Team SkateFX was originally called the Modbury Roller Skating Club. It was formed in 1981 and started out as a social club.
With competitive enthusiasm on the rise the rink management engaged two professional coaches for Artistic and Speed skating. They were Charmaine Bond and Neil Bond. As a result, the club’s numbers increased rapidly.
In 1982 the club entered 32 skaters in the SA State Titles. Modbury skaters won 9 gold medals and many silver and bronze medals.
Sixteen skaters from Modbury went on to represent SA at the National Championships that year.
In 1983 club skaters competed in meets in Mt Gambier, Melbourne and Queensland. The club entered a record 76 skaters in the State Titles.
In 1983 the club won their first gold medals at The Australian Championships, in fact, 10 of them.
In 1984 (January) Modbury ran an International Artistic Invitational Meet. It was the first of its type in Australia. Speed and Artistic skaters from all over Australia competed. The skaters participated in workshops and seminars. Demonstrations by world-class skaters were a highlight of the event. The World Championship silver medallist Scott Cohen and internationally acclaimed coach Jerry Waters attended and ran the workshops and seminars. Scott Cohen gave exhibitions.
In 1984 (August) the club sent a team of 6 senior skaters to America to train and compete in top-level International events.
In 1984 the World Speed Championships were held in Adelaide. The organising committee
One year later things went pear-shaped. In 1984/5 the club helped a group of people fight tooth and nail to retain the rink (
Fortunately, the Tea Tree Gully Council supported a takeover bid by a group of people who sought to keep Skateline open as a community facility for young and old people alike. The council supported the move and a “sweetheart” deal was done.
It was a heck of a struggle but the future of Skateline seemed assured.
In 1986 Mr Don Gates (USA) came to Skateline and ran a series of lectures and workshops.
Every skater from Modbury (14) who skated at the 1986 Australian Championships placed in the top 6 in their events. The least number of skaters in any of the events was 12. Our skaters competed in 15 events.
1987 was the start of the end for most of SA’s skating rinks. The economic climate was dire. Businesses were falling over, all over SA. Interest rates were spiralling out of control. People were struggling to meet their mortgage repayments. Money was scarce. Skating took a massive hit. Those people who were running stand-alone skating rinks (Glenelg, Downtown, Hindmarsh and Elizabeth) went under.
Skateline Modbury would have gone under too if not for the “sweetheart” deal the council gave the owners.
Despite all the turmoil, Simon Reeves was chosen to represent Australia at the upcoming World Championships.
Modbury Skating Club was all but bankrupt in 1988. Many parents of skaters fell on hard times and money that paid for skating had to go towards mortgages etc. Our numbers dwindled. The club went into survival mode. Most of its energies went into fundraising.
We tried everything – mugs, chocolate drives, T-Shirts, lucky number boards, raffles, car rallies, wine, skate-a-thons, all night skates, car boot sales, sponsorships, garage sales, pens, badges, quiz nights etc.
The fundraising efforts of club members raised enough money to keep the club afloat.
Tammy Bryant, Amanda Bryant and Andrea Burke were the only SA skaters to win at National level in 1988.
Simon Reeves competed in the German Cup in 1988. He placed second overall in Figures and Freeskating.
In 1989 our elite skaters travelled to Victoria to compete in their prestigious
Tammy Bryant, Andrea Burke and Amanda Bryant all retained their Australian Titles in 1989.
Angela Rees was selected to represent Australia
Simon Reeves represented Australia at the World Championships.
In 1990 Tammy Bryant represented Australia at the World Championships in Germany. She was the youngest skater to skate in the World Championships (13 years old). She finished 10th of 36.
In 1991 Modbury continued to re-generate. The club began to re-build in number. Skaters voted to change the club colours from yellow and red to red white and blue.
Tammy Bryant finished fifth of 26 skaters at the 1991 World Championships.
The speed team was forced to travel all over Australia (WA, Qld, NSW and Vic) in order to improve their competitive skills.
But, the number of speed skaters was on the rise. The club was back on track. We had 50 competitive speed skaters.
Our skaters did lots of demonstrations at the general sessions. This attracted many new skaters to the club.
In 1992, 1993 and 1994 it was much of the same. Modbury was a force to be reckoned with Australia wide.
Skaters from Modbury represented Australia at World Championships, International events in NZ, the Asian Games and the World Cup.
Tammy Bryant and Amanda Bryant were clearly number one and two in Australia.
However, just when we were back on top the owners of Skateline Modbury received a massive offer for the building from a church group. The owners took the offer. Skateline Modbury was no more. There were public meetings and deputations of people approached the council, pleading their case. But, their voices fell on deaf ears. It was a done deal.
A group of dedicated club members spent much of 1995 searching for an alternative venue. Eventually a building was found. In between the closing of Skateline and the opening of SkateFX (approx. 6 months), club members skated wherever they could get floor time (usually in rec. centres). Some skaters even moved interstate to continue their training.
