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15 Years ago in the Sounder - Barrow on wheels: Roller rink opens for test run

January 13th 2:04 am | Duncan Adams Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

Even after a hard spill on the hardwood floor Lyndon Itta, 9, beamed. He wasn't alone. There was an epidemic of grins Saturday afternoon at the Old Ipalook Elementary School gym in Barrow, site of the recently opened roller-skating rink.

Outside, on the snowy streets, the wind chill temperature was said to be 50 below. Inside, children and adults skated in T-shirts, going around and around, moving counter-clockwise around the gym. Glenn Miller, 11, rented Rollerblades last week to propel him rapidly and gracefully around the gym. But he has plans to own a pair.

"The net time my mom goes down to Anchorage she's going to get me some," he said.

Nathaniel Olemaun described in-line skating as "fun," but admitted, "It's hard. I keep on falling."

Parents either participated, in both the skating and the falling, or, like Daniel Frantz, watched happily from the sidelines.

"I think this is great. Kids are pure energy and they need a place to get rid of it," he said.

The roller-skating rink opened in late December for a short shakedown run and will be closed now for additional renovations until a grand opening scheduled tentatively for the second week of February. Jay-R Mesina, program coordinator for the City of Barrow's recreation department, said he has been thrilled by the community's response to the rink.

"We opened the 23rd of December and it was packed right away," Mesina said Saturday. "Were hitting the maximum already. Yesterday we ran out of Rollerblades to rent."

Currently, the city's rental inventory includes 50 pairs of Rollerblades and 30 pairs of traditional skates. But Mesina plans to purchase additional skates to offer for rental - both for children and adults.

"When the parents are here, they're all not just watching. Some of them are saying, 'You should have ordered sizes for us.'"

Asked whether children tended to be better skaters than adults, Mesina grinned and replied, "You bet."

In coming weeks Mesina's staff will install an oval rink with padded sidewalls topped by Plexiglas. In addition, they'll install disco-style lights, with a mirror ball and spotlights, and an eight-speaker sound system. The Old Ipalook Elementary School, leased to the city by the North Slope Borough School District, will soon mimic the genuine article - a roller-skating rink.

Once the facility reopens, its schedule will reflect what Mesina and company have learned during the shakedown period. For example, during certain hours the rink will be open for specific age groups. Mesina observed that sometimes, big kids would skate right over little kids when ages were mixed. There will also be a "family time" scheduled.

After the grand opening, Mesina expects the schedule to run something like this: Monday-Friday, 3:30-10 p.m.; Saturday, 1-10 p.m.; and Sunday, noon-8 p.m.

During the trial run fees were charged both for admission and for skate rentals, with the city offering either traditional roller skates or Rollerblades. Mesina said the fees may change by the grand opening, but said proceeds will help purchase new equipment.

To date, he is enthusiastic about the rink's apparent popularity and its potential.

"We'll eventually have roller hockey here," he said.

 

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