If you can remember back to a few months ago, you might recall a feature we did on Everett Arena’s “ice out” – the time of the year when the ice is removed and the arena gets ready for its unfrozen portion of life.
You might also remember that we then went to the first non-ice event of the year, the antique sale.
And now that and old-timey classic – public roller skating – is once again offered at the arena, we had to go and see what that was all about.
And we’re talking legit roller skating here, not blading, as was all the rage in my heyday of the late ’90s. When’s the last time you’ve even seen either type rolling around the streets?
Since I was an elite roller-blader back in my day, I figured this would be a breeze. After all, if I could balance on four wheels in a straight line, it should be a piece of cake to move on skates with the configuration of two up front, two out back.
It turns out it was a lot harder than I had imagined.
Now yes, I was world class on blades, but the last time I’d put a pair on had to have been 10 years ago. There was bound to be a little rust.
After lacing up my super-cool tan rental skates, the first task was standing up from the bench. I got up, but not without some drama. It was one of those cartoon scenes where arms and legs are flying and flailing all over the place, but somehow I stayed on my feet.
The concrete floor in the arena is as smooth as glass, which makes the wheels of skates just want to roll on their own. It’s a great surface if you’re a pro, but a little slick if you’ve never tried roller skates.
After a minute or two of putzing around outside the rink, I decided to give it a go for real. Embarrassment would be low at best since I was basically the only non-arena staffer there at this point (of course I get to all my assignments a few minutes early).
Surprisingly, the first lap was smooth and pretty uneventful. I was sure the lack of rear brakes would work against me, but I never really needed brakes.
The one thing I had to get used to was the way my feet tracked out in a straight line if I didn’t pick them up. Because of the layout of the wheels, and because they don’t rotate like a car’s wheels do, the skates want to go straight into infinity. This means if your right foot is pointed just slightly outward, you’ll be doing splits within a couple seconds.
The solution? Pick up your feet – often.
Once I realized this was the best technique, I was cruisin’ out there.
After 10 or 15 minutes, the rink started to fill up. I saw this as a challenge. Can I successfully skate a whole lap without bumping into anyone or wiping out on my own?
The answer was yes. Even though it was my first time wearing non-inline roller skates, I felt like I really got the hang of it after only a few minutes, and it was a crazy good time.
They put the lights out and you get to skate by disco light. This plus the upbeat music playing throughout creates a cool ’70s vibe that I really appreciated.
It’s so easy to do, too. Admission is $5 and skate rentals, if needed, are also $5. Public skating hours are Fridays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Sundays from 4 to 6 p.m. Teen nights (for ages 12-17) are Fridays from 8 to 10 and adult skating (ages 18+) hours are Sundays from 6:30 to 8:30p.m.
Go try it!
