Newsgroups: rec.sport.skating.roller,rec.sport.skating.inline Subject: Roller Skating Rinks Eastern Region List FAQ Summary: Roller Rinks in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania References: Sender: Followup-To: poster Reply-To: grr@tharsis.com Distribution: Organization: George's Pet Unix System Keywords: skating,roller,in-line,FAQ Expires: Sun Jan 21 17:31:51 EST 1996 Archive-Name: roller-skating/rinks-eastern Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-Modified: Sun Dec 3 14:40:30 EST 2000 *** Copyright 1994-2000 by George Robbins - see detailed note at end *** This is the Eastern Region section of the Roller Skating Rink list. Delaware - New Jersey - Pennsylvania For information about the organization of the individual entries, sources of the material, or how to submit an entry for your rink, please see the overview posting, which posted at the same time as these sections. This document is posted periodically to the rec.sport.skating.roller usenet newsgroup, and can also be accessed via the world wide web (www) using the following URL: http://www.netaxs.com/people/grr/Roller Please e-mail any comments, corrections or additions to: grr@tharsis.com Especially looking for: PLEASE remember that schedules and other details are subject to change. The intent of the list is to help you find interesting rinks. It's up to you to call the rink and make sure there's a time and type of session that is compatible with your plans and interests. ======================================================================== Index ==== Eastern Region Delaware All Areas - (302) Christiana/Ogletown/Newark, DE Christiana Skating Center - 302-366-0473(tape)/366-0426 Dover, DE Dover Skating Center - 302-697-3218/697-3219 Elsmere/Wilmington, DE Elsmere Skating Center - 302-654-5520/654-3428 Laurel/Seaford, DE Skateworld - 302-875-2121 Milford, DE Milford Skating Center - 302-422-3700/422-2740 Rehoboth Beach, DE Skateworld II - 302-645-0463 New Jersey South Jersey - (609) Albion/Berlin, NJ Cross Keys Skating Center - 609-767-7815 Atlantic City, NJ Atlantic City Seaside Resort - (proposed) Cape May, NJ Cape May Convention Hall - 609-884-9565 Carll's Corner/Bridgeton, NJ Skate World (was All-Skate Skating Center) - 609-453-0800 Cherry Hill, NJ Cherry Hill Skating Center - 609-795-1919(tape)/795-1909 Delanco/Willingboro/Burlington, NJ Holiday Skating Center - 609-461-3770 Deptford/Woodbury, NJ Deptford Skating Center - 609-845-7353 Franklinville/Glassboro, NJ Franklin Skating Center - 609-694-0600 Hammonton, NJ Rollway Roller Rink - 609-561-8061 Hurffville/Glassboro, NJ Skater's Choice - 609-582-0002 Pleasantville/Atlantic City, NJ Parkway Skating Center - 609-383-1800 Mays Landing, NJ Young's Skating Center (and Lenape Park) - 609-625-1191/625-2021 Marleton, NJ Scooter's (was Evesham Skating Center) - 609-983-3500 Tuckerton, NJ Tuckerton Skateway - 609-296-0809 Voorhees, NJ AJ Hounds Roller Rink - 609-427-4141 Echelon Skating Center - 609-346-1335/346-0055 Central and Western Areas - (908) Bridgewater, NJ Bridgewater Sports Arena (aka Extremes) - 908-560-0005/560-0006 Broadway, NJ Villa Roller Rink - 908-689-6155 Eatontown, NJ Eatontown Roller Skating Center - 908-542-5858/542-5891 Edison/New Brunswick, NJ United Skates of America Skating Center - 908-494-6655/494-6656 Frenchtown, NJ Frenchtown Roller Rink - 908-996-6313 Hackettstown, NJ Hackettstown Family Skating Center - 908-852-8155 Jackson/Lakewood, NJ Jackson Skating Center (Roller Magic) - 908-363-2222 Kendall Park/New Brunswick, NJ Kendall Park Skating Center (was CJ Wheels) - 908-297-3003/297-3776 Lakewood, NJ Skate Arena - 908-363-5583 South Amboy, NJ South Amboy Roller Rink (aka Roller Magic Arena) - 908-727-1122 South Plainfield, NJ Grand Slam USA - 908-756-4446 (hockey) Union/Union County/Newark, NJ Skate 22 - 908-686-6838 North Jersey - (201) Bellville/Newark, NJ Branch Brook Roller Rink - 201-482-8900 Bergenfield/Bergen County/North Jersey, NJ The Rink - 201-384-5000(schedule)/384-2474 Florham Park/Morristown/Morris County, NJ Florham Park Skating Center - 201-377-0465 Montvale, NJ The Rink (aka Montvale Hockey Rink) - 201-391-9068 Morristown, NJ Instant Replay Skating Center - 201-267-7171 Wallington, NJ Inline Skating Club (was Wallington Skating Rink) - 201-473-8900 Wayne/Passaic County/North Jersey, NJ Skaters World Roller Rink - 201-694-9440 Wharton/Dover/Morris County, NJ Wheels in Motion (was Roller World) - 201-328-7900 Pennsylvania Philadelphia, northern and eastern suburbs - (215) Cornwells Heights/Bensalem, PA Cornwells Roller Skating Center - 215-638-7766 Langhorne, PA Sportland America of Langhorne - (closed) Levitttown, PA Rollerama - 215-949-2782 Line-Lexington/Montgomeryville, PA Skate 309 (was Spin-A-Round Skating Center, CCM) - 215-822-8242 Northeast Philadelphia, PA Palace Roller Skating Center - 215-698-8000(tape)/698-8001 Woodhaven Sports Center - 216-637-6900 (hockey) WOW Family Fun Center (was United Skates) - 215-335-9587/335-3400 Pennsburg/Allentown, PA The Embassy Skating Center - 215-679-3800/679-2735 Philadelphia, PA Carman Gardens Roller Skating - 215-223-2200 Elmwood Roller Skating Rink - 215-492-8543 Kensington Roller Rink - (closed) Olympian Entertainment - (closed) Rizzo Ice Rink (aka Headhouse Square) - 215-685-1593 (seasonal) Sports Super Center - 215-426-1000 (hockey only) Saint Charles Skating Rink - 215-545-7669 Warrington, PA Warrington Roller Skating Rink - 215-343-9999 Southeastern outside Philadelphia Area - (610) Aston/Village Green, PA CN Skate Palace - 610-494-4442(tape)/494-4443 Bethlehem/Easton, PA Skateaway Roller Rink - 610-865-4004 Boyertown, PA Pheasantland Rollerdrome (aka The Rink) - 610-689-9249 Broomall, PA Roller Hockey Rink - 610-356-4040(township) (outdoor) Caln/Thorndale/Downingtown, PA Caln Roller Rink - 610-269-6229 Danielsville, PA Edgemont Park Roller Rink - 610-767-1200 Drexel Hill, PA Neon Lights Roller Rink - 610-446-9758 Easton, PA 18042 Bushkill Park - 610-258-6941 (seaonal) Gilbert, PA Inner Skate Arena - (closed) Leesport/Reading, PA Grand Prix Family Fun Center - 610-926-6161 Lehighton, PA LaRose's Skating Rink - 610-377-1859 Macungie/Allentown, PA The 100 Roller Skating Rink (aka The 100) - 610-398-0704 Muhlenburg/Reading, PA Fantasy Skating Center - 610-929-3147 Parkesburg, PA Our Lady of Consolation RC Church - 610-857-1003(hall)/857-3510(church) Pottstown, PA Ringing Rocks Roller Rink - 610-323-6560 Sanatoga Roller Skating - 610-323-1884 Shillington/Reading, PA Skateaway Roller Rink - 610-777-4000 Sinking Spring/Reading, PA Sinking Spring Skate Arena - (closed) Herb Texter's Starlight Skating - 610-777-2969 Temple/Reading, PA Timberline Ice Skating Center (aka Timberline Twin Arenas) - 610-929-0808(tape)/926-4204 (hockey) Villanova/Radnor/Bryn Mawr, PA Villanova Skating Center (was Radnor Rolls) - 610-527-7465(info)/527-7243 West Chester Ice Line - 610-436-9670 Whitehall/Allentown, PA Skateaway Roller Rink - 610-767-1200/432-5002 Central and Northeastern - (717) Berwick, PA Stenko's Skating Rink - 717-752-3005/752-2081 Blakeslee/Whitehaven, PA Wheels (at Jack Frost Ski Area) - 717-443-8425/800-468-2442 (hockey) Bloomsburg, PA Skatetown - 717-784-3580 Carlisle, PA Midway Skating Rink - 717-243-7829 Carlisle Sports Emporium - 717-258-4741 Chambersburg, PA Red Bridge Park Roller Rink - 717-264-9916 Dallas/Wilkes-Barre, PA Rollaway Skating Rink - 717-675-4844 Danville, PA Magic River Skateland - 717-275-1473 Enola/Harrisburg, PA Olympic Skating Center - 717-732-9168 Hanover, PA Magic Elm Skateland - 717-632-1888 Hazleton, PA Hazleton Skate Center - (closed) Herndon, PA The Skatery - 717-758-1775 Honesdale, PA Just Not Skating - 717-253-4301 Honey Grove, PA Woodside Roller Rink - 717-734-3564 Jim Thorpe, PA Memorial Hall Skating Rink - 717-325-3201 Kingston/Wilkes-Barre, PA Roller King Skating Center - 717-283-0606 Lancaster, PA Castle Roller Skating - 717-393-3126 Overlook Roller Skating Rink - 717-325-3701 Regency Sports Rink - 717-391-6370 (hockey) Lebanon, PA Casino Roller Rink - Closed Lewistown, PA Carousel Roller rink (was Roller's Roost) - 717-248-5586 Lock Haven, PA Magic River Skateland - 717-748-6670 Matamoras, PA Big Wheel North - 717-491-1117 Mayfield, PA The Rink at Racqueteers Fitness - 717-876-5432 McAdoo, PA Strand Roller Rink - (see text) Mechanicsburg/Camp Hill, PA Twin Ponds West - 717-795-7663 (see text) Middleburg, PA Criss-Cross - 717-837-0649 Middletown, PA Doc's Roller Review - 717-944-7866 Mifflintown, PA J C Entertainment Center - 717-436-8050 Mount Gretna/Lebanon, PA Mount Gretna Roller Rink - 717-964-3631/964-3633 New Cumberland/Harrisburg, PA Fountainblu Skating Arena (was Hagy's...) - 717-938-3777 New Milford, PA Blue Ridge Skating Rink - 717-465-9970 Pottsville, PA Roller Roost II - 717-628-4032 Rome, PA Bonin Roller Dome - 717-247-7987 Sayre, PA Keystone Roller Rink - 717-888-9475 Scotrun, PA Caesar's Brookdale - 717-839-8843/800-233-4141 (restricted) Scranton, PA Skateaway - 717-346-9192 Shamokin Dam/Sunbury, PA Sunset Rink - 717-743-6060 Shrewsbury, PA YMCA (was Rollerland) - 717-227-0191/235-0446(YMCA) Stroudsburg, PA Big Wheels Skating Center - 717-424-5499 Troy, PA Troy Skateland - 717-297-3814 Waynesboro, PA Skateland - 717-762-8581 Wilkes-Barre, PA Skateaway - 717-829-1236 Wysox/Towanda, PA Beers Roller Rink - 717-265-8204/265-9383 York, PA Roll-R-Way Family Skating Center (was Roll-R-Way West) - 717-843-7500 York Springs, PA Mary Jane Roller Rink - 717-528-4712 Southwestern - (412) Beaver Falls, PA Blazers (was Homewood Roller Rink) - 412-843-0990/843-9992 Belle Vernon, PA Jam-N-Skate - 412-929-5363 Bethel Park/Pittsburg, PA VIP Picnic Place - 412-833-5258 Bridgeville, PA Great Southern Roller and Ice Arena - 412-221-7111 Butler, PA Skate Castle - 412-287-3930 Canonsburg, PA Roll-R-Skate - 412-745-6008 Cheswick, PA Ches-A-Rena III - 412-274-8181 Connellsville, PA Fay West Arena - 412-628-1155 Coraopolis, PA Rolling Wheels - 412-262-4858 Delmont/Greensburg, PA Rock Springs Roller Rink - 412-468-8993 Donora, PA 15033 Valley Skating Center - 412-379-6700 Ellwood City, PA Ellport Roller Rink - 412-752-0075 Glenshaw/Pittsburgh, PA Romp-N-Roll - 412-486-4117 Greensburg, PA Pro Dec - 412-834-2622 Grove City, PA Neat Feat Skating Center - 412-458-4471 Hermitage/Sharon, PA Olympic Roller World - 412-981-3371/981-3374 Georgetown/Hookstown, PA Melody Lane Roller Rink - (closed) Indiana, PA Indiana Skating Center (aka Paramount?) - 412-463-3161 Irwin, PA Norwin Skateland (was Sadie's Place) - 412-863-5761/863-5791 Latrobe, PA Latrobe Skating Center - 412-537-8541 Liesenring/Connellsville, PA Divito Park - 412-626-1144 McKeesport, PA Eden Park Roller Rink - 412-751-3200 Neville Island/Corapolis, PA Neville Roller Drome - 412-264-9856 New Kensington, PA Melwood Park Roller Skating Rink (aka Fun Zone) - 412-337-7095 (closed) North Apollo, PA Valarena Roller Skating - 412-478-3065 Pittsburgh, PA Ardmore Roller Skating Palace - 412-271-6000 City Limits - 412-793-7344 Shadyskates (also The Factory) - 412-731-5400(shop)/731-4937(parties) Spinning Wheels Roller Skating - (closed) Schenley Ice Rink - 412-422-6523 (seasonal) Rose Point/New Castle, PA Ellhurst Roller Skating (aka ...Skating and Parties) - 412-924-2064 Tarentum, PA Tarena Roller Rink - 412-226-0702 Fairchance/Uniontown, PA Swaney's Roller Rink - 412-564-2410/564-9413 Uniontown, PA Wheels Of Eight - 412-437-7465/438-4257 Washington, PA Pancake Skate-N-Whirl - 412-223-9500 Waynesburg, PA Interstate Skateland - 412-627-7608 Northwestern - (814) Altoona, PA Sir Skate Of Altoona - 814-944-9444 Bedford, PA Moon Glow II - 814-623-9597 Bradford, PA Evan's Rollerdrome - 814-368-9802 Clearfield, PA Skate Station - 814-765-1234 Champion, PA Seven Springs Mountain Resort - 814-352-7777 (seaonal) Corry, PA 3 Deeez Skate-N-Arcade (aka Rock-N-Roller Skate) - 814-664-3006 Coudersport, PA Magic Valley Skateland - 814-274-7744 Cranberry/Oil City, PA Seneca Skating Rink - 814-677-5700 Erie, PA Evan's Skateland West - 814-833-0740 Yevet's Let's Skate - 814-455-6054 Harborcreek/Erie, PA Skate Way Roller Rink - 814-899-6800 Johnstown, PA Roseland - (closed) Skateland Roller Rink - (closed) Kane, PA Shirley's Temple - 814-837-7292 Martinsburg, PA Morrison's Cove Memorial Park - 814-793-3335 Meadville, PA Meadville Area Recreation Complex - 814-724-6006 Mingoville, PA Hecla Park Skating Center - 814-383-2324 Mount Union, PA Raystown Roller Rink - 814-542-2520 New Bethlehem Roller Rink - 814-275-2585(town office) Punxsutawney, PA Good's Rollerlodge - 814-938-9065 Reynoldsville, PA Reynoldsville Rollerdrome - 814-653-8651 Russell, PA Russell Roller Rink - 814-757-5283 Sheffield, PA Forestview Roller Rink - 814-968-9931 Snow Shoe, PA Our Lady Of Snow Skating Rink - 814-387-6655 Somerset, PA Star Lite Roller Skating Center - 814-445-6806 Spring Mills, PA Country Skateaway - 814-422-8686 Titusville, PA Millers Rollerdrome (aka The Rink) - 814-827-3412 Union City, PA Canadohta Lake Roller Rink - 814-694-3608 Wilcox, PA Joy Gardens Roller Rink - 814-929-5634 ======================================================================== ======================================================================== Delaware (302) - All Areas Phone numbers and addresses checked against a CD-ROM directory 1/96, and against the RSA directory and USAC/RS directory. This should be essentially all the roller rinks in Delaware. ==== Christiana/Ogletown/Newark, DE 19713-3200 Christiana Skating Center 801 Christiana Road - Rt 273 Christiana is located in northwestern Delaware, a few miles east of Newark. From I-95, get off at exit 3 - Rt 273 - Newark and then head northwest on Rt 273 towards Newark. The rink is on the left-hand side of the road, just past the first traffic light after the intersection. 302-366-0473(tape)/302-366-0426 Mon 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM Adult Organ Music (last monday only!) Tues 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Family Skate Thurs 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM Adult-16 Skate Fri 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM 9:00 PM - 11:30 PM Sat 8:00 PM - 11:30 PM Sun 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM Adult-16 Skate - Top 40 DJ Hardwood Floor - Medium Size - Oval In-lines allowed, but speed skates are the most popular. Skate Shop - Snack Bar - Games - Air Conditioned Rules Strictly But Inconsistantly Enforced RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs Christiana is a rink that I have some fairly mixed feelings about. At first I really liked it, as an alternative to the organ music adult nights at a more local rink, but then I got really fed up with the management and the way they ran the rink and just stopped going there. The problem is/was that they don't have any artistic or real "adult" sessions. Their idea of an adult session is 16 and up, which means that the majority of the the skaters are roughly high-school aged and management caters towards this. Enforcement of the rules at these sessions was extremely uneven and I felt that the adult skaters were being singled out, while the hazards created by rink-rat speed skaters were ignored. I've since heard that the manager that I had problems with is gone and things have improved, but I haven't been back to see for myself. Also, last year they started a new Adult taped organ music session. This session is only on last Monday of each month, excluding holidays, so call to confirm details before going. This is a great rink for teenagers and family skating. The "adult" sessions are hard on beginners, there's just too much of a crowd and fast skating to let the beginners relax and learn. Beginners should probably try some of the quieter weeknight or weekend family sessions, even though you have to put up with the children. My sisters have taken their children there for the family skating sessions. The rink is kept in good condition, though there are some heavily dinged spots near the floor entrances. The sound system is pretty good and the DJ's are usually OK, though it seems to be a rotation of kids or amateurs, rather than one regular DJ. They have a snack bar, party room, video game room and skate shop. The floor is bordered on two sides by a carpeted seating/changing area. The rink has an active competitive program and is the home of some well respected coaches, but this activity is completely invisible to the public session skaters. It is periodially hosts the Eastern Regionals and holds a springtime invitational meet on the other years. There is also speed skating and an active roller hockey program, but the later is just for kids. [ attribution lost ] My regular indoor rink is Christiana here in Newark, Delaware. Several champion figure skaters have come from here. I never really paid attention to that fact until I was skating at a rink in Ohio. A woman asked me where I was from. After I told here that I usually skate at a rink in Delaware, she said, "Oh yeah. I have heard of Christiana. [name I don't remember] came from there." ==== Dover, DE 19901-5512 Dover Skating Center 2201 South Dupont Highway Dover is located in central Delaware. From I-295, head south on US 13 for about 40 miles to the Dover area. This rink should be directly on US 13 - The Dupont Highway, south of Dover. 