NEVER MISS THE WATER, TILL YOUR WELL RUNS DRY…
November 19, 2008
When Chaka Khan sang these words more than a decade ago, I never thought that they would be more than just lyrics to me. For the past two years, my passion of roller skating has been starved and forced to feed itself only in moderation and small portions.
I moved from Detroit, MI (A skater’s paradise) to Chandler, AZ (A skater’s hell) for a number of reasons. At first it didn’t bother me not being able to enjoy R & B music at an adult session several times a week. I was new to the area, and there was so much to do like familiarize myself with the area and get to know people. However, as the months went by, I started to long for some Patrice Rushen cuts or the occasional Gap Band song when I did visit the rinks here. I was soon forced to put my IPod into overdrive and load up as much music possible and turn it up as loud as I could to drown out the wails of children and undecipherable lyrics that were un-skate able.
I begin to envy what I had so easily taken for granted before and started wishing for a miracle. No longer being able to “leave it on the wood”, now I had to “leave it on the epoxy-glide” (The blue stuff). That doesn’t even sound right. Now, instead of checking into a mental hospital, I travel five hours to California once a month or to the occasional out of town skate party just to get my roll on.
Some may ask, “Is it worth it?” Real skaters already know, “Of course it is!” But I’ll do whatever I have to do to get my roll on.
So when your rolling during the week get a slide, a split, a one-stop, a jack-leg or whatever you style calls for in for me! J
KP “DETROIT STYLE ALL DAY”
| Rink Name | Location | Details |
| The Terrace Roller Rink | 70 Mutual Street, downtown Toronto, between Church and Jarvis on the south side of Dundas st. | Popular downtown roller rink open until 1989. A replacement facility was built underneath co-op housing on Jarvis St. across from the Sears building but due to funding it was never completed. Facility is now scheduled to open as an art gallery as of March 2007. Facility can still be seen through windows at street level. (Nov 2007) |
| Ontario Place Outdoor rink | Ontario Place West Island | Popular outdoor rink during late 70's and early 80's. |
| Mimico roller skating rink | 2487 Lake Shore blvd W. Etobicoke, Ontario. | Popular west side arena. Burnt down. |
| Scarborough Rollerworld | Scarborough | Closed around 1983/84. Amazing facility with a stripped maple wood floor and special lighting. Aimed at high end skaters. Featured in a 1984 city of Toronto tourism commercial. |
| Rollercade | Harbourfront | Short lived warehouse roller rink |
| Scarborough Roller Palace | Scarborough | Closed after Rollerworld. |
| Amesbury roller rink | Lawrence / Keele area Toronto | Hockey style arena. |
| Albion roller rink | Albion rd / Hwy 27 | Open up until 1996. |
| Woodbine roller rink | North York (Don Mills area) |
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| Zodiac I | Agincourt | Was still open around 1984. |
| Glen Erin Family Skate | 3085 Glen Erin Dr, Mississauga, Ontario | 16,000 square foot plastic surface. |
| The Great Skate Place | 2390 Southfield rd, Mississauga, Ontario | |
| Skate Country roller skating centre | 291 Rutherford S, Brampton, Ontario | |
| Jimmy Simpson | Queen / Empire, downtown Toronto | Community centre. |
| Wheelies | 901 Burns E, Whitby, Ontario | Closed 2005 |
| Centre Island | Hanlan's Point, Centre Island | Historical |
| The Pavlova Roller Rink "The Pav" 1907 |
220 Cowan Ave. south of Queen st, | Now the site of the Masaryk Cowan Community Centre. Originally the Parkdale Curling Club. One time dance hall. |
| CN Tower | 301 Front st. W. | Had roller skating for a few years during the 80's. (Thanks for the info Rob) |
| Revolions | ||
| * More to come |