The Roller Parade is back

BRUSSELS The major skating event 'Brussels Rollers' is back for more. Already 30,000 skaters have discovered the capital in a different way during the 'roller parades'. Last summer, the organization hoped for 500 participants per ride as an introduction. It turned out to be an average of six thousand per ride, all summer long. The organization renamed the event from Brussels Rollers to Belgium Rollers. The coordinator is Laurent Winnock. “We are launching the initiative in six other cities. This summer, there will also be roller parades in Hasselt, Ghent, Koksijde, Mons, Namur, and Liège,” announces Laurent Winnock. In Brussels, there will be a second edition. In the Bois de la Cambre, enthusiasts can also skate on Saturday and Sunday afternoons all summer. Just like last year, police officers — on skates — will escort the parades and skate afternoons. Every summer Friday, the wheeled parade leaves Poelaertplein at 9 p.m. (JHW) ■ http://www.brusselsrollers.com DIRK VAN DEN BRANDE “Trial and error” Police inspector Dirk Van den Brande from the tenth division in Haren will escort the roller parades on skates during the summer as a police officer. Van den Brande: “Combining sports with your job as a police officer is a dream. It's my first time on skates, so I had to practice a lot. I still fall occasionally, but I haven't suffered any serious injuries yet. A fellow police officer, on the other hand, is out of action after a fall.” (JHW) SABRINA PLAS “Great atmosphere” For Sabrina Plas, who has been working for the Brussels police for nine years, the police roller team is a dream job. “You are being active, and the atmosphere in the team is good. These skates give us police officers in the team something in common, and that boosts team spirit. People also look at us differently while performing our job at the roller parade. They think we're cool,” concludes Sabrina Plas. (JHW)