Ed’s Note: Welcome to our special guest blogger, RayRay, from Memoirs of a Derby Lamb!

Twin Rinks is at 5725 Tyson Road, Chilliwack.

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Getting there: If you’re coming from Vancouver and traffic is running smoothly it will take you about 1 hour and 15 minutes or so to get to Twin Rinks Arena.

Times: Twin Rinks has Public Skates from 7:30PM to 9PM on Friday nights during the summer months. And it will only cost you $2! You might want to call before you head out as rumour has it the public skate sometimes gets cancelled if there is a booking. Also, they don’t have rental skates so make sure to bring all your own gear.

Website: Find out more at www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=216

Twin Rinks has all the characteristics of a fabulous roller rink venue. The concrete floor was nice and smooth, the pop music was loud and cheesy, there are friendly derby people willing to give advice to the new skaters, and who can forget about the elderly gentlemen reliving their roller dancing dreams. Yup, all this skating goodness and it will only cost you a toonie.

From the kids who were born with roller blades strapped to their feet that whip around at break-neck speeds (wear a helmet!) to the middle-aged couple on a date, to the derby crew, to the roller hockey aficionados, the public skates at Twin Rink has people of all ages and backgrounds. Everyone is pretty good about skating in their own space and minding their own business. The people who work there just let you skate. There didn’t seem to be any posted rules or guidelines although everyone just accepted the fact that you should all skate in the same direction. There are no choreographed dance routines that need to happen (although you can rock out to the YMCA if you are so inclined). It’s a pretty small crowd so you can get away with doing a bit more foot work. The night three of our lambs went to check it out they reported back that there was maybe about 25 people there. Definitely room to get your skate on!

Twin Rinks would be a great space for beginners to learn how to skate or for more experienced skaters to hone their derby skills. We may have just checked it out on a slower night, but it was nice to have the room to manoeuvre. It was definitely less chaotic than some of the other indoor spaces, but you have to be willing to make the trek out if you want enjoy the space. Don’t get us wrong, you still have to deal with the kid who is tiny and speedy who pops up unexpectedly just as you’re about to perfect your T-stop or someone busting out dance moves that weren’t even cool in the 70’s when they came out but it is all part and parcel of an indoor roller skate.

Pros

• It’s indoor
• The soft, smooth concrete is great to skate on.
• It’s $2
• It’s not busy so you can practise more drills and moves than at other venues.
• Bad pop music means you can bust out those fancy dance moves on your skates.

Cons

• The public skate only runs for a short time in the summer months.
• The money you save from the admission, you end up spending on gas to get out there.
• Round trip from Vancouver, you spend more time in the car than on skates. (but road trips with friends can be fun)
• You have to have your own gear if you want to enjoy it.