302-697-3218/697-3219 Mon 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Christian Night Tues 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Family Night Fri 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM 9:00 PM - 11:30 PM Teen Night Sat 12:00 noon - 4:00 PM 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM 9:00 PM - 11:30 PM Sun 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic, JO and Speed clubs ==== Elsmere/Wilmington, DE 19805-4118 Elsmere Skating Center 215 New Road Wilmington is located in northern Delaware. From I-95, get off at exit 5 - Rt 141 and head north though Newport to Rt 2 at Prices Corner, then head east on Rt 2 towards Wilmington. After you cross the railroad overpass, you want to turn left and go one block to New Road, and then turn left again to get back to below the overpass area. The rink is on the left side of New Road, just before the railroad tracks. 302-654-5520/654-3428 Wed 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Family Night 9:15 PM - 11:00 Adult Organ Music Session Fri 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM 9:30 PM - 11:30 PM Sat 8:00 PM - 12:00 PM DJ G-Man Sun 8:00 PM - 12:30 PM Adult-21 Night - DJ G-Man Hardwood - Medium Size - Oval RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs I've only stopped by here off hours, but this appears to be a nice full size rink. Historically it has a bit of a local reputation for being a "rough" place, but this may be the suburban view of a rink that serves both the blue collar Elsmere/Prices Corner area and the urban Wilmington neighborhoods in addition to the surrounding suburbs. The have some kind of artistic oriented session with organ music on Wednesdays, after the family session, but I don't know if it's tapes or live music. An instructor is available. Elsmere occassionaly changes the schedule ==== Laurel/Seaford, DE 19956 Skateworld Laurel-Seaford Highway Laurel and Seaford are located in southwestern Delaware, along US 13 about 40 miles south of Dover. From points north, take US 13 south, the rink should be on US 13 probably just north of Seaford by the US 13 / US 9 intersection. 302-875-2121 Tues 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Family Night Wed 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Report Card Night? Fri 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM 11:00 PM - 1:00 AM Late Skate Sat 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM 10:00 PM - 12:00 PM Late Skate Sun 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic, JO and Hockey Clubs? ==== Milford, DE 19963-1441 Milford Skating Center 1 Park Avenue Milford is located in southern Delaware, about 20 miles south of Dover along Rt 113. The rink is near the center of Milford, from US 113 or Rt 1, take Front street towards town and turn onto Walnut Street and Park Avenue. Park runs parallel to the river, between North and South Front Streets. 302-422-3700/422-2740 Tues 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Fri 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM 9:00 PM - 11:30 PM Sat 12:30 PM - 4:30 PM Family Skate 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Sun 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Family Skate RSA Member Rink According to the attendant, they don't have any special adult or artistic skating sessions. ==== Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971 Skateworld II Rt 1 at Midway Shopping Center Rehoboth Beach is a shore resort area located along the Atlantic in southeastern Delaware. From points north, take Rt 1 or Rt 9 south towards Rehoboth Beach. The rink is located in the Midway Shopping Center about 2 miles southeast of the intersection of Rt's 1 and 9. 302-645-0463 Tues 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Wed 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Fri 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM 11:00 PM - 1:00 PM Late Skate Sat 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM 10:00 PM - 12:00 PM Late Skate Sun 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM USAC/RS Artistic, JO and Hockey Clubs? According to the attendant, they don't have any specific adult sessions, though the Friday and Saturday late skates have fewer children. The rink is in a summer resort area, so beware of weekend traffic. ======================================================================== ======================================================================== New Jersey (609) - South Jersey Atlantic City, Camden, Trenton, Wildwood Phone numbers and addresses checked against a CD-ROM directory 1/96, RSA directory and USAC/RS directory. This should be essentially all the roller rinks in the 609 area code. ==== Albion/Berlin, NJ 08009-9201 Cross Keys Skating Center 128 Cross Keys-Berlin Road Albion is located southeast of Camden, along the White Horse Pike Corridor. From I-295, get off at the Rt 30 - White Horse Pike exit and head southeast on Rt 30 towards Berlin for about 8 miles. Just past where Rt 534 - Clemmonton-Berlin Road merges in, you want to turn right onto Park Road. This will merge with Berlin-Cross Keys Road and the rink is about a mile further down on the left side. Note that the White Horse pike has a lot of slow local traffic, it may be much quicker to approach via Rt 73 just east of Berlin. 609-767-7815 Wed 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Discount Night Thurs 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Adult-18+ Shuffle/Top-40 Session Fri 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Adult-18+ Morning Session 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Country Dance ** Not Skating ** Sat 12:30 AM - 2:30 PM 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 7:30 PM - 11:30 PM Sun 12:30 AM - 2:30 PM 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wood Floor - 185'x85' - Rounded Corners - Good Condition Skate Shop - Snack Bar - Air Conditioned In-Line Skates Permitted RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic Coach I happened to visit this rink on the last day [2/97] of their long running Adult-18 "request" session. This was a session where the DJ played a mix of rock oldies and country, plus whatever the skaters would bring in or request, with taped organ music for some specials. There were about 50 skaters there, more than half over 50, some in their 30's and a few younger skaters. This about the only session of the type in the area, most offer either contemporary/top-40 or organ-music only formats. They're advertisting the replacement as a "shuffle session", but from what I can tell, it's just an adult Top-40 session, not specifically aimed at shuffle skaters. When I asked, they said the music would be similar to the local "dance music" radio station, implying the absence of hardcore rap or club music. Cross Keys opened in mid-1990, making it the newest full size rink in the Delaware Valley. The floor is about 185'x85', rectangular with rounded corners. It is in fairly good condition but a bit rough where the coating has built up over the center of the board, but left gaps at the joints. It's kind of a rail-road track effect where your skates go clickity-clack as they go over the joints, but without the tiring vibration you get on a washboarded floor. There are also some chewed up spots where they set the hockey goals and at the face-off spot in the center. The sound system consists of numerous speaker boxes set into the suspended ceiling grid. It sounded ok - there as some distortion, but I don't know if it was the system or old 45's that they DJ was playing. The lighting is a mix of new and old, a couple of large disco balls at either end are surrouned by a lighting truss with various spotlights. They also had several hi-tech tracking lights on each truss, but the didn't seem to accomplish much - I could see the mirrors twitching, but they didn't have much to project onto. There's a large snack bar, and also a party table area at the one end of the floor. They've added plexiglas and netting at that end to protect the area during hocky games, which doesn't do much for the decore of the party area. The surround is carpeted with a random selection of carpet tiles, which aren't too bad to roll over. There's a skate shop, but it was closed and looked more like a hockey pro shop than anything else. I guess I'll have to visit again, once the new session is established. It's kind of hard to predict how it will go - few of the older skaters are likely to remain, and there are several other rinks with Thursday Adult Top-40 sessions in the area, which do well enough in the winter, but die off in the summer. ==== Atlantic City, NJ 08401 Atlantic City Seaside Resort Boardwalk 609- Proposed There are plans to build a new Casino/Shopping mall complex in central Atlantic City. The overall complex is described as an outlet mall, with an assoicated hotel/casino, a multiplex theatre and a large roller rink, and is to be located next to the Showboat Casino Hotel. The theatre and roller rink are "community facilities" tied in with casino community re-investment funding, so the rink will probably be a part of the package. The project has been mentioned in local papers since 1994-1995, but according to the developer [June 1996], the project is underway, with constuction to start in mid-1997 for a 1998 opening date. The person I talked to indicated that it would include the roller rink and that they already had an arrangement with an operator. Final approval for use of the re-invenstment funds was granted in 1996, but the tone seems to have changed. MGM Grand as proposed a straight casino/hotel development project for the same site and the funds are considered as "backup" in case MGM and Forest City can't come to an agreement. The MGM project would be in-eligible for the re-investment funding, and thus would have no obligation to include any "community facilties" such as the roller rink. ==== Cape May, NJ 08204 Cape May Convention Hall 714 Beach Avenue Cap May is a resort community located at the southern tip of New Jersey, across the Delaware bay from Lewes, Delaware. Take the Garden State Parkway to the southern end, then continue into Cape May on Layfayette Street. Turn left on Ocean Street until it dead-ends at Beach Avenue, turn turn left and the Convention Center should be a couple blocks off, between Gurney Street and Stockton Place. A more lesiurely alternative is to take the Cape May - Lewes ferry from Delaware, but be warned that all routes involve summertime shore traffic delays. 609-884-9565 Wed 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Thurs 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Fri 10:00 AM - 12:00 noon Adult Skate (call) 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Bring Your Own CD Sat 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Sun 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM ==== Carll's Corner/Bridgeton, NJ 08302 Skate World (was All-Skate Skating Center) 1748 Burlington Road off Rt 56 Bridgeton is located in South Jersey about 25 miles southeast of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. From I-95, take US 40 northwest to Rt 77, then head south on Rt 77 towards Bridgeton. About 3 miles outside o Bridgton, Rt 77 merges with Rt 56 in a complex mess also involving Rt 611 and Burlington Road. You want to bear left just prior to the merge so that you can cross Rt 56 onto Burlington Road. The rink is just ahead on the right, it's an industrial looking building, behind the Police Station that's out on Rt 77. 609-453-0800 Mon 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Christian Music Night (1st Mon only) Wed 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Family Night Fri 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Hip-Hop (aka Rap) Night Sat 10:00 PM - 12:00 PM Kids Skate (11 and under) 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Open Matinee 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Modern Rock/Alternative Music Sun 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Open Matinee Hardwood - 160 x 80 - rectangular RSA Member RInk This rink is only a half-hour south of the Delaware Memorial Bridge but the feel is rural South Jersey. The rink was rennovated in 1994 and opened with a schedule including an Adult organ night. Subsequently, the rink was sold and the manager departed for a new rink in North Carolina. I haven't been there since, but from the message on their tape, it sounds like a strictly for kids and teens operation now, though there is probably a small artistic program. ==== Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 Cherry Hill Skating Center 665 Deer Road at Old Cuthbert Road Cherry Hill is located in South Jersey, about 10 miles west of Camden. From I-295, get off at the Rt 70 - Marlton Pike exit and head west on Rt 70 towards Marlton. Take to first dog-leg to make a U-turn and head back the othe other way on Rt 70 - you want to turn right onto Old Cuthbert Road, which is just opposite where the exit ramp dumped you onto Rt 70. Follow Old Curthbert road past the hotel and an athletic club and about 3/4-mile further till you see a Gold Gym/ Max Fitness Center at the corner of Deer Road. Turn left and the rink will be the third building back on the left. 609-795-1919(tape)/795-1909 Tues 9:45 AM - 11:45 AM Pre-school/Kindergarden Session Wed 12:45 PM - 2:15 PM Pre-school/Kindergarden Session 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Public Session Thurs 12:45 PM - 2:15 PM Pre-school/Kindergarden Session Fri 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Public Session 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Public Session - Top 40 music Sat 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Children & Parents Session 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Afternoon Session 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Evening Session Sun 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Afternoon Session Wood Floor - Average Size In-line skates permited and availabl for rent RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs [ note ] Rumor is that Cherry Hill closed for a while in Summer of 2000 for a refurb, take the comments below with a grain of salt. [ Rob Steuer - http://csac.rutgers.edu/users/steuer ] Just for reference, the Cherry Hill Skating Center also allows in-line skates, but it is usually WAY overcrowded and can be a little "wild". Most of the lockers are broken, and the track is in really poor shape. It's really not worth going to... [ grr ] I didn't skate here, but did stop by one day to pick up a schedule. The rink looked about average for the area. ==== Delanco/Willingboro/Burlington, NJ 08075 Holiday Skating Center 1775 Creek Road Delanco is located in South Jersey along the Delaware River at the Rancocas Creek, between Camden and Burlington. Holiday is located on River Road, which runs from Rt 130 west to Delanco. Heading North on Rt 130, River Road is the first dog-leg after the hump bridge over Rancocas Creek. Look for signs pointing towards the Motor Vehicle Inspection lanes or the old Holiday Lake Park entrance and Ice Cream Stand. After crossing Rt 130, make the first left and then as the road bears to the right, the rink will be on the right hand side of the road. Heading South, other than the Inspection Lane signs, there aren't any really good landmarks until you're (oops) past Creek Road, you have to turn in between the Armadillo Steakhouse and the Wawa convenience store on the corner. 