Roller Rinks

I don't know if it was a common thing across the country, but for many years, we had a roller skating rink here. For those unfamiliar with what a roller rink is, it's basically a big, oval shape concrete pad in which to roller skate or roller blade on. Think of it as a hockey rink, sans the ice. Ours here in town has been closed for over ten years now, but it was such a fun place to hang out and to be a kid. The total atmosphere of the building, from the colors of the building, the lighting, the music they played during the skating, the games available for those who didn't want to skate, and the true party atmosphere that existed during the event is something I won't ever forget. The building still remains but the local Salvation Army bought it and turned it into their main local headquarters. The building serves a very important purpose in our community, but for many people, it also has a history of being known for something else, a place where people of all ages had a blast doing something that has gone out of style nowadays, roller skating.

I can't remember how many times I had been to the roller rink when I was a kid. I know it wasn't a whole lot, but whenever we got the opportunity to go, we went. And for the longest time, I didn't actually do a whole lot of skating. I wasn't a very good skater to start out; in fact, I don't know if anyone really taught me nor did I have the courage to actually glide out into the middle of the floor and start to skate. But for the longest time, my idea of skating was to go along the perimeter of the wall, grab onto it where I could and palm it the rest of the way and basically hang on to the wall as I skated. I thought it was enjoyable, but I didn't exactly know what I was missing out until someone took me by my hand and forcefully made me skate out in the middle of the rink. I think it was my sister and her friends who officially taught me how to skate. After that, I became a true pro.

The roller rink would host area schools for one night and during that one evening, all of the students from the school along with the faculty were invited to come out and have fun at the roller rink. The skating was free but everything else the roller rink offered was still full charge. Still, to see most of your friends from school all there at the roller rink and having a blast was always such a good memory for me. I don't believe the parents got to skate for free if they decided to stay. I know my parents often left us there while they went out and did their shopping and other errands. But still, the whole event was like one big party atmosphere. The music was blaring; a fast, upbeat song always played and all kinds of lights flashed onto the rink itself. A couple of songs that I remember being played at the roller rink and which seemed to be quite popular at the time were Kylie Minogue's "Locomotion" and "I Saw Her Standing There," a Beatles classic but remade by some musician of the '80's (and I can't remember whom right now). But that goes to show you what kind of songs played at the roller rink - very fun, upbeat songs that you could dance to, if you didn't have skates on your feet! It just made roller skating that much more fun. Sadly, there's no place like that around here anymore.

I'll admit, I probably was never the greatest skater but before the roller rink closed up here, I was much better than when I first started. It was a place that allowed you to unwind, have fun, and to do something that seems so ancient nowadays. Ah, the lost art of roller skating. Heck, you really don't see a lot of people out on roller blades anymore, which was basically supposed to revolutionize roller skating. Both forms of entertainment seem to be fading from our landscape each day. Roller blades don't seem to be in short supply these days, either. Whatever the case, one thing remains strong for me. My memories of the roller rink are rather vivid and will be something I'll recall for many more years to come. Even though the building may no longer have roller skating inside of it, each time I drive by, I'll still be able to remember the fun times I spent roller skating with friends and family. Nothing can beat that.