The Roller Rink

Back in the day (for the uninitiated, "the day" was circa 1981/1982 for purposes of this post), I was known to attend the school skating parties at my local roller skating rink. Which one of my elementary school friends on Facebook so helpfully pointed out was The Great American Skate on the Berlin Turnpike in Connecticut (was it in Berlin or Newington?).

I can still see that rink in my mind's eye. Everything about it. It wasn't in our town so we didn't hang out there per se - just birthday parties and the occasional school skate. But I remember it with excitement. A purely social co-ed activity when there were few others. Fifth and sixth grades were the height of roller rink excitement for me. (Which coincided with the general discovery of boys as cute, giggle-inducing entertainment.)

My big kids are first and second graders. Their school has a few after-school skates every year - but we've never attended. Until this month.

On a whim, I decided that we'd brave the rink. With the three-year-olds. I didn't tell them until I picked them up from school. We drove from school to Skate City*. They were very pleased.

Let's just say the rink doesn't hold the same cache at 38 as it did at 11. But all four kids had a ball. Two skated and fell and skated and fell and generally enjoyed themselves. One skated about 15 feet and quit but looked ridiculously cute doing it. The other refused to even put on the skates but quite enjoyed the arcade, even without any quarters.

We'll be back. And because I have the smaller ones who will eventually skate, I might actually get to stay and watch the older ones when they reach that obnoxious flirty fifth grade phase that I still remember so well. It's gonna be awesome.






*for those readers in Kansas City, Skate City is the old Skateland South at 103rd & 69 Highway.