SkateFX eventually opened in Maxwell Terrace, Pooraka.
Ironically, just when the last true stand-alone SA skating rink closed, Tammy Bryant became the first and is still the only female artistic skater in the Southern Hemisphere to win a World Championship.
She scored 9.9 out of a possible 10.0 to beat the best 32 freestyle skaters from all over the world, in Columbia. Amanda Bryant placed fourth in the same event.
Further to that, Tammy Bryant is the only female skater from anywhere in the world to win the World Artistic Championships on both quads and inline skates.
Tammy Bryant is now Team Skate FX’s head coach.
Club members voted to change the club’s name from Modbury to Team SkateFX. Some skaters gave up when Skateline Modbury closed. However, the number of club members remained about the same because the new rink brought with it new club members. 1996 was a year of consolidation for the club. The new rink was in its infancy and a lot of work went into setting it up and running sessions. The club took an active role in this process. A new committee was formed.
Charmaine Bond remained as head coach. Hockey started up and a gym was established in the front part of the building. The club was hopeful that things would settle down and we could get back to what we did best – dominating local and national competitions.
Regrettably, 1997 was another year of upheaval for the club. The gym was going under and a security firm had to be brought in to evict the management team running the gym.
The building had to be locked. No one was allowed in until the dispute was settled. Unfortunately, there were also a number of break-ins and a lot of damage was done. Equipment was either stolen or broken. The club had to fundraise to buy training aids, lighting and music equipment.
Some skaters became disillusioned and gave up.
In 1998 members of Team SkateFX began to compete again in interstate competitions. Team SkateFX organised and ran a speed meet in Mt. Gambier. Over 70 skaters from SA and Victoria took part.
The people on the committee worked hard to strengthen the club. The committee organised camps and ran training workshops.
It was a better year for the club. Our skaters won many events all over Australia. Things were on the improve.
Current Team SkateFX Story Tellers
Team Skate FX invited top coaches to run seminars and give group lessons. World Champion skaters such as Dante Muse (USA) and Derek Parra(USA) came out. Internationally acclaimed coach Bill Begg (NZ) ran a series of workshops for skaters and coaches.
In 1999, 3 times World Speed Champion, Chris Luxton took over as Team Skate FX speed coach.
Carly Coyne, Paula Linke and Ricky Bryant represented Australia at the World Speed Championships.
In 2000 the rink management changed. Two of the original owners pulled out. This resulted in more work for fewer people. It was a busy year. The rink remained viable. Skateboarding was introduced. The sessions were okay. The club continued to push ahead.
Team SkateFX was up and about in the 2000’s, participating in lots of community events including
City To Bay fun run
Christmas Pageant
Formula One Grand Prix
Unley Mile
City Mile
Shell service station openings
Marion skate extravaganza
beach skates
city skates
Just when things appeared to be on track another church stepped in and bought the Maxwell Road property in 2001. Skaters were out in the cold again. Team SkateFX didn’t have a rink. Neither did SA.
Skating was still popular but without a rink we had to beg for time and space in recreation centres across Adelaide. The cost increased dramatically. Our numbers took another hit. The club was on its knees.
St. Clair, Angle Park, Gawler, Pt. Noarlunga, Blackwood and Ingle Farm Rec Centres all ran/run popular skating classes/sessions. Team SkateFX members skated primarily at Ingle Farm Rec Centre and The Parks Rec Centre.
Eventually, after a few years of ‘here, there and everywhere’ SkateFX made the Parks Rec Centre home and the management
The Parks was all but closed down by the council in 2012 but public outcry saved it. Team SkateFX is happy to call The Parks Recreation & Sports Centre ‘home’.
At the same time, club members are actively seeking suitable buildings that are affordable and hope that one day we might find one that we can establish as a skating centre.
Meanwhile, the cost of hiring a Rec Centre for the amount of time we require to train is the killer. Team SkateFX has to fund raise continuously in order to pay for the floor time.
Every last cent of the club’s money goes to floor time.
Team SkateFX has a progressive group of people who are working tirelessly to increase our membership and develop our elite skaters.
It is Team SkateFX’s goal to develop
In 2015 Tammy Bryant took over the role of head coach from Charmaine Bond; joined by Amanda Bryant (second highest ranked Australian female skater – 4th) and 2016 National
Team SkateFX also has a number of junior coaches who are taking on new club members as we speak. Our club is growing and moving into a new era. Our coaches are professional and rate as the best in Australia.
Our club currently boasts nearly 100 members. We are up and about.
Team SkateFX Story written by Michael Bryant, July 2017
At the 2016 Australian Championships, Team SkateFX had 12 skaters.
Two won gold medals. Five won silver medals and two won bronze medals.
Four of our skaters were chosen to represent Australia at the Oceania Championships.