The Rink

Great rink. They have a dynamite Thursday session I’m at now. The Sunday night session is on point too. The floor isn’t quite as smooth as I’d like but it does the job.

Ok, this was my first time at a roller rink for dancing, so take this as an outsider’s remarks, for other curious people who would like to check things out.
I went on a Friday, which seems to be the only night that the Rink is completely open to the public (other nights are for private events, or have special conditions such as age). The price was pretty cheap, $ 8 for entrance and only $ 1 for skate rentals. The rentals aren’t too good though, as you would expect.
I skated there for about two to three hours. The floor wan’t too packed. There were a lot of good skaters showing off amazing moves. Even watching people do their stuff was pretty enjoyable for me. The music was ok. I felt like the lighting, music, and crowd could be more upbeat, but maybe that happens on other nights.
But I wouldn’t recommend anyone without the ability to at least skate forwards, turn, dodge people, and break, to visit this place. I’m an avid inline skater, so I could basically go with the flow (but I usually skate down hills and streets, so I knew none of these badass moves). Sometimes people zigzag and fly across the floor, so it would probably be dangerous for beginners. I think more than 90% of the skaters there brought their own skates, with only a few people like me using rentals. So you basically have a pretty experienced group. Ages ranged from little kids to middle aged people, with a lot of people in their late teens to early twenties.
The place has drinks and some snacks for sale too (fries, fried chicken, burgers). The restrooms were decent.
One final note, I seemed to be the only non-​black person out of the near-​100 people in the rink that night. People were cool with it. The DJ, however, once singled me out and said «Go, Jet Li! Or Jet Chow Li?» Whatever name he was trying to say. It was harmless, but I still felt weird being singled out in a dumb way (plus I don’t think I look like Jet Li, or Jackie Chan btw).

The Rink charged $ 600 for 3 hours to a school (charitable organization) hosting a fundraiser. $ 600 for 3 hours. Enough said.

The rink has been open for YEARS… so it’s pretty old and run down. Their skating floor does need to be fixed because I’ve fallen plenty of times b. c of the lumps and bumps in it. lol They do offer skating courses during the week for adults and on the weekends for everyone. During the week, you MUST have your own skates in order to learn but you can use rentals on the weekend. They have late night sessions for those that really can jam on their skates… it’s also a good way to learn some tricks by watching other people. The price is good and there’s plenty of parking. This is definitely a great workout as well. Overall, it’s cool for what it is.

The Rink is one of the oldest roller skating rinks that still exist on the south side (rest in peace, The Loop, East Side Wheels and Route 66). Sessions are open at various times for both youths and adults. Unfortunately, they don’t have rental skates for adults, at least the last time that I checked (kids can rent, however). What would make this rink better is if they would smooth out the floor. There are some wicked bumps and dips on certain spots.

This place is off the chain! So What if it’s ghetto! You won’t find Tonya Harding here… only the real skaters go here. You gotta know some tricks on wheels or else you’ll look stupid. Don’t bring alot of Cash with you a $ 20 will do you just fine.
Don’t ever go alone…

Very ghetto, but inexpensive if you can endure. Kids come here to show off and hook up.