Rollers & Coquillages, the Association
Overview
Beyond being the organisers of the Sunday Skate, the Association Rollers & Coquillages is a roller and inline skating club, with approximately 250 enthusiastic members.
In a friendly and even family atmosphere, we organize daytrips, week-end outings in France and abroad trips (Belgium, Germany, Japan, Portugal, UK)…
The R&C spirit
“Skates on my feet, smile on my face”, this motto characterizes well the spirit of this association, dedicated to the pure pleasure of urban skating in groups.
The Sunday Skate allows riders to inhabit the city in a different way, discover its districts and monuments, and for an afternoon, relax and exercise as a group in a friendly and secure atmosphere. Rarity nowadays, this activity is completely free of charge and welcomes everyone.
The association also offers its members more friendly meetings opportunities, private roller skating outings in or outside Paris, or even abroad …
History and folklore
Following the great transport strikes of 1995, the rollerblading fashion takes off abruptly, both as an alternative mode of transport and as a leisure activity. In their random parisian wanderings, the riders meet, regroup, take off together for more or less wild outings. Over the months, word of mouth helping, some of these outings become regular and attract more and more people. Especially on Sunday afternoons, it is not a rare sight to see hundreds skating the streets and avenues together.
Instead of fighting this spontaneous phenomenon, the Police Prefecture decides in a more positive way that it is necessary to give the affair a little structuring. Contact is made with some of the “figures” in the skating scene, and there you go! On December 9, 1997, Olivier Husson, Olivier Guérin and Emmanuel Jackson officially register the Statutes of the Rollers & Coquillages association.
Several stories (some more credible than others) attempt to explain the origin of the name (Skates and Shellfish). The official version claims it derives from the slogan “under the cobblestones, the beach” (dating to the great student uprisings of 1968, a somewhat absurd way of pointing the possibility of a brighter future). The most pleasant explanation relates that, during a meeting in a bar where the lads discussed how to name the initiative, the sound system broadcast the song by Brigitte Bardot “Shellfish and crustaceans”. Shellfish evokes holidays, good humor, the slightly absurd humor will have memory impact. Deal: the name will be “Rollers & Coquillages“!
A mascot was required to embody the concept. An artist friend (Jean-Luc Guérin) capitalizes on the zany idea of seashells and gives birth to a nice whelk on wheels, all smiles outside under his star glasses: it is “Raoul the bulot” (Raoul the whelk), who has been with us ever since, without ever going out of fashion.
February 2020: evolution, the Sunday Skate nw welcomes all non-motorized skaters: longboards, skateboards, scooters.
Operations, official documents
R&C is a 1901 Law association declared in the Prefecture, approved by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and affiliated to the French Federation of Rollerskating and Skateboarding (FFRS).
Dayly operations are managed by a Bureau / Board of Directors elected at the GA.
Among its most active members, we find the “staff”, who take pleasure in serving the roller skating community by volunteering to supervise Sunday hikes, and the Roll & Comm who ensure communication inside and outside the skate.
It is only fair to mention here the establishment of the Association Place de la Bastille, where our long-standing friendly partner Nomadeshop skating store lets us use a small but very convenient storage area.
Statutes, regulations, GA reports…
Register as a member
You can register, if you so wish, in person on the spot before or after the sunday skate, or even easier, use the online registration process.
The cost is 30 euros per year, and it can be done in a few clicks starting here:
Membership advantages
Membership of the Association is completely optional and not required to participate in the Sunday Hike which, by founding principle, is absolutely free and free of access to all.
However, becoming a member allows you to:
- count yourself among the supporters of the Rollers & Coquillages association
- contribute to giving it the means for its actions (costs of emergency vehicles, staff equipment, insurance, etc.)
- gain access to any organized members-only activities and events
- benefit from a dedicated roller skating insurance (see below)
Members skates, week-ends, trips
Please Note : lately, there are not been many such activities organized, due to a lack of available volunteers to prepare these projects (the latest members week-end outing was in 2023).
If you feel so inclined and would like to get involved, don’t hesitate to contact the staff to restart this program?
Four times a year, the members-only skates: a small friendly group-skating exploration of Paris, often around a cultural theme or a particular interest (fountains, unusual cinemas, treasure hunt … ). Comes spring time, the group often leaves Paris for the more bucolic periphery, sometimes as a full-day outing with a picnic.
Three times a year, group trips bring together 20 to 35 members for a weekend outing, Depending on the destination, we either carpool, or use a coach, train or even plane, to discover a city or a region with 30 to 50 km dayly skates. Normandy, the lakes of Burgundy, the forest of Compiègne, Montpellier, Strasbourg, even London, Barcelona, Berlin … There have even been trips to Japan!
Two of these weekends are “low-cost” with the clear intent to be remain accessible to those of us on a budget. The third one is often slightly more expensive because of a more distant destination.
Festive events
Annual meal, “galette des rois” (a french traditional cake shared early january), drinks at the General Assembly, etc., depending on the great ideas and inspirations of the year.
