In recent years, aggressive inline skating has gained significant popularity, as evidenced by the continuous growth of blade schools and increasing numbers of participants. Particularly in Europe, an organized approach to inline skating training has undergone rapid development in recent years, largely driven by the sport's easy accessibility and a desire to promote its benefits. Blade schools have emerged as key players in this development, providing skaters with a safe and welcoming environment in which to improve their skills and reach their full potential. With programs tailored to both beginner and advanced skaters, these schools create a space where individuals of all skill levels can come together to learn, grow, and thrive in the sport.
Rollerblading schools have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, with many individuals seeking to open their own. However, competition in this field is fierce, with many schools vying for students. While there are many schools that focus solely on teaching skating skills, the most successful ones are those that prioritize creating a sense of community among their students. By fostering a welcoming and supportive environment, these schools help their students feel more connected to the sport and to each other, which can ultimately lead to greater success and satisfaction in their skating journey.
Many schools try to incorporate original ideas in their curriculum including workshops, meet ups, events or even their own summer camps simply to bring together skaters from different backgrounds. One of such prominent project is Blading Camp located in Malaga, a city in the south of Spain. It was founded by professional rollerblader Josh Glowicki and his wife, and offers an immersive experience for people who want to enjoy the Spanish culture and climate and improve their inline skating skills at the same time. The camp provides accommodation, meals, and coaching sessions with other professional rollerbladers, including Josh himself, to help participants learn new tricks, techniques and styles. Blading Camp has become a popular destination for rollerbladers from around the world and has gained a reputation as one of the best rollerblading camps out there. The camp has been going on regularly for six years already and brought together around 1250 skaters from 52 different countries so far.
If you lived under a rock for the last decade and have no idea who Josh Glowicki is, let's go through his long journey and see how he came with the innovative idea of Blading Camp. In 2011 Josh Glowicki, fully engaged in his professional rollerblading career decided to visit Europe and spend few months on travelling around the old continent trying to make a name for himself. Together with his good friend Fritz Peitzner, they went literally everywhere in Europe, checking almost every contest or blade event at that time. Venturing through France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Sweden just to name a few, he was able to see how flourishing the EU blade scene really was. He met and built friendships with lots of people of the Eu inline skating industry and slowly gathered all the puzzles to start his own thing. When the final vision of life as a professional skater did not quite seem feasible, he became fully committed to developing his idea of training the younger generation of skaters.
As we can imagine Blading Camp was not created in a matter of few days, it was definitely a long process of trial and error and few smaller projects that eventually transformed into something fully coordinated. The big potential of inline skating training was noticed by Josh very early. The first visit in Sweden was definitely an eye-opener. While in America rollerblading was at the big decline, it was really hard to see some fresh blood coming into the sport. Yet in Sweden Josh was welcomed by the huge crowd of kids that were regularly attending the blade classes at local skatepark. It sparked an idea and soon after Josh Glowicki came up with Gypsy Camps which involved bringing pros like Richie Eisler, Montre Livingston and Nils Jansons to Eskilstuna 016 skatepark and spending the few days on skating, teaching and simply having a great time. The first Gypsy Camp was a big success and convinced Josh to push the project even harder. Yet, as Josh claims himself the biggest motivation came from SIBSUB crew from Siberia. Out of nowhere Josh was invited to Russia for some time as an inline skating instructor at the biggest skatepark of Siberia. It was exactly this place that showed him how much better organized training camp can be if only its taken on another level. A safe camp which people from all over the world and of all ages could attend, kept in line with the blading culture.
Following on from this, on his return from Russia, Josh gets involved in another project. At the request of the organizer (Jojo Jacobbi) of the unofficial world championships (Winterclash), Josh organized a special training session, with particular emphasis on teaching how to clear large funboxes — this is how the first Flight School classes were created. A short, dedicated training session before the competition for the youngest participants in the main event. It comes as no surprise that this small side event garnered immense popularity among teenagers, leading to the decision of its continuation during the Ghetto Games in Latvia.