609-461-3770 Mon 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Adult Coffee Session & Lessons Tues 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Adult-16/Organ Night Wed 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Adult Coffee Session & Lessons 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM Family Night w/DJ Thurs 8:30 PM - 11:00 PM Organ Night - Tapes (sumer only!) Fri 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Top-40 DJ Sat 10:00 AM - noon Tiny Tots 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Afternoon Skate Session 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Top-40 DJ Sun 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Afternoon Skate Session 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Organ Night Hardwood - 210'x90' - Rectangular w/Rounded Corners - Very Good Condition Skate Shop - Snack Bar - Games - Air Conditioned - Smoking Area In-line Skates permitted and available for rent RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic Club This is perhaps the largest rink in the area. It's a bit longer and much wider than usual and still has a large skatable seating area at one end and wide seating/practice lane down one side. The rink was completely sanded and resurfaced in Summer '93, which put it in like new condition, though they also re-coat once or twice each year, prior to springtime artistic competitions and sometimes also prior to the fall "Evening of Champions" show. The Tuesday session features live organ music by Ron Baldwin and is fairly well attended by a mix of all ages. There are mid-session and after session artistic dance specials. The Sunday night family session also features music by Ron, this session is less crowded but more confused, what with kids present. Ralph Brown had been playing Tuesdays on an alternating schedule, I'm not sure if that's still the case. One downside is that this seems to be *the* hangout for smokers in the area and while smoking is limited to certain areas of the snack bar, there's not adequate ventilation to prevent the snack bar from becoming a really odious smoke pit, especially the busy during break periods. Better enforcement of the smoking zone and addition of a smoke-eater or effective ventilation would be a major and much appreciated improvement. [ Rob Steuer - http://csac.rutgers.edu/users/steuer ] Another nice rink is the Holiday Skating Center (609-461-3770). They also allow inline skates and the rink is very large. First time I went I felt like a goldfish being put into a larger bowl! They do rent inline skates but the adult session is just that, anyone under 60 will feel out of place, also almost everyone has rollerskates. Best bet would be a Friday or Saturday night when some of the younger crowd is there with inline skates. [ grr - update ] The crowd on Tuesday nights does include skaters from 60 to 80+ YO and while there aren't many 16-20 YO's, there are regular skaters in the 20-30 and 30-40 age brackets. You do have to appreciate or at least tolerate the Organ music though. The other evenings draw a somewhat less senior weighted group. There have also been more in-line skaters this winter, some who fit well and have mentioned that this is a nicer place for adult in-line skaters than some of the other local rinks. Some others didn't fit so well and haven't been back, the adult sessions are the place for indoor speed or hockey skating, or any kind of attitude. They've also instituted an in-line hockey program as of fall 1995. Hopefully this won't have too much of a negative impact on the adult/artistic skating hours or the facility. See http://home.earthlink.net/~rolskate/holiday.htm for current rink schedules and information. ==== Deptford/Woodbury, NJ 08096 Deptford Skating Center Deptford and Cedar Avenues off Rt 47 Deptford is located in South Jersey, about 5 miles south of Camden. From I-295 southbound, get off at exit 25 - Rt 47 - Delsea Drive and head south on Delsea Drive. From I-295 northbound, you have to get off at exit 23 - Rt 130 and head north though to Westville, then at the second traffic circle, bear right onto Rt 47. From the I-295/Rt 47 interchange area, continue south on Rt 47 for about a mile to Deptford Avenue and turn right onto Deptford. The rink will be on the right, at the corner of Cedar Avenue. 609-845-7353 Mon 10:00 AM - 12:30 AM Adult Organ Music Session and Class Tues 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Tot Session and Class Wed 10:00 AM - 12:30 AM Adult Organ Music Session and Class 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Country Dancing - Not Skating! Fri 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Public Skating 9:00 PM - 11:30 PM Public Skating Sat noon - 2:30 PM Public Skating 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM Public Skating 7:30 PM - 12:30 AM Country Dancing - Not Skating! Sun noon - 2:30 PM Public Skating 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM Public Skating Wood Floor - Average Size In-line skates permitted and availble for rent RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs [ bill@franklin.com (bill) ] just off 47 near 295. Besides having some good pros, its main claim to fame is NO SMOKING, none at all in the building. Since most of the other rinks tend to be smokeholes and I'm allergic to it, I really like that. Unfortunately, it has a small floor that has definitely seen better days. [ bensonr@condor.navsses.navy.mil - edited] Looking for professional lessons in the South New Jersey area - free style, dance or figures - check out the Deptford Skating Center in Deptford NJ. The percentage of skaters that went to nationals was more than 80%. We have the best free style coach in the country. He will teach you how to do the jumps the right way and the spins are world class. Drop by and see for yourself. We have a great club and people get along extremely well. The free style coach is Bob Carrier. We could use some boys for the club, but all are welcome. [ web gleanings ] The rink operates as the Rambl'n Country dance club two nights each week, which was voted "best of South Jersey". The contact is Linda Babli at 609-428-2356. ==== Franklinville/Glassboro, NJ 08322 Franklin Skating Center Delsea Drive - Route 47 Franklinville is located about 5 miles south of Glassboro on the Delsea Drive - Rt 47 corridor. From I-295 get off at exit 26, head south on Rt 42 and then take the first exit and head south on Rt 55 to exit 43. Turn right at the traffic light and the rink should be about 2 miles south on Rt 47 - Delsea drive, on the left right before you get into Franklinville. 609-694-0600 Tues 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Coffee Skate & Lessons Wed 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Family Skate Fri 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Sat 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Family Skate 8:00 PM - 11:30 PM Skating and Dancing Sun 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM 8:00 PM - 12:00 PM Adult - Soul Night RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs I've heard that this rink periodically has community relations problems due to not having enough parking for the popular sessions, putting the rink operator in the rather unusual position of discouraging business, or alternatively, that they just have an attitude of some sort. The rink is located right in or on the edge of a community and has only a small parking lot, so I'd suggest arriving early and avoiding parking in front of a residence or driveway. I haven't gotten a chance to skate here, but the Sunday "Soul Night" is reputed to be popular among Philadelphia area black skaters. From what I understand, they play harder "rap" and club music. This session as a reputation for being rough, one skater I talked to said the music and skating was OK, but the there was some kind of fight or argument almost every week and it just wasn't worth the aggravation. ==== Hammonton, NJ 08037 Rollway Roller Rink South 2nd Road Hammonton is located in South Jersey, about half-way between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, along the US 322 - Black Horse Pike corridor. From the Atlantic City Expressway, get of at exit 28 - Rt 54 and head north- east towards Hammonton. South 2nd Road is the first street after the interchange, turn right and you'll see the rink on the left side about an eight of a mile ahead. 609-561-8061 Wed 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM After School Session Fri 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Sat 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM 7:30 PM - midnite Country Dancing - Not Skating! RSA Member Rink ==== Hurffville/Glassboro, NJ 08080-9182 Skater's Choice 150 Holley Dell Avenue Glassboro is located in South Jersey about 20 miles south of Camden. Skaters Choice is on Rt 47 between Hurffville and Glassboro. From I-295 get off at exit 26, then head south on Rt 42 to the first exit, and then head south on Rt 55 to exit 56 - Rt 47. Follow Rt 47 south for about 4 miles, through Hurffville and look for the Holly Dell Business Park sign - the rink is off the road and hard to spot coming from Philly, but if you hit Glassboro you've gone too far. There's also a large ice rink further down Holley Dell. 609-582-0002 Mon 9:30 PM - 11:30 AM Tiny Tot and Preschool Session Tues 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Family Discount Night Thurs 8:00 PM - 11:30 PM Adult-18 Nite - Club/dance DJ Fri 7:30 PM - 11:30 PM Top-40 Sat 12:00 noon - 3:30 PM Matinee 7:30 PM - 12:30 AM Top-40 Sun 12:00 noon - 3:30 PM Matinee *** additional weekday afternoon matinee sessions in the summer Wood Floor - 180'x80' - Fair Condition RSA Member Rink [ update 10/2000 ] Over the summer of 2000, the Thursday adult session was suspedend, but it resumed after Labor day. From what I understand, they've added a second rink, just for roller hockey, and made more improvements to the facility, but I haven't had a chance to visit and check out the details. It's also now "no smoking" territory. [ grr ] I visited Skaters Choice on a Thursday night. A competent DJ kept things moving, but was pretty much the same music and same crowd as other Philly area rinks. The area adult/disco skaters hit Skaters Choice, The Palace, Villanova and The Parkway rinks, whichever has an adult session on a given evening. The floor is mixed blessings - it's large, well laid and has a nice finish, but it's badly dinked, as if every dent or scrape over the past 30 years has been preserved, rather than smoothed out. Actually from what I understand, the owner used to be proud of the floor, but hockey play was a business neccessity and if they hockey players chewed up the floor, that was unfortunate. I guess you could get used to the floor, or maybe not notice it with wider wheels, but I found it irritating. It'd be a lot nicer sanded down and refinished. There'a also a small practice area or dance floor with a wood parquet floor and mirrors. One note is that this place might as well be called Smoker's Choice, there are no smoking restrictions in the building and the smokers are there to take advantage of this. On the other hand, it may not be quite as bad was where smokers are restricted to a snack bar or other concentrated area. Wheels also tend to get dirty quickly, though I think the culprit is the carpet in the snack bar/party area rather than the floor itself. ==== Marleton, NJ 08053 Scooter's (was Evesham Skating Center) 471 Evesboro-Medford Road Marleton is located in South Jersey about 15 miles east of Camden, near the end of the Rt 70 expressway, east of the New Jersey turnpike. Proceed east through Marlboro on Rt 70, towards Medford. About 3 miles or 6 traffic lights east of the Rt 73 intersection in Evesham, there is a diagonal intersection with Evesboro-Medford road cutting back to the left. Turn left here, the rink is about 3/4-mile west on the left side of the road, between Sharps Run Road and Elmwood Road. 609-983-3500 Call for schedule Wood Floor - 180'x80' - Good Condition Snack Bar - Skate Shop - Games - Air Conditioned In-line skates permitted RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs [ update - 10/2000 ] This rink changed hands a year or so back and is now operating as Scooter's. Rumor has it that they've spruced up the facility and the special "Evensham Jam" adult night is now a regular 3rd Thursday event. [ Rob Steuer - http://csac.rutgers.edu/users/steuer ] Evesham is fairly large, almost the size of the Holiday Skating Center. The rink has more rollerskaters, but inline skates have a definite presence. On a Saturday night it's actually not too crowded and it's great for going fast and getting a little crazy with tricks. The music is a combo of rock and club dance type music so it keeps you going pretty well, the DJ's do a good job. They also set aside about 15 minutes near the end of the session for people to take their skates off and dance on the floor, makes for a nice change of pace. [ grr ] Evesham was one of those local rinks that I'd never gotten around to visiting, becuase they don't have any adult-oriented sessions, except for a Friday daytime session. I finally visited to catch the special described below and was somewhat pleasantly suprised. The floor is larger than average, though not as large as the floor at Holiday. I'd like to say it's in good condition, but it's kind of a mixed bag. The main track is in very good condition, with only a little ripple on the ends. However the center third, where the figure circles are located, is rather badly washboarded. Since the rink is wide enough, this doesn't present any problem for recreational skating, but for dance or practicing freestyle moves or figures in the center it's no fun... Overall the rink is in decent condition, a little run-down, but it looks like they were making some renovations, including replacing the carpet in the seating area. They have a variety of low-tech lighting effect including rotating spot-lights and three mirrored turrets. There were also some strobes and colored beam projectors and other devices. I don't know if they were dead or the DJ just didn't feel like activating them. The sound system was pretty good, with 24 large speaker boxes set into the suspended ceiling matrix. The rink has a skate shop, though it's mostly a display window, with a "invitation only" shop/store-room off the office. There's the usual snack bar and some seating/party table area. There's a occassional good shuffle skating party/reunion held at the rink - "The Evesham Jam" put on by one of the rinks ex-DJ's. The music focus is 70-80's shuffle skating favorites including The Sugarhill Gang, The Gap Band, Bohannon, Grandmaster Flash, KC & The Sunshine Band and the like. Recent events have been in June, November and February, but it's best to get on the mailing list for notification. ==== Mays Landing, NJ 08330 Young's Skating Center (and Lenape Park) Park Road - Lenape Park Mays Landing is located in South Jersey, about 20 miles northeast of Atlantic City. From the Philadelphia area, take the Atlantic City Expressway, get of at exit 17W - Rt 50 and head southwest on Rt 50 for about 4 miles into Mays Landing. At Fifth Street, turn right and then bear a bit to left at the 3-way intersection onto Mill Road. After a couple blocks, turn right onto Park Road and follow this around the lake. The rink will be on your left just before the "Dead End" sign. 609-625-1191/625-2021 Tues 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Christian Skate (3rd Tuesday only Thurs 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM Fri 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Sat 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM 8:30 PM - 10:30 PM Sun 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM Wood Floor - Large? Air Conditioned RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic/Hockey Coaches [ (Lou Brooks) nutwerk@acy.digex.net ] Here's one for your Eastern Region rinks, although I haven't been yet, but will try to check it out for you... [ grr ] I believe this rink is now owned by the couple who previously operated the Villanova skating rink, while that rink is now operated by the same people who operate the Parkway rink near Atlantic City. According to rumor, they have replaced old Mays Landing linoleum floor with a new wood floor. No adult nights at present. A local Baptist Church organizes a trip to the rink on the third Tuesday of each month for a Christian Music Skate, it's not clear if it's only that Tuesday. ==== Pleasantville/Atlantic City, NJ 80232-9601 Parkway Skating Center 3133 Fire Road, Between Tilton & Hingston Ave. Pleasantville is located in the South Jersey coastal area, about 6 miles inland of Atlantic City, along the Garden State Parkeway/US 9 corridor. From that Atlatic City Expressway, get off at the Garden State Parkway South exit and then get off the Parkway at the second exit, exit 36 - Rt 322/40 Black Horse Pike. The exit drops you onto