“Once you love something, it is very hard to give it up,” commented Angie Grobeck. She and her life partner Robert Jones are freshly returned from earning a National Figure Skating championship.

Angie was commenting on the strength of her connection with skating. She learned to love the sport through her mother – an avid skater. It was also through the sport that she began her relationship with Robert.

The simple comment about something being hard to give up is all the more meaningful when one considers that a training accident had recently left Angie with a nose broken in several places. Picking back up from that trauma was the epitome of love for a sport. 

The couple, residents in the Alba area of Lake Fork, began their relationship while “skating session” in Nebraska – skating parlance for skating to music recreationally as is done in skating arenas across the country. 

Robert remarked, “I watched her skate some sessions, and she was pretty good. One thing led to another, and we became partners in skating and in life.”

The two were actually long-time friends, but it was the skating which brought them together.

“She had to pass two tests,” Robert admitted, “…she had to like flying and she had to like skating.” 

With a lifetime of involvement in aviation, and having grown up skiing the slopes of Colorado, Robert naturally took to skating. He described the similarities (angles, lift, banking) between all three endeavors. The commonalities between the three are, once considered, quite clear. 

The partnership begun in 2017 has flourished. Now life partners, the two have become fully involved in the roller skating version of ballroom dancing. 

The sport dates to 19th Century Europe. Interestingly, the original skates used then were actually in-line skates. Around the turn of the 20th Century, the traditional quad skates became the sport standard.  

Today, competitive figure skating is conducted under the auspices of USA Roller Sports. The nation is divided into nine regions, with each region conducting its own competition. The top three finishers in each region advance to the national championship. 

In this partnership, Robert filled the role of coach/teacher – a somewhat tricky role when instructing one’s spouse. Robert had a long history already with the sport, having been a national champion in 2006, just two years after he had been recruited into figure skating. 

“Coaching, or instructing, Angie was really a challenge for me. I had to learn the best way for her to learn – everyone learns differently – and then change my coaching to her benefit,” he explained.

With persistence and patience the two were soon gliding through their demonstrations as if they had been skating together for years. 

The sport requires skaters to perform set dance routines. Each step and movement is performed to a standard in one of five dances: polka, blues, tango, foxtrot and waltz.

The tempo varies from 88 beats per minute to 108 beats per minute. An organ sets the tempo. 

Figure skating is a combination of ten standard skating positions. Movements consist of a number of unique steps which must be executed in the proper sequence and while following a standard dance template. 

The “Glide Waltz,” a beginning dance, has 10 unique steps, while the “Italian Foxtrot” requires 31 . Each dance is 2-3 minutes of complete concentration and physical exertion. “You better be in shape,” Robert advised.

Two pairs of skaters normally share the arena in each routine, starting at opposite sides. The judges assign scores based on accuracy of the dance, timing, presentation, grace and mutual precision. There are 15 different levels within three general categories: Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Angie voiced no hesitation when they decided to press ahead with the training and make a go at competition in doubles figure skating.

“I could always skate a little session,” she explained, “so I thought ‘ya, let’s go for it’!”

A renowned coach, Karlene Justice, was hired, and the two began their twice-a-week training sessions at Broadway Skateland in Mesquite.  

The road to get to the finals this year began at their first competition together, in Memphis, Tenn. in early 2022. Although they won in the Gold (most complex) category, the two decided to revert back to the Bronze level, as it fit better into their present circumstances.

In May, they competed at the South Central regional championships in Waco and qualified for nationals. In just over a year, the pair were headed to Lincoln, Neb. 

Robert described the competition among the 200 finalists as extremely intense. The two performed the “Denver Shuffle” polka and the “Rhythm Blues.” Robert and Angie took the title in Bronze Level 2 (45-65 year old) category, at the Lincoln nationals in July.

They both laughed at the moment when all the skaters were on the floor and they were called out as champions.

Robert explained, “Angie kinda forgot we were a team and rushed out to receive the medallion.”

He produced a photo of her starting out onto the arena with her eyes wide and a huge smile on her face. They both laughed.

For anyone wondering about what has happened in the world of roller skating, Robert Jones and Angie Grobeck can attest that it is alive and well.