Springfield roller rink still swinging after decades
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- He’s been skating since he was a teenager. Now 41, Angus Laird manages the roller rink Skate World. Aside from a new coat of paint and some minor changes, the building, constructed in 1976, hasn’t changed much.
“Pretty much the games are the same,” said Laird. “The feel and the atmosphere are all the same.”
But he said the age of the crowd has changed.
“I think it was more of a high school, middle school disco kind of thing,” Laird said. “It wasn’t so much 'come and have a birthday party, come and rent the rink out and do your own thing.' It was a disco thing.”
After disco died, Laird said Skate World fell on hard times.
Skate World is the last privately-owned skating center between Medford and Portland. And Laird said the rink was in and out of the red for almost two decades.
“We used to worry about labor and keeping everything so cut back,” said Laird. “But people weren’t having fun while they were here so we’ve evolved into just making this a really fun place to be.”
“It’s kind of like 70’s groovy,” said first-time skater Skyler Holstad as he stood beside his little sister in the roller rink. “It’s cool!”
Laird said along with a new crowd and the recession came an unexpected turn of events -- a boost to roller rink business.
“For the price, with the economy the way it is, kids need an outlet,” said Eugene resident Tonja Phillippe at the rink on Sunday. “And this is a good one. And it’s a physical one. It’s not sitting with games. It’s active.”
Laird said in 2011 Skate World had one of it’s best years ever.
“Last year was a record,” he said. “This year is not quite as good, but it’s still very good.”
During Skate World’s peak season from January through March of 2011, it saw almost 30,000 skaters.
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