Tilton Road, at the first traffic light turn right onto Fire Road and the rink will be about a quarter mile down on the right. The building is a fairly blank white brick structure, the entrance and parking lot is hidden around back. 609-383-1800/383-1881 Tues 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Family Night Thurs 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Adult Coffee Session - Light Rock 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Family Night Fri 8:00 PM - 11:30 PM Evening Skate Sat 8:00 PM - 11:30 PM Evening Skate (except Summer?) Sun 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM Matinee Session(s) 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Adult-18 Skate - DJ Top-40/Dance Music Hardwood - about 160 x 80 - oval Inlines permitted after inspection RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs This rink is just inland from the Atlantic City metropolitan area. You think you're in rural South Jersey, but you're right at the intersection of the Garden State Parkway and the Atlantic City Expressway, so plan around beach traffic. I recognized a lot of skaters from Philadelphia area rinks (50 miles away), but I don't know if this is just the Sunday summer skate, or they're also catching a day at the shore. Anyway, the rink itself is a nice modern style rink, pleasant and in good condition. The floor is in good shape, although not as smooth as some other rinks in the area. The music is advertised as "light rock", but it's really Top-40 with some club/R&B and skating favorites mixed in, not much different that what the DJ's are doing for adult sessions at other area rinks. I was a bit worried the place might be over-strict, since they had all kinds of signs warning about cars being locked-in and towed 15-minutes after session, but everyone working at the rink turned out to be quite pleasant, so I guess that's just to discourage people from hanging out in the lot the after session to stretch out a day at the shore till the last possible hour. The crowd was well mixed, and I had a pretty good time, even it it was a miserable two-hour rainy drive back home. This rink has an organ alongside the floor and an active artistic club/program, but no regularly scheduled artistic sessions. ==== Tuckerton, NJ 08087-2619 Tuckerton Skateway 201 East Main Street Tuckerton is located along the South Jersy coast, on the bay side of the Long Beach Island area. From the Garden State Parkway, get of at exit 52 - US 9 and head on east on Rt 9 for about 5 miles to Tuckertown. The rink should be on the left, one block after the Rt 539 intersection. 609-296-0809 Fri 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Sat 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Family Session Sun 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Faimly Session RSA Member Rink ==== Voorhees, NJ 08043-1759 AJ Hounds Roller Rink (aka Hounds Pound) 333 Preston Ave From I-295, head southeast on Rt 30 - The Whitehorse Pike. Cross under the NJ Turnpike, then turn left on Evesham Road. Preston will be the second right after an open area, the rink should be about 4 blocks down. 609-427-4141 Fri 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM Public Session Sat 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Public Session 8:30 PM - 11:00 PM Public Session Sun 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Public Session 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Public Session (** public sessions may be pre-empted by roller hockey events! **) Concrete - Hockey Size Indoor - Hockey This rink was built in 1995 as an indoor roller hockey rink, with boards and a plexiglass surround, and is part of the Coliseum Ice Center complex. Although primarily a hockey rink, the Pound also has public skating sessions, but these can be pre-empted by roller hockey tournements. ==== Voorhees, NJ 08043-2108 Echelon Skating Center 1140 White Horse Road The rink is supposed to be near the Echelon Mall in Voorhees township. From I-295, head southeast on Rt 30 - The White Horse Pike for about 3-1/2 miles then turn left onto White Horse Road go a couple miles further. The rink will be on the left, just before the big Bally Fitness Center. There's a small lighted sign at the drive, but the rink building itself is very plain and dark as seen from the road. 609-346-1335/346-0055 Thurs 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Adult 18+ Nite - Top 40 Fri 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Public Skating - Top 40 Sat 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Public Skating - Top 40 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Public Skating - Top 40 Sun 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Public Skating - Top 40 *** schedule varies somewhat seasonally Wood Floor - 160'x76' - Rounded Corners - Smooth - Very Good Condition Skate Shop - Snack Bar - Games - Air Conditioned In-line Skates permitted RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Speed and Hockey Clubs [ Rob Steuer - http://csac.rutgers.edu/users/steuer ] One of my favorites is the Echeleon Skating Center (609-346-1335). Thursday night from 8 to 11pm is best as that is 18 and over night, no kiddies! They used to rent inline skates, but I'm not sure if they still do. Inline skates are allowed though, in fact, a lot of the speed skaters practice there during certain hours for racing. You'll see lots of people from really BAD to "Geez, why aren't they in the olympics!" [ grr@tharsis.com ] I stopped in at Echelon on a mid-August Thursday night to check out the adult session, but found it almost deserted. When I arrived in the middle of the session, there were only about a dozen people there and only one or two skating, despite decent music. It averaged about four people on the floor the rest of the session. According to the manager, the session does start to pick up again in September. Although this rink is only average size, it has a very nice floor. It's quite smooth and clean, with only a tiny bit of washboarding in the center area. Even so, there was a note saying that they were planning on refinishing it in a couple of weeks. The sound system is pretty good and the DJ was doing an reasonable job despite the lack of any excitement out on the floor. There were a variety of strobes, spots lights, neon, a mirror ball array and other relatively low-tech effects, but these were essentially inactive. Overall the rink stayed rather dark, I prefer a bit better lighting in an unfamiliar rink, except for the slow/romantic numbers. There's a very 70's mural around the far end of the rink. The floor surround is carpeted and there's a very healthy number of tables in the party area. The snack bar and skate shop counter were well lit and attractive. Because of the small crowd, the single skate guard spent most of his time puttering around the snack bar and cleaning up, so I don't know how strict rule enforcement normally is, certainly nobody was objecting to anything I did. ======================================================================== New Jersey (908) - Central and Western Areas Elizabeth, New Brunswick Phone numbers and addresses checked against a CD-ROM directory 1/96, RSA directory and USAC/RS directory. This should be essentially all the roller rinks in the 609 area code. ==== Bridgewater/Somerville, NJ 08807 Bridgewater Sports Arena (aka Extremes) 1425 Frontier Road at Chimney Rock Road On Chimney Rock Road, off of Route 22 East near the I-287 interchange. 908-560-0005/560-0006 Mon Noon - 2:00 PM Public Skating Tues Noon - 2:00 PM Public Skating Wed Noon - 2:00 PM Public Skating Thurs Noon - 2:00 PM Public Skating Fri Noon - 2:00 PM Public Skating Sat 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Public Skating Sun 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Public Skating Public skating hours subject to change, call to verify. 180'x85' - Hockey Boards In-lines permitted and for rent [ mins@cnj.digex.net (timothy mizerak) ] On March 23 a brand new rink specifically for inline skating will be opening in Bridgewater, NJ. The place is called Extremes! and will feature a large floor (185 x 85), an aggressive course, a pro shop, snack bar, group lessons, etc. The rink is right where Route 287 and Route 22 intersect, on the East- bound side of Rt 22. [grr] Extremes is positioning their rink as an indoor in-line/roller hockey facility with an indoor "street" skating course, so it's hard to tell what if any conventional skating might be available. I'd regard the schedule above as a tentative "facility open" schedule, since there's probably going to be after-school and day time hockey in addition to whatever they've planned in the evenings. [ lucky@hclibr.eclipse.net (Rufus Chintendrils) ] I just called to get info, here it is: 185' X 85' inline rink half pipe, rails, etc. for extreme skating party rooms opening in about a week, call to verify [late April or May...] See you there, Rufus See http://members.tripod.com/~ExtremesISC for more info. ==== Broadway, NJ 08808 Villa Roller Rink 2151 State Highway 57 in Broadway Broadway is located in northwestern New Jersey, about 12 miles east of Easton, Pennsylvania. From I-78, get off at exit 17 - Rt 31 and take Rt 31 north for about 10 miles into Washington, then take Rt 57 west for about 4 miles to Broadway. The rink should be on the left side, just before the main intersection. 908-689-6155 Wed 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Toddler Skate 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Public Skating Thurs 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Christian Music (3rd Thursday ONLY) Fri 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Public Skating Sat 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Public Skating Sun 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Public Skating (Oct - May only) In-line Skates permitted USAC/RS Hockey Club This rink changed management/ownership in mid-1996. See http://villa-roller-rink.com for current schedules and information. ==== Eatontown, NJ 07724 Eatontown Roller Skating Center 97-105 State Highway 35 Eatontown is located in the North Jersey shore area, just inland from Long Branch. From the Garden State Parkway, get off at exit 105 - Rt 36 and head eastwards towards Long Branch, for about a mile, then go around the traffic circle to head north on Rt 35. The rink should be about a quarter-mile north on the right. 908-542-5858/542-5891 Fri 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM Sat ? - ? Sun 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM In-line skates permitted and for rent RSA Member Rink USAC/RS JO and Speed Clubs Sessions are weekend only, though the schedule may change in the summer months. Eatontown also has a roller-hockey program. ==== Edison/New Brunswick, NJ 08820-3504 United Skates of America Skating Center 89 Wood Avenue at Oaktree Road Edison is about 5 miles northwest of New Brunswick, off Garden State Parkway exit 131. Head southwest on Rt 27 - Lincoln Highway, after a few blocks turn right onto Wood Ave. The rink should be a few blocks further, in the Oaktree Shopping Center at the intersection with Oaktree Road. 908-494-6655/494-6656 Mon 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Christian Music Wed 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Family Session 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM Adult-21+ Top-40 Session Sun 10:00 AM - noon 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Lessons? 9:00 PM - 12:00 PM Adult session (** more sessions Thursday and Friday **) I've heard that the Wednesday adult session is supposed to be good. One oddity is that adults pay $1.00 more than kids for any session! ==== Frenchtown, NJ 08825 Frenchtown Roller Rink State Highway 29 Frenchtown is located in northwestern New Jersey, along the Delaware River, about 15 miles south of Easton, Pennsylvania. From US 202, get off at the Rt 12 - Lambertville exit, and head east on Rt 12 for about 12 miles to Frenchtown, the rink should be nearby on State Highway 29. 908-996-6313 Wed 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Thurs 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Fri 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM 9:30 PM - midnite Sat 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Sun 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic, JO and Speed Clubs ==== Hackettstown, NJ 07840-2514 Hackettstown Family Skating Center 13 State Highway 57 Hackettstown is located in northwestern New Jersey, about 20 miles east of the Delaware Water Gap area. From I-80, get off at exit 19 - Rt 517 and head south on Rt 517 for about 5 miles to Hackettstown. Bear left onto US 46 - Main Street and head southeast for a few blocks, then bear right onto Rt 182 - Mountain Avenue for about a mile, then bear right onto State Highway 57. The rink should be along Rt 57, probably a few miles down near the airport. 908-852-8155 Wed 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM Fri 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM Sat 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM Sun 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic Coaches As of January 1996, this rink was closed due to roof damage from the winter blizzard. They've since reopened with their normal activities, which include roller skating, roller hockey, speed skating and skate park. ==== Jackson/Lakewood, NJ 08527-2255 Jackson Skating Center (Roller Magic) 2270 West County Line Rd Jackson is northwest of Lakewood. From the I-195 "Great Adventure" spur, get off at exit 21 and head south on County Road 527. The first left will be West County Line, the rink may be here, or further east on the continuation across Jackson Mills-Freehold road. 908-363-2222 Wed 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM Fri 4:00 PM - 12:00 PM overlapping 2-3 hour sessions Sat 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM overlapping 2-3 hour sessions Sun 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM overlapping 2-3 hour sessions RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs [ VLABE@emshq.mhs.compuserve.com (Vito Labella) ] Jackson has no adult session, mostly Rounders and Hockey. ==== Kendall Park/New Brunswick, NJ 08824-1050 Kendall Park Skating Center (was CJ Wheels) 3550 State Highway 27 Kendall Park is about midway between Princtone and New Brunswick along the Route 1/Route 27 corridor. From I-95, get off at the US 1 exit and head north on US 1 for about 8 miles, then take the dogleg to head west on Ridge Road for about a half-mile to Kingston, then turn right to head east on Rt 27 for about 4 miles. The rink will be on the right, just past the Kendall Park movie theatre. It's kind of plain arched roof building with a small lighted "Roller Skating" sign in the middle. The entrance is in front of the theatre, by the time you're sure that it's the rink you're past it and have to loop back. 908-297-3003/297-3776 Tues 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM CCDC Gay Skate (3rd Tuesday only) Wed 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Family Sesson - pre-teen & parents Thurs 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Adult Night (see text) Fri 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM Family Session - pre-teen & parents 8:30 PM - 11:00 PM Open Skating Sat 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Open Skating 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Open Skating Sun 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Open Skating 8:30 PM - 11:00 PM Rap & Club/Soul Session *** no teens at family sessions Wood Floor - 186'x88' - Rectangular - Fair Condition Snack Bar - Games - Wheel Washer - Air Conditioned In-line Skates permitted and available for rent RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs [ VLABE@emshq.mhs.compuserve.com (Vito Labella) ] Kendall Park skating club is mostly freestyle - good coaches Sha-Ron or Harold. [ web gleanings ] On the third Tuesday of each month, the Community Center Development Committee of the Personal Liberty Fund (CCDC) holds a Gay and Lesbian Roller Skating Night at the Kendall Park Rink. Call 908-846-2232 for more information about the CCDC. [ grr ] Kendall Park is one of the larger bowling alley conversions I've seen - the floor is 186'x88', with reasonably spacious seating and snack bar areas. The floor is wood and basically pretty nice - it's flat with no washboarding and seems to be at least partly suspended, rather than sitting flat on concrete. The surface has some dings and is a little rough, but not as bad as a Skater's Choice and it was clean. The changing/seating area runs along the open side of the floor and has carpet tiles. There are lockers, a snack bar and an assortment of video games. There is a display of skates for sale, but no real skate shop. The sound system is adequate, with a big speaker in each corner, four speakers suspended about 7' over the center of the floor and also a half-dozen helment shaped tweeter things spread around the ceiling. The lighting was mostly low tech, with a few spotights, and colored dot projector and strobe. It seemed a little dim to me, especially in the corners. They allow in-line skates and have them available for rent, maybe a third of the adults had in-lines, the rest a mixture of quads and speed skates. The rental quads seeemd to be a mix of the Roller Derby plastic boots and some old leather skates, but I didn't look that close. The session I attedned is their Thursday night "mostly adult session". According to a sign on the wall, this is adults over 18 and kids only when accompanied by adults, i.e. no drop-offs. It seemed like any other adult-18 session except for a handfull of elementary age kids, usually there were only one or two on the floor or they were surrounded by tall parents so it wasn't a problem. They used to have a Saturday Adult-18 late skate, but that was canceled. The session wasn't at all crowded for this size floor, maybe 50 people by the time I got there. The music was about average for the area, Top-40 and some old skating favorites. They did a shuffle-only skate and a fast backwards skate - no couples only, but they did go out with a slow number. There may have been other specials before I got there. The favorite local trick seems to be cartwheels and somersaults, you can get a pretty good bang out of floor when you slam down with both skates. All in all I had a pretty good time, this is an early session on a weeknight and a ways from my house, so I missed the first half. As we were leaving, the hockey crew was coming in, which may explain the early ending and schedule changes. ==== Lakewood/Jersey Shore, NJ 08701 Skate Arena 300 Rt 70 Lakewood is located in the North Jersey seashore area, but a bit inland. From the Garden State Parkway, get off at exit 88 - Rt 70 and head west on Rt 70. The rink should be about 2 miles west on the left side, just before the US 9 intersection. 