Discounts
NomadeShop : -10%
At Nomades, you can rent or purchase exactly the pair of rollerskates or inline skates you need. Historical partner of R&C, the shop lets us use a room where we can store our staff equipment, and meet new members.Insurance and FFRS sports licence
Rollers & Coquillages is insured, for the activities it organizes, by the federal insurer of the FFRS – French Federation of rollerskating and skateboarding.
By becoming a member, you thus benefit from a minimum coverage in case of problems during the Association’s activities:
- Civil Liability for damage you may cause to others
- Individual Accidental Consequences to cover your personal damage from a roller skating accident in terms of health, disability, etc. (be aware, this coverage is somewhat minimal)
By adding the purchase of a sports license from the FFRS (through R&C), you get extended coverage:
- Civil Liability if you are responsible for damage during the practice of roller skating, even outside practice supervised by R&C
- Individual Accidental Consequences with superior coverage (which you can further increase, to better suit your personal situation, by purchasing options)
It’s quite technical, but we tried to summarize all of this in a synthetic table that you will find by clicking ► HERE (new tab, french only)
While it is important to understand this, you should refer to the contracts of the Federation, as they are the only reference documents that have contractual validity.
In the end, it behooves you to be responsible and check your insurance coverage is suited to protect your interests, and guarantee the protection of those you may harm.
Partnerships, services
Special Sunday Skates
Our Sunday Skate can be labeled to a partner’s brand for one or more sundays :
- graciously for a humanitarian cause or charity to which we wish to bring visibility — in recent years : Action Leucémies, AGIR POUR L’AUDITION, association François Aupetit, Croix-Rouge Française, Fédération pour la Recherche sur le Cerveau, Eau Vive, Habitat & Humanisme, Institut Curie, Institut Gustave Roussy, Orphéopolis, Sidaction, Secours Populaire, UNESCO…
- or for a fee for private sector actors reaching out to a varied audience sensitive to the values of the Association.
On request events
A major player on the Parisian roller skating scene since 1997, with a pool of experienced and enthusiastic skaters, Rollers & Coquillages has developed recognized expertise for organizing and supervising dedicated skates and all sorts of other roller-skating events.
We sometimes supervise city-sponsored skates for the City of Paris, other cities in the region or even further, like the city of Vencôme or for private sector entities.
A recognized actor in the Health in Sport movement, we also provide support for the French Regional Olympic Comitee, as well as sports sections of Works Councils or for the “Sentez-vous Sport” action of the CNOSF (French Olympic Commitee).
Promotional campaigns
Leverage the outreach of our communications media (website, Facebook page and group, weekly newsletter with 2,655 subscribers at the end of 2019 …) to target a varied audience, sensitive to strong concepts such as conviviality, discovery, health, freedom …
Do not hesitate to consult us on these subjects, we can help you create a tailor-made skating event that suits you!
Overview
Beyond being the organisers of the Sunday Skate, the Association Rollers & Coquillages is a roller and inline skating club, with approximately 250 enthusiastic members.
In a friendly and even family atmosphere, we organize daytrips, week-end outings in France and abroad trips (Belgium, Germany, Japan, Portugal, UK)…
The R&C spirit
“Skates on my feet, smile on my face”, this motto characterizes well the spirit of this association, dedicated to the pure pleasure of urban skating in groups.
The Sunday Skate allows riders to inhabit the city in a different way, discover its districts and monuments, and for an afternoon, relax and exercise as a group in a friendly and secure atmosphere. Rarity nowadays, this activity is completely free of charge and welcomes everyone.
The association also offers its members more friendly meetings opportunities, private roller skating outings in or outside Paris, or even abroad …
History and folklore
Following the great transport strikes of 1995, the rollerblading fashion takes off abruptly, both as an alternative mode of transport and as a leisure activity. In their random parisian wanderings, the riders meet, regroup, take off together for more or less wild outings. Over the months, word of mouth helping, some of these outings become regular and attract more and more people. Especially on Sunday afternoons, it is not a rare sight to see hundreds skating the streets and avenues together.
Instead of fighting this spontaneous phenomenon, the Police Prefecture decides in a more positive way that it is necessary to give the affair a little structuring. Contact is made with some of the “figures” in the skating scene, and there you go! On December 9, 1997, Olivier Husson, Olivier Guérin and Emmanuel Jackson officially register the Statutes of the Rollers & Coquillages association.
Several stories (some more credible than others) attempt to explain the origin of the name (Skates and Shellfish). The official version claims it derives from the slogan “under the cobblestones, the beach” (dating to the great student uprisings of 1968, a somewhat absurd way of pointing the possibility of a brighter future). The most pleasant explanation relates that, during a meeting in a bar where the lads discussed how to name the initiative, the sound system broadcast the song by Brigitte Bardot “Shellfish and crustaceans”. Shellfish evokes holidays, good humor, the slightly absurd humor will have memory impact. Deal: the name will be “Rollers & Coquillages“!
A mascot was required to embody the concept. An artist friend (Jean-Luc Guérin) capitalizes on the zany idea of seashells and gives birth to a nice whelk on wheels, all smiles outside under his star glasses: it is “Raoul the bulot” (Raoul the whelk), who has been with us ever since, without ever going out of fashion.
