Written by Samantha Trayhurn.
Marta Popowska from DogDays Magazine is truly one of the unsung heroes of roller skating. I can’t think of many others who pour in so much time, energy and love to the community without asking for anything in return. Sure, publishing DogDays must be very satisfying on a personal level. It’s a beautiful artefact that aesthetically must feel like a great achievement. But everyone knows that print media isn’t where the big bucks are these days, and to keep the magazine not only going, but growing, and thriving, is a feat unto itself. For skaters, DogDays is a rare treat – it allows us connect with roller skating in a slower, more meaningful way, divorced from our phones.
I have had the pleasure of working with Marta a few times over the years when premiering videos or writing articles for the magazine. Sugu and I were lucky enough to meet her in person in 2022 at Spring Cup in the USA, and found the real life Marta to be just as lovely as the online version. She is a little bit softly spoken, but when she does speak about roller skating, she brings wisdom and integrity to the conversation. I was so excited when we decided that she would be our first Drop In podcast guest of 2023.
Tune in to the latest episode to learn about how DogDays Magazine got started, what drives Marta and her partner Jonas to keep it going, and how important she feels documenting roller skating history is in this era where new skaters are proliferating at an awesome (but alarming) rate and we run the risk of forgetting where it all began.
If you want to support DogDays, you can grab the latest yearbook (which features Aussie's own Emerald Kelly on the cover) here.