908-363-5583 Wed 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Thurs 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Fri 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Sat 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Sun 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Ballroom Dancing (no skating!) Nice Hardwood Floor - Oval - No coin lockers Inlines Permitted? - Leather Quads for Rent Reasonable Rule Enforcement USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs [ JDFulton@aol.com (John Fulton) ] Skate Arena is a nice place to skate. The floor is smooth as glass, the ambiance fine. What it lacks is customers! We skated on a Saturday night, albeit in the summer, and the place was practically deserted. This may explain the lack of a fancy sign on the highway, the gravel parking lot and the skate-less dancing sessions that presumably are needed to help pay the rent. While I didn't miss the swerving, shoving, racing teen-agers who can turn sessions at some rinks into survival lessons. But facts is facts - those hordes pay the rent and then some. The rink has a good-sized lobby, which feeds directly into the front of the hall. To the right is the office, to the left the eating area and then the snack bar. Along the left side are changing benches, but the rental lockers are near the office on the right side. There are no coin-operated lockers, only key lockers that are rented out annually. Lessons are available from a highly qualified instructor. [ VLABE@emshq.mhs.compuserve.com (Vito Labella) ] Lakewood caters to club members only - no artistic night [grr] The operators of Skate Arena, Jenner and Dolores Vincent, received a "Rink Operators of the Year Award" at the 1996 Eastern Region awards banquet. See http://www.skatearena.com for current schedules and info. ==== South Amboy, NJ 08879 South Amboy Roller Rink (aka Roller Magic Arena) North Stevens Ave at 6th Street South Amboy is on the Raritan Bay, just across from the southern end of Staten Island - exit 125 on the Garden State Parkway. From the exit, head south on US 9, after about a mile, turn left onto Ridgeway. After crossing over railyards, this turns into North Stevens Avenue. The rink should be a block further at 6th Street. 908-727-1122 Mon 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Adult Morning Session - Organ Music? Wed 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Adult Morning Session - Organ Music? Thurs 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Adult Session - Organ Music (cancelled) Fri 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM 9:00 PM - 12:00 PM Sat 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM 9:00 PM - 12:00 PM Sun 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM RSA Member Rink According to someone on AOL, the Thursday session was cancelled to make time for some roller hockey teams, though one or both of the adult moning sessions may still be organ music. I've heard that this is a relatively small rink. [ mechelynn@aol.com (Michelle Brown) - edited ] I skated an organ session in South Amboy on Wednesday. They don't have a club anymore, but is a fairly nice rink. They have an organ session for the "old timers" as they call them. ==== South Plainfield, NJ 07080-5118 Grand Slam USA 910 Oak Tree Ave 908-756-4446 Hockey - Outdoor Grand Slam USA is basically a batting cage franchise, but according to the attendent this one also has an outdoor roller hockey rink. ==== Union/Union County/Newark, NJ 07083-6800 Skate 22 1235 West Chestnut Street off Route 22 Union is south of Newark, along the Garden State Parkway. Get off at exit 140 and head west on Rt 22, about a mile down, make a sharp right onto Chestnut Street, the rink should be almost at the corner. 908-686-6838 Tuesday 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM Adult Skate Good Hardwood Floor - Practice Area Inlines Permitted? - Suede Leather Quads for rent [ JDFulton@aol.com (John Fulton) ] This rink has a large practice area with only one entrance, a good feature, but with a low wall overlooking the rink which tends to attract spectators. The rink is a little difficult to find because of competing signs on Route 22, a busy shopping-strip highway. At the Saturday night session we attended over a Labor Day weekend, the two friendly floor guards maintained order while allowing skaters the freedom to skate backward. We enjoyed ourselves immensely, even though we had to endure a lengthy weapons search at the entrance. The clientelle present at this session was predominantly African-American. [grr: a glance at a NJ map suggests this rink would serve both Newark and the Oranges, though it's not really part of either area] ======================================================================== ************************************************************************* * Neighborhood/Rink Safety Notes * ************************************************************************* * * * Specific skating rinks in this section are tagged as *NOT* being * * located in in good neighborhoods or suffering from other potential * * personal safety problems. * * * * If you choose to visit them, please take appropriate precautions * * for your own safety and peace of mind. See the safety section in * * the overview posting for some specific cautions and suggestions. * * * ************************************************************************* New Jersey (201) - North Jersey Newark, Hackensack, Jersey City, Patterson Phone numbers and addresses checked against a CD-ROM directory 1/96, RSA directory and USAC/RS directory. This should be essentially all the roller rinks in the 609 area code. ==== Bellville/Newark, NJ 07104 Branch Brook Roller Rink 7th and Clifton Avenues - Branch Brook Park The rink appears to be at the extreme southern end of the park, on Clifton Avenue just north of the I-280 interchange. 201-482-8900 Daily 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM Thurs 9:30 PM - 1:00 AM Adult-21+ Session Sat 9:30 PM - 2:00 AM Adult-21+ Session Wood Floor - 160'x80' This is an indoor roller rink built by the Newark City and Essex County goverments and operated by United Skates of America. The roller rink replaces a municipal ice rink that burned down some years ago, but the opening was delayed until mid-1996 due to changes in the city administration and difficulty in finding an operator for the rink. The rink features a pro shop, skate rental area, refreshment stands, room for private parties, vending machines and a game area. The rink is open seven days a week, with late skates for adults 21 and older with valid ID. Everyone coming into the rink also must pass through a metal detector for security reasons. Of the two adult nights, Thursday is said to be wilder, Saturday more laid back. Both can be crowded, it's not an especially large floor. ==== Bergenfield/Bergen County/North Jersey, NJ 07621-4316 The Rink 450 South Washington Ave (Teaneck Rd) From either I-95 or the Garden State Parkway, take Route 4, get off at the Teaneck Road exit and head north towards Bergenfield. Teaneck Road changes into South Washington Ave and the rink is located about 2 miles north of Rt 4, on the left side. There's a small lighted sign by the road. 201-384-5000(schedule)/384-2474 CLOSED??? Fri 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM Christian Music Night (Summer Only?) Sat 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM 10:00 PM - 2:00 AM Adult Only w/Funk/Rap DJ (Except Summer!) Sun 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Family Night 9:00 PM - midnight Adult Only w/DJ Charlie Caz) ** additional weekday 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM session in the summer - call Hardwood - Center Island - Practice Area(s) Inlines Permitted - Rented??? Flexible Rule Enforcement RSA Member Rink [ grr@tharsis.com ] Reports are that the hours have been cut back due to community objections to late night activity. I still haven't been there, but some folks that have say that the Rink is much further down the Rap vs. Dance side of the music spectrum than other area rinks. [ JDFulton@aol.com (John Fulton) ] The Rink's exterior is well-maintained, and so is the parking lot. The pavement is in excellent shape, the spaces are clearly marked, and the lighting more than adequate. There are ample parking spaces, or so it might seem -- but the lot does fill up. The Rink is a prosperous business, and the packed schedule reflects that. Clearly, the owners know what they are doing -- but they aren't overly concerned with the food they serve. It is edible but.... In an unusual twist, the center of the skating floor is fenced with a brass railing. There is seating at either end of the oval, and in the middle, in a high red booth, sits the DJ. One of the ends is carpeted, but the other has been turned into a small practice floor lined with a U-shaped bench. The effect is rather elegant. The offbeat design continues beyond the floor, in that the skating floor is sunken. Put another way, you have to step down to enter the skating floor. While that presents no difficulty for an experienced skater, it can be intimidating for a novice skater. One of the Rink's strong points is its provisions for practice. It has two practice areas. One is a small triangle that is nearly worthless, in large part because it overlooks the main skating area and, so, is often lined with spectators. But the other practice area, a generous size rectangle, is a gem. Only a small section overlooks the main rink and, consequently, only that section becomes cluttered with spectators. Much of the rest is lined with flexible walls covered with carpeting. Rarely is the practice area too crowded to use. However, it is in almost constant use by skaters actually practicing. The music at the adult sessions is largely black/urban, and the night I went, the disc jockey was African-American. I saw no violence nor incidents. What I saw, instead, was a mixed group of very skilled skaters, many middle-aged, skate-dancing at moderate speed -- and enjoying the late-night hors d'oeuvres. The average skill level was high indeed. While on the subject of the adult sessions, it should be noted that the Rink allows smoking in a designated area during the adult sessions only. When children and teens are skating, smoking is strictly prohibited. There is, however, a covered porch at the entrance, and smokers sometimes congregate there during juvenile and evening sessions. The rest of the rink is fairly typical. There are video game machines, candy machines, change machines, and rental lockers. Group and private lessons are available, but the group lessons are pricey. The sound system is adequate; the floor has some instructional markings for skaters practicing their edges, but not a full set. [grr] I drove up to the Rink one evening only to find they'd cancelled the "big" Saturday night adult session for the Summer. I guess I should have called first... Also, Friday night was supposed to be a late adult skate, but is now Christian music night, not sure whether this is a summer modification or a format change. Some of the afternoon sessions in the summer are "rainy day" only, so call. [grr - 5/2000] From what I understand this rink has closed, the retail block it was located in got redeveloped into a Home Depot site or something. RIP ==== Florham Park/Morristown/Morris County, NJ 07932 Florham Park Skating Center 192 Ridgedale Avenue at Columbia Florham Park is located between Morristown and Newark on the old Columbia Turnpike. From either I-78 or I-287, take Rt 24 to exit 2B, go 5 traffic lights and make a right, the rink is on the left at the intersection of the the Clolumbia Turnpike and Ridgedale avenue, right in Florham Park. 201-377-0465 Thurs 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Organ Night (Live 1st & 3rd) Fri 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Young Teen Session Sat 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM Family Skate 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Young Teen Session Sun 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM Family Skate Additional sessions depending on the season, call for details. Beech Wood Floor - Medium Size - No Practice Area "Rink Safe" In-lines permitted and available for rent Posted Rules Strictly Enforced USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs [ ocfernan@MailBox.Syr.Edu (Orlando C. Fernando) - edited ] Florham Park is a moderate sized rink. Skate direction and type are designated by lighted signs in the rink. Mostly Top-40 music on prime time. Rentals are available. [ segot@segot.gti.net (Chris Segot) ] The Florham Park Roller Rink in Florham Park NJ was established in 1937 and has continued to operate at full speed to this day. We continue to excel in parties for all ages as well as our public sessions, run hockey camps ad clinics, and have had a resurgence in our artistic program. We still try to operate our rink to high standards and hope to continue and support the sport of roller skating. If you are in the area and want to stop by our phone is 201-377-0465. [ Chris is the Manager at the rink ] [ sbartell@worldnet.att.net (Scott Bartell) - edited ] Florham Park installed a brand new wooden surface (Beech wood) in August '95. There are now 3 sets of standard figure circles, 2 loops and it is plenty big for dance. There are both standard USAC and JO clubs. The paint scheme is gray with flourescent striping that will soon be accented with black lights. No pro shop as of yet, but there is now a professional on staff. The sound system was recently upgraded also. Rules are strictly enforced. Group lessons are on Saturday mornings and private lesson are by appointment. There is a large party business and the rink is available for rental. The rink is in a safe area, with a well lit parking lot. [ sbartell@worldnet.att.net (Scott Bartell) - update ] Ron Baldwin of the Holiday Skating Center will be playing the organ at our rink every 1st & 3rd Thursday of the month. Also Stephanie Walker has joined the professional staff to teach free style, while I will be teaching figures and dance. [ Scott is the Head Professional at Florham Park ] ==== Montvale, NJ 07645 The Rink (aka Montvale Hockey Rink) 1A Chestnut Ridge Rd, off GSP exit 172 Montvale is located in northeastern New Jersey, almost on the New York border. From the Garden State Parkway, get off at exit 172 and head south on Chestnut Ridge Road. The rink should be about a mile from the interchange, nearly alongside the Parkway. 