February 2020: evolution, the Sunday Skate nw welcomes all non-motorized skaters: longboards, skateboards, scooters.
Operations, official documents
R&C is a 1901 Law association declared in the Prefecture, approved by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and affiliated to the French Federation of Rollerskating and Skateboarding (FFRS).
Dayly operations are managed by a Bureau / Board of Directors elected at the GA.
Among its most active members, we find the “staff”, who take pleasure in serving the roller skating community by volunteering to supervise Sunday hikes, and the Roll & Comm who ensure communication inside and outside the skate.
It is only fair to mention here the establishment of the Association Place de la Bastille, where our long-standing friendly partner Nomadeshop skating store lets us use a small but very convenient storage area.
Statutes, regulations, GA reports…
Register as a member
You can register, if you so wish, in person on the spot before or after the sunday skate, or even easier, use the online registration process.
The cost is 30 euros per year, and it can be done in a few clicks starting here:
Membership advantages
Membership of the Association is completely optional and not required to participate in the Sunday Hike which, by founding principle, is absolutely free and free of access to all.
However, becoming a member allows you to:
- count yourself among the supporters of the Rollers & Coquillages association
- contribute to giving it the means for its actions (costs of emergency vehicles, staff equipment, insurance, etc.)
- gain access to members-only activities and events
- benefit from a dedicated roller skating insurance (see below)
Members skates, week-ends, trips
Four times a year, the members-only skates: a small friendly group-skating exploration of Paris, often around a cultural theme or a particular interest (fountains, unusual cinemas, treasure hunt … ). Comes spring time, the group often leaves Paris for the more bucolic periphery, sometimes as a full-day outing with a picnic.
Three times a year, group trips bring together 20 to 35 members for a weekend outing, Depending on the destination, we either carpool, or use a coach, train or even plane, to discover a city or a region with 30 to 50 km dayly skates. Normandy, the lakes of Burgundy, the forest of Compiègne, Montpellier, Strasbourg, even London, Barcelona, Berlin … There have even been trips to Japan!
Two of these weekends are “low-cost” with the clear intent to be remain accessible to those of us on a budget. The third one is often slightly more expensive because of a more distant destination.
Festive events
Annual meal, “galette des rois” (a french traditional cake shared early january), drinks at the General Assembly, etc., depending on the great ideas and inspirations of the year.
Discounts
NomadeShop : -10%
Insurance and FFRS sports licence
Rollers & Coquillages is insured, for the activities it organizes, by the federal insurer of the FFRS – French Federation of rollerskating and skateboarding.
By becoming a member, you thus benefit from a minimum coverage in case of problems during the Association’s activities:
- Civil Liability for damage you may cause to others
- Individual Accidental Consequences to cover your personal damage from a roller skating accident in terms of health, disability, etc. (be aware, this coverage is somewhat minimal)
By adding the purchase of a sports license from the FFRS (through R&C), you get extended coverage:
- Civil Liability if you are responsible for damage during the practice of roller skating, even outside practice supervised by R&C
- Individual Accidental Consequences with superior coverage (which you can further increase, to better suit your personal situation, by purchasing options)
It’s quite technical, but we tried to summarize all of this in a synthetic table that you will find by clicking ► HERE (new tab, french only)
While it is important to understand this, you should refer to the contracts of the Federation, as they are the only reference documents that have contractual validity.
In the end, it behooves you to be responsible and check your insurance coverage is suited to protect your interests, and guarantee the protection of those you may harm.
Partnerships, services
Special Sunday Skates
Our Sunday Skate can be labeled to a partner’s brand for one or more sundays :
- graciously for a humanitarian cause or charity to which we wish to bring visibility — in recent years : Action Leucémies, AGIR POUR L’AUDITION, association François Aupetit, Croix-Rouge Française, Fédération pour la Recherche sur le Cerveau, Eau Vive, Habitat & Humanisme, Institut Curie, Institut Gustave Roussy, Orphéopolis, Sidaction, Secours Populaire, UNESCO…
- or for a fee for private sector actors reaching out to a varied audience sensitive to the values of the Association.
On request events
A major player on the Parisian roller skating scene since 1997, with a pool of experienced and enthusiastic skaters, Rollers & Coquillages has developed recognized expertise for organizing and supervising dedicated skates and all sorts of other roller-skating events.
We sometimes supervise city-sponsored skates for the City of Paris, other cities in the region or even further, like the city of Vencôme or for private sector entities.
A recognized actor in the Health in Sport movement, we also provide support for the French Regional Olympic Comitee, as well as sports sections of Works Councils or for the “Sentez-vous Sport” action of the CNOSF (French Olympic Commitee).
Promotional campaigns
Leverage the outreach of our communications media (website, Facebook page and group, weekly newsletter with 2,655 subscribers at the end of 2019 …) to target a varied audience, sensitive to strong concepts such as conviviality, discovery, health, freedom …
Do not hesitate to consult us on these subjects, we can help you create a tailor-made skating event that suits you!