From Paris to Los Angeles, Jackie Cross is spreading light and joy through roller dancing. The Flaneurz Ambassador and member of LA Rollergirls has been here from the project beginning. 

Jackie answered us from Los Angeles in order to share her love for our common passion.

 

 

/UNDER THE SUN OF LA...

/Jackie, can you introduce yourself to our Clique, as a person and as a skater?

My name is Jackie Cross. Just Jackie, not Jacqueline. I LOVE to create, skate, and travel. Having grown up in Southern California, I'm a big smiler. My goal is to live a book-worthy life... though I don't know if I will ever get around to actually writing the book. The younger me dabbled in everything she could: dance, drawing, piano, horseback riding, swim, acrobatics, and much more. 

As a person, I have a tendency to compulsively explore new situations and talk to strangers, though I have my strokes of shyness in certain situations. As a young adult, I buckled down a bit to study for and received a Bachelors Degree of Science in Physics with a minor in French.  During that time, I studies abroad in France, where I linked up with Flaneurz and had wonderful experiences that will stick with me for the rest of my life. 

After returning the US I work full-time as a Realtor helping people fulfill the American Dream. 

/Can you talk about your skating passion and about your disciplines?

Skating for me has always been about self-growth and exploration. I started when I was about 4 years old with a pair of Barbie Skates. My brother had roller blades (in-lines) and he would take me out to skate with him at parks (he is 10 years older than me). When I was about 6 years old, my dad discovered a roller skating rink just down the street from our house. He signed me up for classes and I fell in love with it: the people, the music, the freedom. The teacher of the classes, Rene Johnson, coaxed my dad into signing me up for private lessons and quickly became the coach that introduced me to competitive roller figure skating. 

By the time I was 14, I had competed internationally as part of a team and was training as a Junior World Class Freestyle skater. I LOVED jumping as a younger figure skater... but truth be told, I didn't much care for a lot of the other aspects. The costumes and routines were fun, but I lived for the open skates when I could just LIVE. I'd practice in the center of the floor and mix the technical skills I learned from my coach with the cool moves I saw jam and JB skaters doing during session. As I grew as a skater I later became passionate about all aspects of figure skating in all its creative and technical aspects. Looking back, there is about a 10 year span of my life where I would go to the rink, train in figure skating for a few hours, then stay for the public sessions to play with my friends and make up skate dance routines...I'd do that about 5 days a week. In my specialty (the freestyle discipline of figure skating) I was able to master jumps up to the double axel jump, which was my favorite jump.

/How did you successfully combine your passion and your career?

My passion has fueled me in two ways. In my main career as a Realtor, skating has given me an amazing network of people and a unique way to get around on the job. I wear my skates from time to time to help me move quickly around the neighborhood. My Flaneurz shoe skates are great for rolling from house to house and then walking in to meetings. On the side, I have opportunities to perform and create content on roller skates as a job!  I enjoy working in the LA entertainment industry with LA  Roller Girls and others on commercials, music videos, and other such things. It really is a blessing to be able to skate often and be making a livelihood.

 

/BAGUETTES, CROISSANTS AND FLANEURZ

/You're one of Flaneurz very first ambassadors. Can you tell your story with the brand?

Absolutely! What a fun series of events! When I was 22 years old, I was a student in college and decided to spend a semester abroad in Paris, France. I went alone, with no real plans. About a month or so after I arrived, there was  a roller disco held at La Cigale. About halfway through the event, a part of my skate broke. I needed to find tools to fix it, I spotted a guy with the same plates and ask him if he could help. That guy was Jean-Marc Gravier. After we fix my skate and rolled around, he asked if I'd be interested in joining his roller dance group, SkateXpress. How could I say no? I was here to make friends. 

A few days later, I met with him, Laurence Sabas, and Florian Gravier for a rehearsal. It was wonderful! We got along and they introduced me to a whole new genre of skating. Florian mentioned to me that he had started a skate company and would like to have me beta test a pair. Again, how could I say no? He set me up with some low-cut Stan Smith Adidas, we did a photoshoot, and that was where it all started.



/Do you use your Flaneurz on a daily basis? If so, in what way?

I do use them OFTEN. I wear them when I want to run the store down the street, sometimes at work if I need to physically move quickly from house to house, or even when I am going to the beach to hang out with friends. It is awesome to be able to walk into restaurants then clip on my skates and roll along the boardwalk. 

 

/Lastly, do you have any advice to give to someone who would not dare to have a go at skating?

BEND YOUR KNEES! Skating isn't walking. Every new skater will hear it a million times, but it is true.... you need to bend your knees more. 

 

Feel free to follow Jackie on all her social networks such as Instagram and Youtube.