TUCSON, Ariz. — Evenings on The Loop in Pima County may look more crowded in the next few weeks as Southern Arizonans shift their schedules to exercise when the scorching sun isn’t as severe. On Thursday nights, those exercising on The Loop may be treated to a group of singing and dancing skaters rolling down the path.
They’re called the Loop Troop. For the past few weeks, they’ve met every Thursday on a different section of the 137-mile trail.
“I look forward to Thursdays,” said Aaron Soetaert, the leader of the Loop Troop. This is my favorite day of the week.”
The skaters come from different parts of Pima County, with diverse backgrounds and experience levels—from roller derby regulars to those standing on skates for the first time.
Soetaert says the one thing they have in common is their love for skating. That’s what drove him to start the group after seeing a social media post of a friend of his skating along The Loop.
“I didn’t even know you could skate the Loop,” Soetaert said. “She was like ‘there [are] some smooth spots, come on out.’ So I started skating. Then, all of the sudden, I was like, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we got people to come out here and skate with us?’”
So he did. Turning to his hundreds of thousands of social media followers on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, Soetaert told Tucson-area locals to meet him along the Loop to skate.
At first, it started out small.
“We started off with four people,” he said. “Then the next week we had six people. Then the next week we had eight people. Then last week, we had like 16 people, and this week we have like 20-something people.”
The message even reached followers without a pair of wheels, like Billy Essenmacher, owner of Creative Catering. Though he wasn’t skating, he brought his sons to The Loop to offer snacks and water to the Loop Troop skating group.
“With everything that’s going on in the world right now—all the pain and the suffering and all the turmoil— seeing a lighthearted story like this was just so inspiring,” Esenmacher said. “I wanted to do something. I wanted to get involved.”
He says he and his sons plan to make this a monthly tradition because he recognizes that this group is about more than skating.
Soetaert is an Iraq veteran who later lost his arm in a car crash. He says he’s lucky to be here.
“That’s what gets me out of bed, puts a smile on my face,” he said. “Yes, I wake up in pain. Yes, I wake up with struggles and challenges. Everyone does, but I put my best foot forward. I put yesterday behind me, and I’m just trying to do the best I can every day.”
He’s bringing that attitude to The Loop, looking to model positivity and build community in the group, one Thursday evening at a time.
“How many people show up? It doesn’t matter,” Soetaert said. “One person? No people? I’ll be out here skating.”
The Loop Troop meets every Thursday evening at a different spot around The Loop. Soetaert lays out the details on his social media pages. Anyone is welcome to join, no matter their skill level.
