Free admission lasts from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. (skate rentals cost $3.50-$4). That’s 150 minutes – plenty of time to practice footwork, apex jumps, and snow plow stops (or you know, just practice balancing against the wall and slowly rolling forward). The atmosphere at Great Skate is all-ages and family-friendly, and accommodating to all skater skill levels.
Phoenicians who may have visited the venerable rink in the 1980s and 1990s will find it clean and well-maintained, and much like they remember – the arcade games, vending machines, snack cafe, bathrooms and even lockers are all still where they’ve always been, but now there are more games and the music is different. It’s today’s Top 40, versus Madonna hits and “Electric Avenue.” There are exceptions on theme nights (check the Great Skate schedule for those), which include a “Christian Gospel Sundays” session and “Throwback Thursday” sessions featuring hits from the ’80s and ’90s. Sundays also feature The Toe Stoppas, a group of skaters with killer skills showing off some sweet moves (check out a video here.)
Visit Great Skate’s Facebook page for more information, and more ways to roll during National Roller Skating Month.
