
Hi Tricia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I lived in Rochester, New York for 25 years. After graduating with my degree in theater, I decided to pick up and move to California. I had my whole life inside my car, and I brought my rollerblades across the country with me. When I came to LA, I was really excited to use my blades, so I brought them to the local roller rink.
That night everyone was asking me why I was on rollerblades and not on quads. After that night, I decided I was going to try to roller skate and I never look at my rollerblades again.
I started going to the rink 4 times a week, then I started going to Venice. At one point, between the rink and Venice, I was skating every single day. While I was serving burgers and fries at a local restaurant, I would tell my customers that I wanted to be a roller skater. Some of them laughed at me, others told me they used to roller skate too.
Then the pandemic happened, and people really enjoyed my skating videos. I lost my job as a server and had even more time to dedicate to roller skating. My skills increased and I was proud of the progress I was making every day.
To this day, roller skating has been the thing I can go to, whether I’m happy or sad, to express myself. My background in theater has made my personal skate journey all the more interesting, as this blend has opened many doors in my life in LA. I have met many incredible people through our shared love of skating.
I’ve also loved the opportunity and am honored to have been a part of many awesome creative projects due to my roller skating.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Just like many of the trails you experience in roller skating, sometimes life is smooth, something bumpy. My move to LA was not the smoothest. It was hard being completely alone in a new place. Finding friends and a community is not easy. However, the roller skating community welcomed me with open arms and made the transition possible. It allowed me to find my place in LA where I felt like I belonged.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In addition to roller skating, I shoot and edit videos for other roller skaters and creatives. Sometimes filming is even more fun than skating.
I like to add silliness, sensuality, and storytelling to almost everything I take on. It’s the @Disht6 style that I think my followers enjoy.
Throughout my skate journey, I’ve been proud of myself for learning to do what feels good for me and not worry about what other people think (even though it’s tough).
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I’m continuously discovering my authenticity. I think it’s important that I stay true to who I am because, for a long time, I was not. Skating has helped me express myself while also discovering parts of myself I was afraid to face.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/disht6
Image Credits
Color image taken by Chris Greenwell
