Roll Into Fitness

"I think if it wasn't for roller-skating, I would be in a wheelchair," she says. "It's low-impact, easier than walking, much easier than jogging. It's something you can do from the time you start walking until you leave the earth."

Giardini is among a devoted legion of rollers who never stopped skating after the sport peaked in the early '80s. In 1982, she and her husband, Jim, began competing nationally and teaching roller-skating at Arvada's US on Wheels, 5353 West 64th Avenue, which opened during the golden days of disco. When Jim died last year at age eighty, he was still skating.

"He loved it," she says. "He knew you can't be a couch potato."

Giardini continues to teach classes for both adults and kids, and US on Wheels offers a variety of Roller Fitness classes that combine aerobics, dance and freestyle into an intensive cardiovascular workout. Raising the fun factor is a solid soundtrack offering everything from the bossa nova to "Billie Jean." Fitness classes are held Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to noon; admission is $5 and includes skate rental. The rink is also open throughout the week for practice and, of course, couples' skate. Call 303-423-0616 for information. DJ, cue the mirror ball.
Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon, 2006