Skating keeps rolling for fans in Springfield
■Despite roller skatings
popularity with a younger
demographic, some college
students still like to take a spin
By Natasha Holstine
for the Emerald
For many, hours spent whizzing
around a roller-skating rink may be
only a distant memory.
But the pastime hasn’t died, as
visitors to Springfield’s Skate
World can see.
Angus Laird, the assistant man
ager oi Skate World, said skaters at
the rink are between 8 and 12
years old, on average. The rink has
a middle school skate and dance
every Friday night, he said. But
’80s music night, held on Sundays,
attracts a “more mature” crowd,
Laird said.
Adam Kennybrew, a senior at
the University, is an amateur
skater who goes to Skate World to
brush up on his skating skills.
Kennybrew said that in his home
town of Los Angeles, people
young and old go to the skating
rink to hang out.
But the generally youthful age of
Skate World’s patrons seems to in
dicate that phenomenon doesn’t
characterize the Eugene area.
Kennybrew offered one possi
ble reason for the difference be
tween his college town and his
hometown.
“If people don’t come from a
background where skating was ‘in’
or something that was practiced on
a regular basis,” he said, “then it is
not in the public eye, and people
will not want to go.”
College students generally have
evening or private events, which
are usually sponsored by fraterni
ties and sororities, Laird said.
People can rent the rink for pri
vate events.
The Zeta Phi Beta sorority has
had a couple of skating excursions
in the past year.
“There has been a great out
come every time we have our
skate event,” President Rashidah
Haqq said. “People like the at
mosphere, we provide good mu
sic and people like to socialize.
This type of a function brings
everyone together.”
The rink also holds special
events, such as a St. Patrick’s Day
Night Skate held on March 16,
where people skated from 11
p.m. to 6 a.m. and then had
breakfast.
Skate World is located at 3188
Gateway Loop. For more informa
tion, call 746-7311 or visit
http://www.skateworldonline.com.
Natasha Holstine is a freelance
reporter for the Oregon Daily Emerald.
$3295
U.S*. LONG DISTANCE
With Cricket! you get truly unlimited calls over your Cricket® service area - as much as you
want, anytime — for just $32.95 a month plus tax. And long distance calls to anywhere in the
U.S. are just 8C a minute, anytime, any day. So sit back, relax and stay in touch.
cricket
Comfortable Wireless®
ONLY 8C A MINUTE!
For more information call 1-800-CRICKET toll-free or visit us at www.cricketcommunrcations.com
- Cricket Store -
Springfield
Gateway Park
1024 Harlow Rd.
541-744-1473
Also Available at
(Eugene) A+ Wireless, 841 E. 13th • Ace-America's Cash Express, 895 W. 7th • Chevron, 1710 W. 18th • Executive Wireless, 166 West 6th • Ship N' Chex, 1020 Green Acres
Soundsational Car Audio, 2940 W. 11th • The Site Source, 1801 Willamette • Totally Cellular, 1050 Green Acres • Western States Cellular, 1701 W. 11th Ave.
(Springfield) • ACE-America's Cash Express, 177 Q St. • Direct-Tel Wireless, 105 S. 14th • Totally Cellular, 107 W. Q
„ (Junction City) MTM Communications, 325 Holly St.
<dx££§t FredMeyar A Albertsons @239 £ MM MART