Charleen Gyamfi
Every skater falls. That part isn’t up for debate. The question is what happens after, when you’re down on the rink floor with your palms stinging and everybody rolling past like nothing happened. Some people unlace and never come back. Some people get up. And then there’s the quieter thing, the part nobody warns you about. The joy that put you on skates in the first place can wear down too, and not from a fall. From the phone. Views. Numbers. What everyone else is doing. Holding on to the joy is its own kind of getting back up.
For this month’s Triple Take Feature, we’re spotlighting a skater and content creator.
I found Char through her skating videos on Instagram. I watched one, then another, then enough of them to want the story behind them. I reached out, and she said yes. Charleen Gyamfi goes by Char. She’s a creative, content creator, and skater. Her family is from Ghana. She grew up in Houston, where skating runs deep, and in 2022 she carried that history to Atlanta, a city where skating bleeds into music, fashion, and nightlife. Her style is less about the biggest trick in the room and more about the feeling she leaves in it. She moves the way people do when they are exactly where they want to be.
“I think protecting the joy is what allows me to stay consistent long-term.”
Char started skating at 17. What hooked her wasn’t a trick. It was a feeling. “There’s something about putting on your skates, listening to your music, and just moving that feels different,” she says. It made her feel free right away, and it kept making her feel free when she struggled and when she fell. She kept getting back up. What kept her coming back was the landing, that moment when something she’d been working on finally held.
Houston gave her the foundation. The city has a strong skating culture and a long history with it, and growing up around that shaped her. Then she moved to Atlanta, and the move was a big transition. Skating here doesn’t sit off by itself. It runs into the music and the fashion and the nightlife and the content, and all of that got into how she expresses herself. Being around different skaters and creatives pushed her to be more confident and to explore her own style “instead of trying to fit into one specific box.”
She carries Ghana with her too. It shows up in her family’s traditions, in the way they come together, and especially in the food. Ghanaian food and family gatherings are a big part of her life. She doesn’t force any of it into her videos. She doesn’t have to. “It’s naturally there because it’s a part of me,” she says.
Ask her how she skates and she’ll give you three words. Feminine. Expressive. Fun. She isn’t chasing the hardest move on the floor. She wants you to feel her energy. The vibe counts. The music counts. The outfit counts. The confidence counts. All of it counts as much as the skating does.
Her videos start with a feeling. She finds a song that carries a certain energy and builds everything else around it, the outfit and then the location, until it all belongs to the same moment. The one she’s proudest of was filmed at Skate Towne, set to Jeremih’s “Woosah,” with Char in a purple two-piece. “I feel like the song, outfit, and location all matched the energy perfectly,” she says. “It felt fun and natural.” It still stands out to her. The outfit matches the song, the song matches the spot, and every video she posts is a small world she built from scratch.
“You also don’t have to be the best skater in the room to belong. You can literally show up, learn, have fun, and find your people.”
None of it came easy. Backwards crossovers were one of the hardest things for her to get comfortable with. They tested her balance and her timing and her confidence, and it took a lot of practice before they felt natural. There were moments she thought she’d never get them. Then one day it clicked.
The falls came too. One that stuck with her happened at Sparkles in Gwinnett. It was a hard one, and it shook her, and she got back up and kept skating. She’s learned not to let one bad moment make her quit something she loves. She gives herself time to reset. She figures out what went wrong. She builds the confidence back slowly. The body gets up first. The head takes longer. “Getting back on the skates is always the hardest part mentally,” she says.
She started filming to document her progress and give people a look at something she genuinely enjoys. Then her skating videos started getting more attention online. People engaged. Some of them started looking forward to the next one. That’s when she realized how much she could connect with people through it.
That’s also where the pressure lives. “Once you start thinking about views, numbers, and what everyone else is doing, it can become stressful,” she says. So she goes back to why she started. She makes the kind of videos she would want to watch. She gives herself days where content isn’t the focus. She doesn’t treat the joy like something that will always be there. She treats it like something to protect.
Skate Towne is one of her favorite places to skate in Atlanta, for the atmosphere and the community and the chance to watch everyone bring their own style to the floor. That’s what she loves about skaters in general. You can meet somebody for the first time and already have something in common. She’s met skaters here who make her feel welcomed and encouraged. She’s still finding her people. The more she puts herself out there, the more she finds her place.
For the girl standing at the edge of the rink, scared to push off, she keeps it simple. Just start. You’ll feel awkward. Everybody does. “Don’t compare your first day to somebody else’s tenth year,” she says. And don’t trade in your femininity or your style to fit in. “You can make the sport your own.”
Right now she’s working on becoming more confident and well-rounded on skates, collaborating with more people, and building a life that lets her keep chasing what she loves. She’s still learning. She says she’s just getting started.
Tell me a little about yourself for the readers meeting you for the first time. I’m Charleen, but most people call me Char. I’m a creative, content creator, and skater who loves expressing myself through fashion, beauty, music, and skating. I’m originally from Houston, Texas, but I’m currently based in Atlanta. I’m still growing and learning as a skater, but what I love most is being able to turn something I genuinely enjoy into a way to connect with other people and inspire them to try something new.
When did you first fall in love with skating, and what kept you coming back? I started skating when I was 17. I fell in love with it because it was something that immediately made me feel free. There’s something about putting on your skates, listening to your music, and just moving that feels different. Even when I struggled or fell, I always wanted to get back up and try again. That feeling of finally landing something I had been working on is what kept me coming back.
