The wheel joy of roller skating

Skating is on a roll in Queens

by Michael Gannon

Senior News Editor

Say roller skating today and it can mean friends gathering at a rink just like happens in movies from the 1950s; but also it can be the backdrop for exercise, social gatherings and parties ranging from children’s birthdays to corporate get-togethers.

There still are rinks like the United Skates of America site in The Shops at Atlas Park in Glendale, and more traditional indoor rinks in Brooklyn and Nassau County.

But other settings for varied audiences have sprung up in recent years to meet new demands.

Ian Bryant of Rosedale this year founded Skating in the Park at the park adjacent to PS 38 at 135-21 241 St. It offers free skating for all who show up, and a free lesson for all who register at bit. ly/3Kd9TWX.

“Skating in the Park is an event where people of all ages can come,” Bryant said. “We get together on Saturdays and we have fun skating! I also do a class for people that don’t know how to skate or would like to learn.”

He started skating at age 8 or 9 in his native country of Jamaica. He started the Saturday event back in April to meet a demand that he says always existed to some extent.

“I’ve been skating since I was young,” he said. “I came to the United States and was introduced to the old Empire Roller Rink. It’s not there anymore. There also was a place called Hot Skates on Long Island that I used to go to.”

He stopped for about 20 years. Then the pandemic came along. Last year he heard of a group called Skaterobics that was hosting an event at St. Albans Park, and the old fire was rekindled.

“I went there and got back interested in skating again,” he said. “Their event was only on Sundays, so I wanted to skate more. I decided to look for a place to have a few people get together and skate. That’s basically how it started.”

He said people passing by come in to see what is going on and become regulars.

“People tell me this is great, that they’ve been looking for something like this in Queens for a long time.”

He intends to run through October as long as the weather holds.

Harry Martin of Brooklyn took up skating as an adult, but, like Bryant, he founded Roller Wave NYC, a mobile pop-up roller skating business, in 2015 to counter what he said is a dearth of rinks in places like Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. But he also has been in cities like Miami, Atlanta and Los Angles. “I have 60 pairs of skates in various sizes from children’s sizes to adult,” he said. His Facebook page, at bit.ly/3AGFDQS, features video and comments from small events in city parks; a corporate function for former Mayor Mike Bloomberg: and the three-day Governors Ball extravaganza back in June at Citi Field.

“Had a blast,” says poster Ramon Temple in a comment accompanying a video of the skating at the Bloomberg event.

Martin was a runner and crossfit instructor when he caught the bug.

“I took up skating because it has the same benefits of running, like the cardio, with the added fun of enjoying the music you’re listening to,” he said. “People tell me they love it. They say they enjoy the diverse crowd, they love the music and events. They’re having a great time. It’s just a joyous feeling, a feeling of community.”

And Martin would not exactly agree that roller skating is “back.”

“It never went away,” he said. “People were doing it more underground. You had to be a hard-core skater to travel an hour and a half, especially if you lived in New York City, Brooklyn or Queens, to go all the way out to Long Island.”

Information on future events and private bookings is available online at rollerwavenyc.com.

One of the biggest names in roller skating — United Skates of America — has had an outdoor rink at The Shops at Atlas Park in Glendale for the last two years.

It has a full slate of events set through Sept. 4, the day before Labor Day, and special weekend events like family skates and public skating events through September and October listed on its website at unitedskates.com/atlas-park.

Among the events planned are tribute skates featuring the music of the 1980 movie “Xanadu” starring Olivia Newton-John (Aug. 25); Beyonce (Aug. 26); Michael Jackson (Aug. 28); Selena (Sept. 1); and Newton John’s own music (Sept. 2).

The Google reviews are largely appreciative.

Nate Grove recommended it after his daughter’s 10th birthday party.

“The rink is what it is (small), but it was great for her and her friends. She and her friends had a really great time. And we were super happy with the service and how accommodating the staff were ... I definitely recommend this place for an easy, turnkey, party venue for kids.”

“Amazing!!!!” reported Amy Donayre. “The girls had so much fun!! 100% recommend!!!! There’s no limit to how long they can skate and the staff is so friendly!”

Peter DeLucia, general manager at Atlas Park, said the mall and community members are as happy as the clientele.

“They’ve been in business a long time,” he said of United Skates, which has its headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. “They’re good neighbors. And they definitely bring additional traffic to the mall.”

Wheel fun DeLucia said United Skates is helpful with fundraisers and other community to music activities, and is accommodating for things like concerts in the mall’s courtyard, doing such things as lowering the volume on the rink’s own music. For those looking for an indoor skating rink, particularly as the weather turns cooler, United Skates of America has another location in Seaford, LI, at 1276 Hicksville Road. They can be contacted (516) 795-5474 or online at unitedskates.com/seaford. A Queens skating rink intended to hearken back to the days of malt shops and poodle skirts is Roll-A-Rama, the Runway Rink outside the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The 44-by-56-foot outdoor rink “with retro tunes, naturally,” is in its second season, sitting in the shadow of the hotel’s classic 1958 Lockheed Super Constellation. Weather permitting, Roll-A-Rama is open from 4 to 8 p.m. on Fridays, and noon to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays until Nov. 1. Skate rental is included with every 50-minute session, which costs $20 for adults and $16 for children under 12. People are permitted to bring their own skates. “Bring ’em, even if you’re going straight from skating to your flight gate,” the TWA Hotel advises in a press release. The Transportation Safety Administration allows footwear in carry-ons and checked bags.” The rink can be booked on weekdays for private events at twahotel.com/rink. Other skating opportunities in the region include, but are not limited to: • Pier 2 Roller Skating Rink in Brooklyn Bridge Park, with information available online at brooklynbridgeskating.com; • LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park in Brooklyn with information available online at lakesidebrooklyn.com; and • Skaterobics, which hosts classes and activities in Queens and throughout the city, with information available online at skaterobics.com. Q

When Ian Bryant of Rosedale couldn’t find enough opportunities for roller skating in the community, he created his own in Skating in the Park. PHOTO BY IAN BRYANT