We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Eric “Showtime” Tate. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Eric “Showtime” below.

Eric “Showtime”, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

When I realized that my passion for roller skating and connecting with other skaters in different rinks in the city began to spread. With my patience and understanding of how to break down moves I decided to become a skate instructor for different levels of roller skating.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My skate journey began when I was 17 years old, I initially started out roller skating on the weekends, I would often go to Rollerdrome (which is now known as Pla-Mor in Euclid, Oh) and United Skates of America in Wickliffe,Oh. At first it was a hobby and it was something I enjoyed doing. When I was 22yrs old I entered my first roller skating competition at Rollerdrome and I came in 2nd place, this lead me to take rollerskating more seriously because I felt that I should have won. So I went from skating on the weekends to skating 6 days out of the week for about 4 months straight. During that time I met my skate instructor Maurice Cooke. He became my inspiration and he gave me the tools to learn and to teach other skaters. I’m different from other skate instructors because of my patience and delivery on how I explain skating to others. I’m most proud of opening my own skate studio, called Showtime Skate Studio, where I provide skating lessons and while bringing the skate community together. Showtime Skate Studio was recently recognized on Wkyc Channel 3 this past February 2023. I want skaters to know that the studio is where everyone supports and motivates each other to be confident skaters. I offer skating lessons to all level roller skaters (beginner, intermediate, and advanced). The studio environment is a non intimidating atmosphere for all skaters where you can learn how to skate at your own pace.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to teach and inspire as many roller skaters as I can who want to learn.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

During the pandemic I had to shut down group studio classes due to the State guidelines and restrictions that were in place. I lost majority of my clients at that time, they were worried about being in close proximity of other skaters during that period. I was only able to have 1 on 1 private classes at the time. The skaters who were use to attending my group class couldn’t attend my private classes because with it being 1 on 1 there wasn’t enough time to accommodate everyone. This lead me to shutting the studio down completely. When the restrictions were lifted, I wasn’t sure if I should reopen the studio due to my lost in clientele who didn’t return. A year later I reopened and began to rebuild my clientele. Its seems that more people are interested in attending skate lessons now than when I was previously open. It has been a ride.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Showtime_Skate_Studio
• Other: https://linktr.ee/showtimeskatestudio