Video edit: Matt Caratelli
Name: Simon Kelly
DOB: 29th March, 1986
Lives: Melbourne
Skating Since: 2000 I think!
How did you get into Rollerblading / Start Rollerblading:
When I was 10 I moved to a town in NSW called Old Bar and heaps of kids would rollerblade at the local shops. I bought some skates from Mr Toys Toy World (which I believe was the leading skate shop in the area) so I could be one of the cool kids.
I remember showing up for a skate and everyone was jumping over this little drain. I rolled up to it, jumped and then fell super heavily. Memory is a bit fuzzy there, but I think I got super winded or even knocked myself out on that one. I decided rollerblading wasn't for me lol and didn't skate again for a few years.
Then when I was visiting family in Melbourne, I bought some M12s and went for a skate at the Albert Park vert ramp and someone there gave me some super helpful tips and it just got me super hooked!
Photo by: Tom Cameron
What's so good about skating and what inspires you to keep going:
My motivations for skating have changed a lot in recent years. I'm enjoying it more than ever because I feel like I'm doing it for myself and not for what I think others think.
For me, skating is a training ground for my mind to show myself I can do things I don't think I can do. It gives me goals to work towards. It's my own thing to create whatever I want. No one expects anything of me, so I get to be the one that controls the pressure and the way I show up.
I'm super grateful to have an amazing crew in Melbourne to skate with. We all push each other in really healthy ways.
How did you become involved with Bayside Blades?
When I moved to Melbourne, I started helping out with the Roll Vic crew to put on competitions and this quickly became something Rob Ham and I were doing together.
Bayside Blades were always there to support every event and anything we needed, from prizes to promotions to extra people to help out.
They do so much for the scene behind the scenes to keep it growing and strong and they love skating. It's more than a business, it's something they're really passionate about, and I really like that.
Photo by: Tom Cameron
Skate Setup: Razors Jeph Howard Shift 2s. Stock everything.
Favourite Skater: Chris Haffey
Photo by: Tom Cameron
Other Interests:
I have a digital marketing business and I love teaching.
I'm super interested in mindset and psychology. Always looking to learn and grow.
I studied Criminology at Uni to learn more about how people work.
I'm training in NLP to add coaching to my list of things.
I'm wanting to improve my skills with video filming and editing too. Specifically for skating, but it's fun to play around with it and put little edits together. I'm enjoying learning more about that.
Favourite Things to Skate: Railene - that's the name for the rail that Martin Gade built for me.
Anything Else to Add: Thanks team Bayside for being a rad bunch of humans and for your support over many years!
Check out SK's welcome edit on YOUTUBE
Photo by: Tom Cameron