Organizing such activity as a side event of the big contest was definitely good for the promotion of the idea yet in the long run though, it seemed more sensible to create own structures as a basis for further development. Finding the spot was not hard at all. Having spent so much time around Europe for all these years before, Josh Glowicki has already become accustomed to the fact that Spain is the most visited skate destination on the old continent, and thanks to his travels and countless contacts he could easily find help among the local scene. And so, while holidaying in sunny Malaga in 2017, Josh meets his future wife there and finds the perfect location for Blading Camp's base — a beautiful, large house in the mountains on the south coast of Andalusia. Juan Suarez (a legend of the Spanish inline scene) and Artiz Ortega (a professional blader from Malaga) willingly joined the project and together they transformed the original, loose Gypsy Camps idea into a fully professional training camp.
What sets Blading Camp apart from other camps?
Blading Camp currently takes place during the summer months of June and July. The location is undeniably the project's biggest advantage. Every day, participants can look forward to visits to two different skateparks, relaxing on new, fabulous beaches every day, scoring a trip on the legendary Camino de Reyes and, for those who love thrills, jumping off the cliffs of the Lakes of Ardales. Real street sessions are a must, and as you know, Spain is a paradise of street spots! The organizers do their best to unite the community by bringing skaters together in a cool environment where they can get to know each other and share powerful experiences. Josh always stresses that Blading Camp is not just about skating, but more importantly about building relationships and a full life experience.
Another very important factor for many of us is that the Blading Camp project is 100% independent, with no sponsorship affiliations. Organized by skaters for skaters, it fits perfectly with the nature of the blading scene, which is so hard to put into a closed framework.
Yoga & healthy eating
At Blading Camp in Malaga, enhancing the participants' rollerblading skills is just one part of the equation. The camp also prioritizes their physical and mental wellness by offering yoga practices, healthy eating options, and techniques to prepare the body for intense rollerblading. The yoga sessions provide a means for participants to stretch and strengthen their bodies, enhance flexibility, and promote inner peace. These practices also reduce the risk of injuries, speed up recovery, and instil a sense of relaxation.
Blading Camp goes beyond just improving skating abilities. The camp takes care of its participants' dietary needs as well, providing them with nutritious and well-balanced meals made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients. This ensures that they have enough energy to sustain themselves during intensive skate sessions while promoting their overall health and well-being.
To avoid injuries and achieve optimal skating performance, Blading Camp's coaches prioritize preparing participants' bodies for the rigours of aggressive skating. Warm-up exercises, stretching techniques, and other methods are taught to participants. They also receive guidance on cooling down after skating sessions, proper hydration, and general physical health maintenance. This holistic approach to training ensures that participants leave the camp not only with improved skating skills but also with a healthier body and mindset.
Staff and students
It's an opportunity to learn from some of the best skaters worldwide, such as Franky Morales, Montre Livingston, and Nils Jansons, who participate as instructors and role models. The camp in Spain has hosted stars like Joe Atkinson, Richie Eisler, Merry Munoz, Bobi Spassov, Miguel Ramos, and Jon Ortiz, with a minimum of four professional riders at each camp.
Blading Camp has attracted participants from 22 countries, including America, South America, Canada, Australia, and Poland, with varying skill levels ranging from super beginners to mega-advanced riders, aged 10 to 38 years old. In summary, Blading Camp is a manifestation of Josh Glowicki's passion for skating and his entrepreneurial spirit, built upon his extensive travel experiences worldwide. It's a way to give back to the industry, bring people together, and foster the organic and responsible growth of the sport.
Finally, we would like to quote Patrycja Najda, a professional inline skater and a certified instructor from Poland, who took an active part in one of the camps last year:
"...Blading Camp in Malaga is like a combination of a summer holiday with your parents when you were a kid and a rollerblading trip with a crew of friends. Josh and the rest of the staff provide accommodation, transport, food, water and anything else you're short of, and the co-participants make it pure fun, entertaining and energetic. You don't have to worry about anything and everyday life is focused on skating and relaxing. The head gets a good rest and the body a solid workout. Amazing skatepark facilities, passionate company and willing instructors won't let you miss out smiles, high-fives, lots of sunshine and amazing friendships!..."