“The Track” at North Burnaby Secondary School is at 798 Hammerskjold Dr., Burnaby.
Getting there: The 135 SFU bus stops close by on Hastings St. and Fell St. The 129 Metrotown Station will bring you within a 10-minute walk to Holdom St. and Francis St. from Holdom Skytrain station. If you’re driving, there are car parks with plentiful spaces off Fell St. and another off Hammerskjold Dr. via Kensington Ave.
Whenever you see a Facebook posting about a group of people heading out to roller skate on the track, this is it. Welcome to THE track. Yes, we are great at coming up with cryptic nicknames for our skate spots. We were going to dub it “Rogers Arena” but apparently that’s already taken.
This baby is a veritable haven for building your roller skating endurance and is one of the group’s standard skate areas. It’s clean, well lit and has a smooth even surface for you to run your eight wheels all over. As long as the weather is dry, you’re essentially good to go as the field is lit until 10pm, so it’s a great weeknight skate option even if it’s dark.
The starting area is perfect for drill practice
As it’s a running track, there is also a nice little starting area where you can set up cones and do some weaving drills. Traffic is usually pretty scarce on the track itself, but the later you go the fewer the people you will have to weave around. There are usually soccer teams training on the inner field, so be on the look out for the odd badly-aimed ball coming your way.
Don’t forget: our “Don’t be an ass hat” rule also applies outside of our meet. If there are others using the track, be respectful. It’s everyone’s space. Be aware of your surroundings. Also be prepared to have everyone ask you if you’re a derby girl and lots of other questions. This is a great time to do some PR work for Raw Meat and roller derby in general. If you need some Raw Meat business cards / flyers, see Jeremy, Melinda or myself – these are the times when they come in handy.
Coach Zombie dances with joy
And as always, be safe, wear all your safety gear, keep your eyes and ears open for others and if you go by yourself, keep an eye on the time so you’re not left alone when the lights go out!
Happy Skating!
Pros
- Parking and transit close by
- Lengthy even cement surface track perfect for working on speed skating or drills where you need some length (one footed skating, transitions, etc.)
- Lit up until 10pm
- Bathrooms located in the parking lot off Fell St.
Cons
- Corners are wide so crossovers are tricky but a good length to practice your “drunken crossovers†on
- Not covered – no wet weather skating
- Flying soccer balls – think of them as “unexpected obstacle trainingâ€