Party Fun & Fun Fundraising!

Roller skating is a recreational activity.  It’s also a sport. It’s even a mode of transportation. No matter how you skate or why, bottom line is it’s fun! The first recorded use of roller skates was in 1743 during a stage performance in London and the first public skating rink opened in 1866 in Newport, Rhode Island. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_skating. That’s a long time! Even though the skates, facilities and sport itself has changed over the years, what hasn’t is this: Roller Skating is Fun!

Pam made this roller skate cake for William!

Go to a Saturday or Sunday afternoon skating session and there will likely be a BirthdayParty taking place. And why not! Roller rinks are the perfect place for a celebration! They have great music and lighting, play lots of fun games, everyone has a good time and you don’t have to clean-up! Most rinks have a few different party packages to choose from and some even include a group lesson (or 2) for the Birthday child and his or her guests!

Roller rinks aren’t just for birthdays! Did you know you can rent a roller rink for a private skating session? How fantastic would it be to have your next party, be it a family reunion, company picnic, school reunion or graduation celebration at one?  You should definitely check out a rink in your area for your next event! http://www.rinktime.com/roller-skating-rinks/national/roller-skating-rinks

While I’m on the subject of parties, next time you’re planning a fundraiser,contact your local roller rink for a truly unique event!  Roller skating fundraisers are a quick, easy & super fun way to make money. They require minimal time & manpower. For instance, school parties take about 2 hrs and only 1 or 2 reps from the school (teacher, PTA) to “work” it. A few perks of skating parties are they help foster school spirit and get families out for an evening of fun while getting some physical activity! Fundraisers aren’t just for schools.  They’re great for all kinds of groups and clubs, especially those involving kids like Scouts, 4-H and sports teams!  I guarantee a skating party is a lot more fun than selling candy bars!  Just ask those who were at the artistic figure skating club’s annual Halloween Party last week… 

It's Tinkerbell & Peter Pan!

…or those who were at the Bow, Wow~Meow event Joy Mason organized for the Lake County HumanSociety earlier this year! Not only did she earn her Silver Girl Scout Award, the LCHS received some much needed food, supplies and cash donations!

I’d like to wrap this up with a few words on competitive skating. A new competitive season is just getting underway so here are the dates and locations of the artistic figure skating meets in Ohio for the 2013–2014 season:

DATE                     LOCATION OF CONTEST 

November 3, 2013          Ohio Awards Banquet!
December 8, 2013          Lorain Skate World League Meet, Lorain Ohio
February 9, 2014           Country Skateland League Meet, Oberlin, Ohio
March 9, 2014               Youngstown Skate League Meet, Boardman, Ohio
April 5 & 6, 2014            Country Skateland Invitational, Oberlin, Ohio
April 26 & 27, 2014         Elyria Rollarena Invitational, Elyria, Ohio
May 17 & 18. 2014         Lorain Skate World Invitational, Lorain, Ohio
August 24, 2014            Brookpark Skateland Invitational, Brook Park, Ohio

I’ll post the schedule as each meet nears.   Who knows, there might just be a few events you’d like to go see!  Also, the WorldChampionships are November 5^th -16^th in Taipei-City, China-Taipei and I will definitely keep you posted on the results, especially of Team USA! In the meantime, enjoy Alyssa’s Phillips’s freestyle and figure performance from the 2004 National Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was her 3^rd Nationals and she had just turned 9.  It’s a great way to see the difference between figures & freestyle.  SPOILER ALERT: Alyssa got 3^rd in figures! Check out her smile on the podium and make sure you watch as she skates off the floor after the awards presentation. She couldn’t contain her excitement any longer and she starts waving her arms ever so slightly…

Now go see what your local rink has waiting for you!

Happy Roller Skating Month!

Happy National Roller Skating Month! I’ve been wanting to do a roller sports blog for a while now and what better time to roll it out than National Roller Skating Month?
 

“Why Roller Skating?” Maybe because it’s something I grew up doing.  Having a mom and aunt who were roller skaters it was just around me. My aunt competed and later become a judge.  It’s important to note that I never amounted to more than rink rat status.  I only took a handful of lessons and never competed. But I went skating every chance I got for years, usually 4-5 days a week.  Skating fell by the wayside for me, as it does with so many, after I turned 16. I got a job, my license, graduated, married & had kids.  But then on a wintry Sunday in January of 1999 I walked into Mentor Skateland for the first time. I just wanted new wheels for my skates… I needed the exercise.  It was innocent enough.  But the next time I went I had my daughters, then ages 3 & 5, in tow. It has been our 2^nd home since. My girls have surpassed my rink rat status by leaps & bounds.  And yes, I mean that literally. They learned jumps, spins & turns.  They competed.  As for me, it was determined that I was better at helping out with sessions, sewing the outfits, promoting our sport, things like that.  But that’s okay.  As long as I’m involved with roller skating, I’m a happy camper. 

So here I am to share roller sports (artistic, speed, hockey & derby) with you.  But I don’t want you to just read about roller skating, I want you to experience it! I want you to go to a skating session.  I want you to bring your family and friends.  I even want you to check out a local competition. Why? Because it’s fun… fun you can feel! 

Most rinks have a variety of sessions & pricing so there’s something for everyone.  Take Mentor Skateland for example. Saturday & Sunday afternoon sessions are geared toward families & kids.  They do all the favorites like the hokey pokey, races, limbo, dice game & more.  Best part is they have a Sunday Special right now where parents skate free when they pay for their kids admission.  Skate rental isn’t included but bring your own skates if you have them!  Friday nights, which the kids refer to as FNS (Friday Night Skate), is the night for teens.  While everyone is welcome, this is where the kids like to come & let loose after a week of school.  They skate the 1^st two hours then take their skates off & dance the last hour, making it a really fun night for them. Got a $1.00? That’s all it is for admission on Thursday evenings. Even if you have to rent skates, it’s still a bargain at $3! Do you recall the days of skating to organ music? There are 3 sessions just for you! Here they still do the Couples & Circle Waltzes, trio, dance specials & flea hop (kids today have never even heard of the flea hop!!). These are adult only sessions, affectionately known as the “senior skates”. Don’t let the name fool you.  While their ages range from in the 50’s thru the 80’s, there is nothing senior about the way they skate! You can check it all out on this video the Mentor TV Channel did for Mentor Skateland a few years back. It has a little bit of everything.

Again, “Why Roller Skating?” Maybe it’s because I love rooting for the underdog.  As a life-long Clevelander and forever Indians, Browns & Cavs fan, cheering for the underdog is second nature for me. But that’s okay because I’ve learned to appreciate & savor all the victories, no matter how small.  And so it is with roller skating. As far as sports go, roller skating is an underdog. I mean be honest.  Did you even know there’s competitive roller skating? We have local competitions as well as Regional, National & World Championships.  We have one of the best coaches in the country right here in Mentor!  A Hall of Fame Coach who’s tradition of making Champions has continued since he came to teach at Mentor Skateland roughly 14 years ago. In his 50 years of coaching he’s trained hundreds of National Champions & several World Champions, all from the Greater Cleveland area. So let me add the Underdog Factor to “Why Roller Skating?” What’s my victory in all this? Getting you on skates of course!

Roller skating doesn’t have an off season.  Competitions go year round, with a season that begins in the fall with local meets and culminates with the National Championships in the summer.  The elite World Class skaters who qualify at Nationals go on to represent the United States at the World Championships, which this year is in Taipei-City, China.  So the next time you hear from me you’ll hear a little more about competitive skating as some local meets are coming up.  And I’ll tell you all about birthday parties as well as school parties since those are always fun! In the meantime, Happy Roller Skating!