201-391-9068 Tues 7:15 PM - 8:00 PM Group Lesson 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Artistic Session - Live Organ Music Wed 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM Thurs 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM Fri 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Teen Night Sat 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM 9:30 PM - 11:00 PM Sun 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Hardwood Floor - 100'x200' - Pratice Area Snack Bar USAC/RS JO, Speed and Hockey Clubs [ 75275.1351@compuserve.com (Francis M. Barton) - edited ] The Rink in Montvale, New Jersy is a fine roller rink, with a hardwood floor approximately 100 x 200 feet, and also a practice area. They have an excellent organist and professional staff. There is a full service snack bar. Bill Fellows plays the organ each Tuesday evening, with the exception of the third Tuesday of the month when he has commitments at another rink. On that day, they play his tapes. Bill's playing is excellent, he's one of the top rink organists in the area. Bill and his sister Rose are also professionals at the rink. He usually teachs the group class before the Tuesday session. This is a friendly group of people with a lot of old-time skaters from years ago. Rose fills in on the off Tuesdays. Both are of them are excellent teachers, they competed in International Style dance skating and stress this style in their classes. Don't bother with the other North Jersey rinks, just come to The Rink in Montvale! [ aboulanger@ldeo.columbia.edu (Albert Boulanger) ] Unfortunatly this rink does not have an adult sesssion with contemporary dance music. Too bad -- it is run by the same people who run The Rink in Bergenfield. [grr] According to the attendant they also have a Roller Hockey league. They are listed as The Montvale Hockey Rink in some in-line hockey lists. ==== Morristown, NJ 07960 Instant Replay Skating Center 30 Dumont Place Instant Replay is on Dumont Place, which is just off Morris Street the connection between US 202 and I-287 in central Morristown. 201-267-7171 Fri 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Public Skating Sat 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Public Skating Public skating hours may vary due per school holidays Indoor - Hockey Coated Cement Floor - 25,000 sq.ft. Hockey Boards - Snack Bar In-line Skates and Quads permitted and available for rent RSA Member Rink? Instant Replay is a new indoor roller hockey facility that opened in May 1996, in a former bowling alley. The facility features a large hockey rink with boards and a second smaller rink for parties. They are also adding a snack bar. The rink does have public sessions in addition to hockey and offers both quad and in-line skate rentals. The facility also contains a used sports equipment store and they have a weekly "extreme skating session" where they apparently bring out portable ramps and other toys. There are both youth and adult roller hockey leagues and instruction. See http://www.irskate.com for additional information. ==== Wallington, NJ 07057 Inline Skating Club (was Wallington Skating Rink) Wallington is located in North Jersey, just east of Passaic. Main Avenue 201-473-8900 Fri 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM Sat 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM Sun 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM Mostly Hockey [ JDFulton@aol.com (John Fulton) - edited ] The former Wallington Skating Rink has now reopened after having endured the indignity of being first a batting cage place and then a paintball war zone. The inside is nicely cleaned up, but the parking lot and the driveway are somewhat holey. The old maple floor has been restored and is now lined by a hockey-style barrier - half plywood/half plexiglas. The rink is now a club of some sort (with, I gather, a $10 annual fee) and is called something like the Inline Skating Club of America. I haven't skate there, but I escorted a couple of Girl Scouts to a town wide Girl Scout skate, and the kids seemd to be having a great time. [grr] According to the attendant, the rink has been open about a year and is mostly a roller hockey facility. They do have limited open skating on weekends, the hours suggest these are kiddy/family matinee sessions. ==== Wayne/Paterson/North Jersey, NJ 07470 Skaters World Roller Rink Hamburg Turnpike at Valley Road Wayne is located in northeastern New Jersey about 25 miles west of New York City. The rink is actually a bit north of Wayne, where the Wayne-Paterson suburbs abut on some hill and lake countryside. From I-80, get off at the US 202/Rt 23 exit and head north on Rt 23 for about 3 miles, to the tangle where US 202 and Rt 23 diverge. Turn right onto Rt 504 - Ratzer road and head east on Ratzer for about two miles, then turn left to head north on Valley road for about a half-mile, then left again onto the Hamburg Turnpike. The rink is in the old Ramapo Shopping Center, which will be set back off the road a little ways on the the right, between Valley Road and Alps Road. 201-694-9440/694-9441 Tues 9:00 PM - 12:00 AM Adult-17 Rap/Top-40 DJ Wed 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM Scout Discount 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM Indoor Skate Park (see text) Thurs 9:00 PM - 12:00 AM Adult-17 Rap/Top-40 DJ Fri 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Indoor Skate Park (see text) 8:30 PM - 11:30 PM Teen Night Sat 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Kids Fun Time 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM Kids Fun Time 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM Kids Fun Time 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM Hip Hop, House & Raggae (13+ only) Sun 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM Kids Fun Time 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM Kids Fun Time 6:00 MP - 8:30 PM Family Night Hardwood - 140'x70' - 3 Padded Poles - Fair Condition - 16'x20' Kids Floor Skate Shop - Snack Bar - Games In-line skates permitted and available for rent Fairly Strict Rule Enforcement RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs [ JDFulton@aol.com (John Fulton) ] Skater's World is situated in a shopping center that appears to have had better days. The rink's building seems to have been designed for something else, perhaps a grocery store or large drugstore. The floor is of adequate size, but no larger. The lobby leads directly to the rear of the rink itself. As you walk along an aisle, the office and video arcade are to the left. Next on the left is a party area where, on many nights, an ersatz disco is set up for teen-agers and near-teens to dance. As the aisle curves to the right there is the refreshment stand (the pizza's good) and the eating area. Then comes a tot practice area, then seating and lockers and the skate rental window. As the aisle curves around again there is more seating and another set of lockers. Skater's World can be a nice place to skate, but there's no denying that the place is shabby and getting shabbier. The lobby could use a face lift, at the very least, the windows could be washed and leftover poster glue or wayward paint scraped off. Why I do not know - There seem to be plenty of paying customers, though perhaps not as many since the opening of the Wheels in Motion rink in nearby[?] Wharton. Most rural and suburban rinks would presumably be delighted -- make that ecstatic -- to draw the crowds that flock to Skater's World. [ grr ] Skaters World is not an easy place to find. The major roads in the area have evolved into weary limited-accesss Escape from New York routes, with poor signage, while the local roads must have evolved from cowpaths. The rink is on one of the older roads and by the time I actually found it, the Thursday night session was nearly over, and there were only a handfull of skaters still present. I don't know if that session is dying or everyone just leaves early. The rink is much as John describes it. I get the impression it once catered to wall-to-wall crowds and perhaps still does on teen nights, but the overall effect is tired and run down. The floor isn't too rough but the coating has been about half chipped off, quick sanding and recoating would do wonders, and a general cleaning and repainting in other than uniform dusty and dirtied black would help. Apparently the previous owner sold out to open the Wheels in Motion rink in Wharton, and whoever's running it now is just letting it go downhill. The decor feateres a lot of neon and other lighting effects such as strobes and spotlights, but except for a few signs, none of the neon or strobes seemed to be working - just bars of colored lights and a couple of color beam projectors. The sound system is decent, about twenty midsized speaker cabinets suspended from walls and four woofer pairs embedded in the barriers. The music was mostly along the Rap/House/R&B vein, though there may be more variety when the place is hopping. A couple days a week they have what they call "The Grind", where they setup up an indoor skate park with portable ramps, rails, stunt boxes and whatnot, with dancing to alternative music. Helmets and pads are required, also parentally signed waivers for minors. Tuesdays and Thursdays are alternately advertised as both Adult or College Discount nights, while Friday and Saturday are aimed at teens. They also offer group lessons and have an artistic program, probably mostly freestyle. ==== Wharton/Dover/Morris County, NJ 07885-1209 Wheels in Motion (was Roller World) 316 NJ Route 15 South From I-80, get off at exit 34a - Rt 15 - Wharton, and head north on Rt 15, then make at the U-turn sign, cross over to the southbound lanes to head back towards Wharton. The rink is on the right hand side just after you pass back under I-80 - look for a large building with a big "Roller Skating" sign out by the street. Because Rt 15 south is the wrong way from the main Rt 15/I-80 interchange, don't be surprised if you seem to get bounced around, look for signs for Rt 15 South and to Dover, the rink is in the business strip after you finally cross back under I-80. 201-328-7900 Monday 6:30 PM - 7:300 PM Int/Adv Roller Dance Group Lesson 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Live Organ Music - Al Deluca Wed 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Mid-Week Special Thurs 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM After School Session 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Adult Group Lesson 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Adult Night/College Discount 18+ YO only Fri 9:30 PM - 10:30 AM Beginner Roller Dance Group Lessons 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Live Organ Music 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM After School session 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Weekend Blast-Off Sat 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Childrens Group Lessons 11:00 PM - 2:00 PM 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM 10:30 PM - 1:00 AM Late Night Session Sun 11:00 PM - 2:00 PM School Year only? 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Weekend Wind-Up Weekday sessions during the summer months, and other schedule changes call or check the rink's website to confirm. Large Hardwood Floor - Ovoid - 200'x90' - Kids Practice Area "Rink Safe" Inlines Permitted - Plastic Quads/Inlines for rent RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic, JO and Speed Clubs [ JDFulton@aol.com (John Fulton) ] Wheels in Motion is a first-class operation with something for everybody. The floor is big - the owner says it is the largest "skating surface on the East Coast". In addition, this rink publishes a professional-quality newsletter that's worth signing up for. The owner has gone looking for talent: He "stole" the organist and pro from one rink and hired the speed-skating coach from another. The "shuffle skate" is the specialty of the rink rats, who can be so obnoxious that non-shufflers sometimes have trouble entering or leaving the floor. I've seen the floor guards resort to forming a phalanx merely to let a skater off the floor. [ VLABE@emshq.mhs.compuserve.com (Vito Labella) ] Wharton is great for artistic skaters on Tuesday night. [ grr ] Wheels in Motion opened in 1993, the rink had operated as Roller World during the early 80's and then as a boat showroom during the interim. The owner made substantial rennovations and argressively promotes both the family-fun aspect, adult and artistic skating aspects. I've visted this rink twice during a fund-raiser skate for the artistic club. It's a pretty nice rink, quite large with both a large floor and generous surrounding areas and a large snack bar. The floor is in good condition, though a bit bumpy in places. I don't know if this is due to the short boards, or perhaps abuse during the period the rink was closed. They have a theatre pipe organ, rather than the usual Hammond B3. It sounds pretty nice, but the pipes appear to be concealed in the suspended ceiling rather than being visible as at the Oaks rinks. I'd like to catch the normal adult/artistic night sometime to get a better feel for how it sounds. They also have an assortment of mirror-balls and neon lights, effective and pretty. The sound system looks pretty powerful with booth ceiling level speakers and speakers set into the barriers at floor level in the corners. The only negative points are the little metal ramps leading down from the floor to the carpeted surround level, these seemed to be catching a few skaters not familiar with the rink, and restroom entry design, which provides a sightline from the ladies entry to the mens urinals and lets a person crashing out the door of one restroom bump or pinch a person trying to open the door of the other. Normally, I wouldn't mention something like this, but it just seemed strange that it hadn't yet been corrected in an otherwise well thought out and maintained layout. See http://www.wheelsinmotionrink.com for current schedule and info. ======================================================================== ======================================================================== ************************************************************************* * Neighborhood/Rink Safety Notes * ************************************************************************* * * * Specific skating rinks in this section are tagged as *NOT* being * * located in in good neighborhoods or suffering from other potential * * personal safety problems. * * * * If you choose to visit them, please take appropriate precautions * * for your own safety and peace of mind. See the safety section in * * the overview posting for some specific cautions and suggestions. * * * ************************************************************************* Pennsylvania (215) - Philadelphia, northern and eastern suburbs Levittown, Philadelphia, Quakertown Phone numbers and addresses checked against a CD-ROM directory 1/96, also checked against the RSA directory and USAC/RS directory. This should be essentially all the roller rinks in the 215 area code. ==== Cornwells Heights/Bensalem, PA 19020-5263 Cornwells Roller Skating Center 2350 Bristol Pike - Rt 13 Cornwells is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, just northeast of Philadelphia County. From I-95, get off at the Woodhaven Road exit, then immediately head north on US 13, proceed past Rt 613 and the rink will be on the left, a couple blocks past Cornwells Road. It looks a lot like an old Bowling Alley. 