Dusting off the Pinzgau

Roller skating rebels learn to stand up again and again

Tanja Puchler and her roller skates: at the disco on April 5 in the hangar at Zell airfield, people will be rolling and partying. Flashy outfits included.(Bild: Roland Hölzl)

Tanja Puchler and her roller skating club want to dust off the Pinzgau region. The 40-year-old mother has found a home and training facilities for her club in Kaprun. At the beginning of April, things will get off to a lively and cheerful start in the hangar at Zell am See airfield.

She is 40 years old, a single mother and says of herself: "I was a rebel before - and I still am." We're talking about Tanja Puchler, founder of the first roller skating club in Pinzgau. The club name says it all: Cherry Bombers (literally: cherry bombers) is derived from the 1976 punk song "Cherry Bomb". This referred to rebellious teenage girls.

The "Cherry Bombers" generally use classic roller skates. But inline skates are also allowed.(Bild: Roland Hölzl)

"We're different from most people." 
 Puchler has long since left adolescence behind. But the rebel in her got the roller skates out of the attic and founded the club two and a half years ago: "I moved to Kaprun shortly beforehand and know how difficult it is for newcomers to make friends. I wanted a club where people feel comfortable, where it's about a shared passion and meetings and good feelings."

This hangar is the place to be on April 4 and 5.(Bild: Roland Hölzl)

And one thing is important to her: "We are different from most people. We know that. But we want to shake up the dusty Pinzgau region a bit," grins the mother of a six-year-old daughter. The club has 21 members. Thanks to the support of the municipality, there are training facilities in Kaprun.

Funky music, flashy outfits and lots of rolling rebels await the curious.(Bild: PETER KUEHNL)

Keep getting up
Roller skating is anything but easy. It requires coordination and you have to be able to take a hit. "You often fall at the beginning. That hurts. But you learn to get up again. Over and over again until you get better," says Puchler, describing her experiences.

To make her club better known, the scooter disco is being held for the second time this year at the hangar at Zell airfield. On April 4, there will be a learning day for all age groups, and the disco will take place on April 5. With funky, groovy music, flashy outfits and lots of rolling rebels.