You moved from Houston to Atlanta in 2022. How does the scene here compare, and how has the city shaped your skating? Moving from Houston to Atlanta was a big transition for me, but Atlanta has given me a completely different environment to grow in. Houston has such a strong skating culture and history, so growing up around that definitely influenced me. Atlanta feels very connected to the creative scene, though, and I love how skating overlaps with music, fashion, nightlife, and content here. All of that naturally influences how I express myself. Being around different skaters and creatives has pushed me to be more confident and explore my own style instead of trying to fit into one specific box.
What does your heritage mean to you, and does it show up in how you skate or create? My heritage is a really important part of who I am. My family is from Ghana, and it shows up in my everyday life through our traditions, the way my family comes together, and especially through food. Ghanaian food and family gatherings are a big part of my life. I think it also shows up in my creativity, confidence, style, and the way I carry myself. Even if I’m not intentionally trying to incorporate it into every video, it’s naturally there because it’s a part of me. I love being able to represent where I come from while still creating something that feels completely like me.
Walk me through your skating style. How would you describe it to someone who’s never watched you? I would describe my skating style as feminine, expressive, and fun. I like incorporating personality into my skating instead of making everything about doing the biggest or hardest move. I want people to feel my energy when they watch me. For me, skating is just as much about the vibe, music, outfit, and confidence as it is about the actual skating.
Skating content is huge right now. What made you start filming and sharing yours? I started filming because I wanted to document my progress and give people a glimpse into something I genuinely enjoy. The first time I really realized people were tuning in was when my skating videos started getting more attention online. Seeing people engage with my videos and actually look forward to my skating content made me realize how much I could connect with people through it, and that motivated me to keep creating. I also love that skating content can introduce someone to the sport who may have never considered trying it before.
What’s the hardest trick or move you ever learned, and how long did it take you to land it? I’d say backwards crossovers. They were definitely one of the hardest things for me to get comfortable with because they really tested my balance, timing, and confidence. It’s hard to put an exact number on how long it took because skating is a lot of repetition. It took a lot of practice before they started feeling natural. There were definitely moments where I thought, “I’m never going to get this,” and then one day it finally clicked. That feeling is honestly one of my favorite parts of skating.
What’s something about skate culture most people completely misunderstand? I think people sometimes assume skating is just about tricks, competition, or looking cool. There’s so much more to it. It’s a community, a form of self-expression, a workout, and honestly an entire lifestyle for a lot of people. You also don’t have to be the best skater in the room to belong. You can literally show up, learn, have fun, and find your people.
How do you pick your music, outfits, and locations for a skate video? I usually start with the feeling I want the video to have. If I find a song that gives me a certain energy, I’ll build the rest around that. Then I think about what outfit matches the vibe and what location will make everything come together visually. I love when the skating, fashion, music, and setting all feel like they belong in the same moment.
Is there one video where all of that came together? One video I’m really proud of was filmed at Skate Towne to “Woosah” by Jeremih. I was wearing a purple two-piece, and I feel like the song, outfit, and location all matched the energy perfectly. It felt fun and natural, and it’s one of those videos that still stands out to me.
Have you ever had a bad fall or injury that made you question skating? How did you come back from it? I’ve definitely had falls that reminded me that skating comes with risks. One fall that really stuck with me happened at Sparkles in Gwinnett. I ended up taking a pretty hard fall. It definitely shook me for a moment, but I got back up and kept skating. When you fall, especially when you’re learning something new, it can mess with your confidence. I’ve learned not to let one bad moment make me quit something I love. I give myself time to reset, figure out what went wrong, and then slowly build that confidence back up. Getting back on the skates is always the hardest part mentally. You’re going to fall, but you have to be willing to get back up and try again.
What’s the best part of the skating community, and have you found your people here? The best part is the sense of community. Skating is one of those things where you can meet somebody for the first time and immediately have something in common. Skate Towne is definitely one of my favorite places to skate in Atlanta. I love the atmosphere and the skating community there. It’s always a good time being around other skaters and seeing everyone bring their own style to the floor. I’m still finding my people in Atlanta, but I’ve definitely met skaters who make me feel welcomed and encouraged. I think the more I put myself out there, the more I’m finding my place in the community.
How do you handle the pressure of creating content consistently without losing the joy of it? I remind myself that I started creating because I genuinely enjoyed it. Once you start thinking about views, numbers, and what everyone else is doing, it can become stressful. I try to create things that I would personally want to watch and give myself permission to have days where I’m not focused on content. I think protecting the joy is what allows me to stay consistent long-term.
What advice would you give to a girl who wants to start skating but feels intimidated? Just start. Seriously. You’re probably going to feel awkward at first, and that’s completely normal. Nobody starts out knowing exactly what they’re doing. Don’t compare your first day to somebody else’s tenth year. Put on your skates, take your time, protect yourself, and have fun. And don’t feel like you have to change your femininity or your personal style to fit into skating. You can make the sport your own.
What’s something you’re working toward right now, on or off skates? Right now I’m working toward becoming more confident and well-rounded as a skater while also growing creatively. I want to keep building my platform, collaborate with more people, create bigger and better content, and eventually reach a point where skating becomes an even bigger part of what I do. Off the skates, I’m also focused on building my independence and creating a life that allows me to keep pursuing the things I’m passionate about.
Follow Char on Instagram at @charleengyamfi and on TikTok at @sheischarleen.
Javan "Check Three Times" Anderson
jhayvihn@gmail.com
Founder and editor-in-chief of Three Times Magazine, a platform dedicated to spotlighting the voices shaping culture through raw, unfiltered conversations. As a writer, poet, and creative visionary, Javan is passionate about documenting the intersections of fashion, music, art, and independent thought. Through Three Times Magazine, he invites readers into deeper stories, powerful dialogues, and the creative worlds behind the work.