215-638-7766 Tues 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Adult-18 Night (Organ Music) Thurs 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM Country Dance - NOT SKATING! Fri 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Sat 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Sun 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Wood Floor - Medium - Rectangular - Good Condition Snack Bar RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic Coach NARSA Artistic Club [ bill@franklin.com (bill) - edited ] Dave Paden also plays at the Cornwells rink on Tuesdays. This session is are not awfully crowded and the folks are a bit older than in the other local sessions I've mentioned. The floor is average size but not quite as good as the one at Skater's Choice. [ grr ] This rink is a converted bowling alley and displays a mixed history of bowling alley, roller disco, skating and now western dance. The floor is of small to medium size, but in decent condition. I've only been there once for a private New Years party, so I can't say much about the public sessions. This rink does wins the prize for the most carpet textures and odd steps. There is also a weekday morning session at Cornwells - skating before noon and country dance in the afternoon. The adult skaters at this session and the Tuesday evening session tend to be notably older than at other area "adult" sessions. The adult skating used to be centered around the "Over-30" club, most of whose members are now "Over-60", but it's said to be a friendly, social group. ==== Langhorne, PA 19047-1801 Sportland America of Langhorne 9 Cabot Boulevard East Langhorne is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, about 10 miles northeast of Philadelphia. From I-95, get off at the US 1 exit and head north on US 1 towards Morrisville, then immediately get off at the Oxford Vally Road / Mall exit. Head south on Oxford Valley Road, towards the Mall, then make the first right turn onto Cabot Boulevard. Sportland is on the left, facing Old Oxford Valley Road - from the rear it looks like a warehouse shipping dock. 215-547-7766 Closed Wood Floor - 100'x70' - Padded Pillars - Fair Condition - Slippery Snack Bar - Games - Air Conditioned Sportland was a multi-feature family entertainment complex, with all sorts of attractions - pool, miniature golf, ski-ball, a climbing wall, bumper cars and lots of video games. The skating rink itself is a rather small hardwood floor, with two padded roof pillars out in the center. The floor appeared to be in fair condition. There were several speakers suspended over the floor playing some kind of music, either tapes or a canned music music service. [ grr - update ] From what I understand, this facility just up and left one night, without any warning. Not much loss the the skating community, but there were a few people who found it convenient for learning or practice. ==== Levitttown, PA 19057 Rollerama Rt 413 & New Falls Road Levittown is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, about 10 miles northeast of Philadelphia. From I-95, get off at the Rt 413 exit, take the Rt 413 connector, and then head north on Rt 413. After you pass under the PA Turnpike the next traffic light will be New Falls road, the rink is just past the light on the left. The building itself is kind of dark, but there's a small, elevated, sign with a roller skate by the road. 215-949-2782 Wed 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Family Discount Nite Fri 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Sat 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Sun 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM Wood Floor - about 78'x165' - Good Condition USAC/RS Artistic, Hockey and JO Clubs [ VLABE@emshq.mhs.compuserve.com (Vito Labella) - edited ] This is the place for a great pro - Rollerama in Levittown PA. One of the best artistic pro's in the Eastern Region consistently turns out regional champions in both figures and dance. The pros are Carol and John Heffner, a team that can't be beat for their dedication to the artistic skater... For further info call the rink (they own it). It's nice to see owner/ operators that have such a dedication to the sport and their students. Lessons are about $28/hour and a club fee of $23/month. The rink is ALWAYS heated in the winter. The floor is refinished at least twice a year. There is a nice mix of young adult and adult skaters are in the club - no attitudes here - any club member is willing to help out, and the pro's are always willing to answer questions. Although there are no formal artistic sessions there is plenty of club practice time. Artistic skaters, if you are looking for a competitive female partner look no further, this is the place to be. Stop in for a visit during club time early Saturday morning or Sunday evening, but call first - the Pro's won't interrupt a lesson to answer questions. Tell more skaters to put this rink on their map! For further info send me E-mail me VLABE@emshq.mhs.compuserve.com or vlabella@aol.com. [grr] I dropped in on this rink during the Wednesday Family Night - it seemed to be mostly kids, but I was on the run and didn't have time to skate. The rink has a nice looking floor, with boards that wrap around the ends for a continuous running surface. It showed some signs of age, but looked reasonably well preserved and recently refinished. The problem with this rink from my perspective is that they don't have *any* "adult" public sessions, either artistic or top-40, so there's no reason I'd go there just to skate. I don't understand this, as most other rinks in the area have some adult offerings, but maybe they've targetted all their off peak nights to the competitve program and/or roller hockey. I know of a numer of skaters who belong the the club and take lessons at Rollerama, but skate elsewhere! ==== Line-Lexington/Montgomeryville, PA 18932 Skate 309 - (was Spin-A-Round Skating Center, CCM) 2117 Bethlehem Pike - Rt 309 at Mill Road Montgomeryville is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, midway between Philadelphia and Allentown. From the Pennsylvania Turnpike get off at exit 26 - Fort Washington - Rt 309 and head north on Rt 309 past the Montgomery Mall and about 3 miles further to where Rt 309 bears left onto County Line road. The rink sits up on the hillside on the right, just before Mill Road. There's a sign by the road, but the rink is hard to spot at night, usually you're at/past the main entrance by the time you see it, take the next right for the side entrance. 215-822-8242 Wed 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Live Organ Music (** 3rd Wed only) Thurs 9:30 PM - 11:30 PM Adult Nite - Top 40/Disco w/DJ Fri 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Public Skating - Top 40 Sat 10:00 AM - Noon Public Skating - Beginners 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM Public Skating - Top 40 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Public Skating - Top 40 Sun 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM Public Skating - Top 40 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Public Skating - Family Nite? Hardwood - Large - Octagonal - Fair Condition Inlines Permitted RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs This is a full sized rink, with a narrow wooden gangway surrounding the entire rink and snack bar. The general story was that this rink was once hugely popular among area teen & adult skaters back in the 70's & 80's boom, but eventually declined into recreation-for-kids with disinterested ownership. The low point came in winter 1993/1994 when an roof leak was ignored and cause a huge hump to pop up at one end the floor. Eventually that part of the floor was repaired, but then a botched attempt at refinishing the whole floor left it about as rough as an beach-front boardwalk. The rink was eventually put up for sale, there was concern that it'd end up as some kind of discount outlet, but luckily it fell into skater friendly hands. The new owners are making an effort to keep the rink open and inviting to all ages. In-lines are now permitted and there are adult-sessions, also a roller hockey program. While they can't easily repair the damage done to the floor, at least it's gradually getting better rather than any worse. Parts of the rink have been repainted and spruced up, the woodend surround has been covered with a carpet, but he most important thing is really the attitude of the management. This strech of Rt 309 is gradually becoming suburbanized with strip-malls and new housing developments, business should improve. [ mikey@voicenet.com (Mike Knapp) - take with a grain of salt 8-) ] Spin-a-Round skating center on Rt 309 had to be one of my my worst skating experiences. A friend and I went, and upon walking in the first thing I noticed was the smell, like a college football locker room. The walls were a pukey green and the music sounded like it was coming thru a PA system in the cellar. I remember saying to my friend, maybe the floor will be nice, but it was like skating down the boardwalk, across the wood part. We were grabbed by a couple of the local girls for the couples skate and the moment the music came on we realized our mistake - it was the longest song playing at that time, and lasted forever! We ended up leaving early, but it was definitely a memory for my friend and I to talk about. ==== Northeast Philadelphia, PA 19116-3003 Palace Roller Skating Center 11600 Roosevelt Blvd. Philadelphia is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, along the Delaware river. The Palace is located in the Northeast, the northern extension of Philadelphia County along the river. From the Pennsylvania Turnpike, get off at exit 28 - Delaware Valley - Rt 1 and head south on Rt 1 - The Roosevelt Boulevard for about 3 miles. Stay in the outer lanes! After passing under the Woodhaven Road overpass and the Nabisco Baking plant, the the Palace will be on the right hand side, just past the Diner and what used to be a car dealership. From I-95, cut across to Rt 1 on Rt 63 - Woodhaven Road. Note that there's also a rear entrance to the parking lot off Bennett Street, this can be convenient if you're arriving at the time when locals are picking up their kids after an earlier session. 215-698-8000(tape)/698-8001 Tues 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Adult Morning Program w/Coffee & Donuts Wed 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Discount (Family) Night 9:00 PM - 11:30 PM Adult-18 Thurs 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM Family Skate (July 17-Aug 31) Fri 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Adult Morning Program (Sept-June) 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM After School Skate 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM 8 & up - Rock Sat 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Young Skaters - 10 & under and parents 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Afternoon Sessions 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM 8 & up - Rock 11:30 PM - 1:30 AM Adult-18 Sun 11:00 PM - 1:00 PM Young Skaters - 10 & under and parents 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Afternoon Sessions 8:00 PM - 10:30 PM (Suspended) Hardwood - 195'x85' - Oval - Good Condition Skate Shop - Snack Bar - Games - Air Conditioned - No Smoking In-line skates permitted and available for rent Rules Loosely Enforced During Adult Sessions RSA Member Rink USAC/RS JO Club [ update ] In the fall of 2000, the Sunday evening adult session was suspended, instead of business picking up after Labor Day, there was nice weather and nobody skating. Rumor has it it it will resume after the holidays, but who knows... The Palace originally opened as the Liberty Bell Ice Palace, an ice skating rink, but it was converted to a roller skating rink around 1980, after the "Stanley Cup Flyers" and the associated local ice hockey boom crashed. It is technically in Philadelphia, but the area is more commercial / suburban than city. The popular session draw skaters from both downtown and suburbs in all directions. The floor is large and usually kept in good condition, but it's a high traffic floor, so even though it's smooth, all it gets is quick annual recoaing over one of the holiday weekends. It's usually clean, though there can be problems with gum and debris, especially on Wednesdays, when the adult session immediately follows the family session. There is also nice skate shop, but it's closed during all the Adult sessions except at the beginning of the Wedndesday session. On many nights, this is a kids/teen rink, which does a huge local birthday party business. However they do have several adult sessions, limited to 18 years and older, which are among the best in the area. Each of the adult sessions has it's own character which changes cycles from season to season, with an overlapping attendance. The skaters at these sessions range from "passes for 18" to a few folks in their 60's, but most are in the 18-30 age group. The Wednesday and Saturday late sessions offer a mix of contemporary club/dance mix and 80's skating favorites, while the Sunday session advertises music from the 70's & 80's - mostly skating, dance and disco. The DJ is usually pretty good, at least in local skating rink terms, some people like it some complain about same-old, same-old. There is a Tuesday morning session (also Fridays during the school year) which draws a small, but social, group including older skaters, and which offers a more eclectic music selection than the evening sessions. Call to check, sometimes they'll book school group and cancel the session or move it to Monday. In summer, attendence at the Sunday session tends to be been way down, making it a good choice for beginner, while the Wednesday night session turns into a crowded zoo. This balance seems to reverse on some kind of seasonal basis. Adult beginners should try either the first hour of the Sunday session or the Tuesday morning adult session. There's a fair number of in-line skaters at most sessions, more in the winter or on rainy days. The Palace also offers group lessons before the Wednesday Family Skate and Saturday morning. There is club practice or private lesson time for the "Omni Skating Club" which represnts a number of rinks under the same ownership, but other than an annual "show", this club has no visibility. [ Rob Steuer - http://csac.rutgers.edu/users/steuer ] Wednesday nights is adult night, but the Palace is NOT the place to learn how to skate. You go there to show off or watch others. It can get very crowded and the floor is filled with very good skaters, both quads and inlines. The rink isn't very large [sic], but it is one of the smoothest I've skated on. The DJ's keep the beat going - You either move it or lose it here. [ mikey@voicenet.com (Mike Knapp) - edited ] The Palace rules, it's huge, the floor has got a totally different and smooth feel to it, unlike any other rink. Back when I first started going there in 1991, the Friday and Saturday night sessions were all Metalheads and Metalsluts, but now the music at those sessions is good, with a lot of variety. It gets extremely crowded, even considering the large size. I'm planning to go there a lot on Fridays and Saturdays this season. [ grr - udpate ] As of fall 1996, the owner's son apparently took over as general manager at the Palace and they've started on some rennovations. The carpeting have been replaced, they've exchanged the carpet in the snack bar and the linoleum in the rest rooms with what appear to be soft, anti-roll rubber tiles, which should help spruce up both those area. They've remodeled the skate shop to make it larger - more open display area and are also renting in-lines out of the skate shop. Hopefully any other changes will also be in a postive direction. ==== Northeast Philadelphia, PA 19154 Woodhaven Sports Center Knights and Woodhaven Road Philadelphia is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, along the Delaware river. The Sports Center is located in the Northeast, the northern extension of Philadelphia County along the river. From I-95, get off that the Woodhaven Road - Rt 63 exit and then get off at the Millbrook Road / Franklin Mills Mall exit. The Sports Center should be right where the exit ramp or service road intersects Knights Road. 216-637-6900 Asphalt Floor - Full Size Indoor/Outdoor - Hockey The Woodhaven Sports Center opened around 1984 on the site of the Woodhaven Raquet Club. The center is a 42,000-square-foot facility with separate, regulation-sized roller hockey and soccer fields, each about 80-by-155 feet. The indoor sports complex includes grandstands, a hockey rink enclosed with Plexiglas, showers, locker rooms, food stands, scoreboards and a lounge area overlooking both fields. The center offers roller hockey and street hockey year-round and soccer almost all year and the center also hosts boxing and wrestling events. A September 1995 newspaper article mentioned plans to move the facility to nearby Bensalem, outside Philadelphia city limits, and adding an ice hockey rink to the facilities at the new site. ==== Northeast Philadelphia, PA 19149-1340 WOW Family Fun Center (was United Skates of America) 7017 East Roosevelt Blvd Philadelphia is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, along the Delaware river. The Family Fun Center is located in the Northeast, the northern extension of Philadelphia County along the river. From I-95, get off at the Rt 73 - Cottman Avenue exit and head northwest on Cottman for about a mile and a half to Rt 1 - The Roosevelt Boulevard. Turn left on Rt 1 and make a U-turn somewhere past Tyson Street, the rink is on the northbound side, just past Tyson. It's not quite on the street - drive into the K-Mart parking lot and the rink parking and entrance are opposite the K-Mart store. 215-335-9587/335-3400 Mon 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Tues 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Wed 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Thurs 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Fri 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM Sat 10:00 PM - 12:00 PM 12:00 noon - 11:00 PM 12 & under w/parents Sun 12:00 noon - 9:00 PM Hardwood Floor - Small - Irregular Shape This was once a real, full sized, United Skates of America rink, but now it's apparently a "Family Fun Center", with skating for kids and family incidental to all the other stuff. It looks like the floor was cut down to make larger service and party areas, leaving only a small, triangular shaped floor. A unique feature is that the skate rental and changing area are in the center of the floor, linked to the outside by an overhead walkway! The attendant said that they didn't have any adult sessions - when they tried them, no one came... Adults that know of the place generally shrug it off as "ok for kids". [ web gleanings ] WOW Family Fun Center is a teenager's dream: nearly anything you can think of that's fun is piled under one roof. In the game room where you'll find video games, pinball machines, ski ball, basketball and race cars, or else you can head on over to the Olympic-sized [sic] skating rink. If you don't have your own skates, you can rent some in the middle of the rink. Chances are they'll have skates in your size--unless you've got those big sasquach feet. See http://www.libertynet.org/~artsink/wow_family_fun.html for the entire review in a local teen fun/education guide. They give it a 5-star rating for teen-fun, but I'd interpret teen as "kids up to 13" in this case. ==== Pennsburg/Quakertown, PA 18073-2307 The Embassy Skating Center 229 East Buck Road Pennsburg is located in eastern Pennsylvania, about 35 miles north of Philadelphia and 7 miles west of Quakertown. From the PA Turnpike Northeast Extension, get off at at exit 32 - Quakertown - Rt 663 and head West on Rt 663 to Pennsburg, then South on Rt 29. Buck Road is the traffic light just past the 7-11 store. Turn left, the rink is on the lefthand side about a half-mile down. You're approaching from the rear and it may look dark and deserted, but there's a small lighted sign by the road, and the skating parking on the far side of the building. 215-679-3800/679-2735 e-mail: SkateEmb@aol.com Wed 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Family Night Thurs 8:00 PM - 10:30 PM Adult-18 session (seasonal???) Fri 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM Open session Sat 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Moms & Tots (12 & under) 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM Public Matinee 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM Open session ** summer schedule a little different - call. wood floor - 170'x78' - oval - fair condition skate shop - snack bar - games - smoking room - air conditioned In-lines skates permitted RSA Member Rink USAC/RS Artistic and JO Clubs This is a rink that opened (or re-opened?) in fall '94, so it seems nice and new. The medium sized wood floor is in fairly good condition, but is rather badly washboarded, so that going around isn't too bad, but doing dance steps or working in the center can be irritating. On an up night it dosn't bother me too much, but when I'm down I wonder why I bother. The facility is pleasant, clean and well-lit, with a tiny smoking room at the opposite end from the snack bar. There's also a small-medium sized disco/dance hall/dinner theatre in a separate section of the building. It's the first rink I saw where all the rental skates are the all-plastic Roller Derby(TM) skates, with integral "torsion bar" wheel mounts instead of the traditional plate with trucks - the rental folks didn't seem to be having any special trouble with them though. I've attended both the Saturday late-skate and Thursday adult session - it wasn't very crowded, but the DJ was doing a reasonable job and it was a lot of fun having room to really cut loose and show off a bit. The crowd seems to be a mix of locals and some Philadelphia area skaters. A lot of the local skaters tend to leave after about an hour, making for a uncrowded low stress practice session. These sessions got really thin this summer - it's nice to have the rink nearly to yourself, but hard to see how the rink can be making enough money to bother. The Embassy has artistic, hockey and speed programs, with quite a bit of floor time available for artistic practice. When they first opened they had a Sunday evening organ music session (tapes), but it didn't last. There is talk of a weekday evening live organ music session, but I don't see how that can work out on a regular basis, there aren't enough older adult locals and people aren't going to go too far out of their way to skate on such a nasty floor on a regular basis. [ DCH57@aol.com (Paula Hayes) - edited ] The Embassy was the largest[?] rink that I found in the area. I never attended any sessions there, but I went to their practice sessions several times - they allowed me to attend any art practice their club had for just $5. The floor was large, but it was a little rough, with sort of that washboard feeling. [ grr - update ] As of late spring 1997, the Embassy cancelled the Saturday late skate mentioned above, there just wasn't enough attendance to make it profitable. Later they also cancelled the Thursday night adult session, though perhaps just for the Summer. The problem seems to be that they just haven't gotten enough of a local following for these sessions, and the people coming from farther away just got tired of the same-old-same-old on a ratty floor and stopped coming regularly. ==== Philadelphia, PA 19140-5316 Carman Gardens Roller Skating 3226 Germantown Ave Philadelphia is located in the southeastern Pennsylvania, along the Delaware river. Carman Gardens is in the North Broad section of Philadelphia. From I-76, take US 1 - The Roosevelt Boulevard east and get off at the Rt 611 - Broad Street exit. Head south on Broad then bear left at the diagonal intersection with Germantown Avenue, rink is on the right, between Old York Road and Allegheny Avenue. It's an old brick building, marked "Carman Caberet". 215-223-2200 **** See the neighborhood/rink saftey note in the overview posting Fri 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Disco Party Sat 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Disco Party Sun 3:30 PM - 6:30 PM Disco Party (** schedule subject to change, call... **) Wood Floor - Medium Size No off-street parking Carman Gardens is a grand old rink, with a lot of Philadelphia skating history, but the rink, housed in a converted movie house, has seen its ups-and-downs as the surrounding North Broad neighborhood has decayed into one of Phiadephia's worst neighborhoods. According to newspaper articles, the current owner Roger Lloyd, who had skated and worked at the rink since he was a boy, bought the rink in 1979 and initially offered disco skating. The rink had hosted revivals and church rentals, but Lloyd thought that that skaters might respond to contemporary christian music and in 1983 started to offer gospel skating sessions. The gospel sessions were successful enough that the rink advertises only gospel skating, and church groups are given priority over secular rentals. However, the rink also offers "disco skating" on the weekends to help cover expenses. According the the attendant, most of their sessions are aimed at teens and young adults, but the schedule varies and they may have occassional adult only sessions - call during off hours to check the taped message. A warning - there is no off-street parking and you don't really want to park on or walk the streets in this area, especially after dark. ==== Philadelphia, PA 19142-1501 Elmwood Roller Skating Rink 2406 South 71st St Philadelphia is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, along the Delaware River. Elmwood is in the western part of Philadelphia, in the direction of the Airport, north of Lindbergh Boulevard and the Passyunk Avenue "Auto Mall". From I-95, get off at the Airport exit and follow the Industrial Highway / airport service road to Island Avenue. Head north on Island for about two miles to the diagonal intersection with Elmwood Avenue, turn right onto Elmwood and then left several blocks further onto 71st Street. The rink is on the left, about half-way down the block. You can also reach the rink via the Rt 36 Subway/Surface trolly line from Center City. 215-492-8543 **** See the neighborhood/rink saftey note in the overview posting Tues 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Adult-18 R&B, etc... Thurs 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Fri 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Gospel Night Sat 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM Kids 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM All ages Sun 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM Kids 4:30 PM - 9:30 PM All Ages (except summer?) Hardwood Floor - Medium Size - Rectangular - Excellent Condition Snack Bar - Games - Not Air-Conditioned In-line Skates Permitted No off-street parking RSA Member Rink Elmwood is one of Philadelphia's surviving neighborhood roller rinks, built in the late 40's. The floor is in excellent condition, very smooth and seems to be on a resilient base. It was clean at the start of the session, but got dirty as the session progressed. The problem is a gunked-up carpet in the snack-bar/entry area that is willing to give up it's dirt to any passing wheel. It didn't help that it was a hot, humid night and the rink isn't air-conditioned. The sound system is adequate, but with a bit of distortion. I skated the Tuesday night adult session and the music was a kind of hard to catgorize. I guess you could call it R&B targeted to a 18-25 YO black audience, not "Hardcore Rap" but mostly murky mixes of popular stuff, and maybe some oldies for the slow numbers. Not really to my taste but tolerable in small doses. There are some effective lighting effects and a smoke generator that gets used for one or two numbers. The session is broken up with all-skates alternating with ladies only, men only, couples, fast backwards, slow walk, and slow backwards special. Most of these specials are pretty long, so it's wise to plan any breaks accordingly. The slow walk is sort of an R&B line dance, done in groups and gradually progressing around the rink. Each group does different sequences of moves, some in the center, some along the wall. There's a lot of backwards skating and a few hot-shots showing their stuff, the other oddity is that because of the tiny seating area, skaters taking a break or just watching the action tend to stand in the center of the floor. This rink has a reputation as a rowdy place, partly because of historic racial tensions in the immediate neighborhood, which is "white" while rink draws most of it's clientelle from "black" neighborhoods in the broader West Philly area. There have been several shooting or stabbing incidents in past years but fights are more common, mostly associated with the crowded all-ages sessions. I got a cursory pass of a hand-held metal detector and a bag inspection on the way in, but at the sessions I've attended, things were relaxed and adult. ==== Philadelphia, PA 19134-1447 Kensington Roller Rink 3419 Kensington Avenue Philadelphia is located in the southeastern Pennsylvania, along the Delaware river. The rink is in the Kensington/Richmond area of the city. From I-95, get off at the Allegheny Avenue exit and head northwest on Allegheny. After crossing Torresdale Avenue, turn right onto Kengsington Avenue, under the Frankford El. The rink is a brick building on the right, between Ontario and Russel Streets. 215- Closed NARSA Speed Club This rink appears to have finally closed sometime in 1994 - there are still both "roller rink" and "closed" signs and the building [1995] doesn't appear to have been otherwise used. A number of newspaper articles on this rink mention that it had become run down, but was taken over by a new owner in the 1980's who cleaned it up, enforced strict rules and made it into a safe place for kids and families, despite the urban location under the Market-Frankford El. As of 1992, the rink was said to be doing a good neigborhood business, but it was a converted movie house with no air-conditioning. ==== Philadelphia, PA 19135-2314 Olympian Entertainment 6814 Torresdale Avenue Philadelphia is located in the southeastern Pennsylvania, along the Delaware river. Olympian is in the Tacony area of the city. From I-95, get off at the Cottman Avenue exit and head northwest on Cottman to Torresdale. Turn left onto Torresdale, the rink is on the right side between Knorr and Longshore Streets. 215-???-???? Closed This was advertised in the Philadelphia Yellow pages until recently under the roller skating heading, however the address is currently a Body Tech Fitness center and previously a "catering service" that also served as a local small-time boxing venue. It may have been available as a rental-only rink... ==== Philadelphia, PA 19147-4235 Rizzo Ice Rink (aka Rink at the Headhouse) 100 Washington Avenue Philadelphia is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, along the Delaware River. Headhouse Square is located in the Southwark area along the old Philadelphia waterfront. From I-95 get off at exit 16 - Columbus Boulevard. Continue in whichever direction you were headed on I-95 along Delaware Avenue till you get to Washington Avenue. Turn and head under the elevated highway, the rink is on the other side, across Front Street. It is next to the Headhouse, an old shot tower that resembles a brick industrial smokestack, but with windows and a cute little roof at the top. 215-685-1593 Outdoor - Seasonal This is a seasonal semi-outdoor ice rink in a municipal recreation center. Apparently it's officially the Rizzo Ice Rink, but there's an advertising sign visible from I-95 which calls it the Rink at the Headhouse. Supposedly the rink operates as an outdoor roller skating facility during the warmer parts of the year. ==== Philadelphia, PA 19134 Sports Super Center 700 East Erie Ave at G Street Philadelphia is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, along the Delaware River. The Super Center is located in the Kensington area. From I-95, get off at Exit 19 - Allegheny Avenue and head northwest on Allegheny across Kensington Avenue, then turn right to head north on G Street to Erie. Turn left onto Erie and the facility should be on your left, next to a Police Station and across from a Coca-Cola bottling plant. Be aware that most approaches to this spot can take you though some scary urban and industrial areas. 215-426-1000 **** See the neighborhood/rink saftey note in the overview posting Indoor - Hockey Pastic over Concrete Floor This is a new 210,000 sq.ft. sports and roller hockey faility in an urban industrial area that opened in November 1996. The facility has three indoor roller hockey rinks, with room for two more. They are also adding two indoor soccer fields and plan to support other sports such as volleyball, lacrosse and field hockey. According to the attendent, they don't have any public/recreational skating, the main activities are in-line hockey and soccer. There are open/pick-up hockey hours, but the schedule varies monthly. The floor surface is something called Plexi-Floor, which is supposedly an acrylic coated suface, not like the rubbery SportCourt. ==== Philadelphia, PA 19103-1178 Saint Charles Skating Rink 20th & Christian Streets Philadelphia is located in southeastern Pennsylviania along the Delaware River. From I-76, the Schyllkill Expressway, get off at exit 41 - Grey's Ferry Avenue, and head northeast on Grey's Ferry for about a half-mile to Christian Street, then bear right onto Christian. The rink is on the corner