October 28, 2022,
For those who can remember, professional Roller Derby used to be grand entertainment, beginning in the 1950s.
The team that stood out the most, plied their trade in San Francisco.
The San Francisco Bay Bombers are known as "America's Home Team." They are a roller derby team created in 1954 by Leo Seltzer as a part of the National Roller Derby League (NRDL).
Through the years, the Bay Bombers grew in popularity, selling out to arenas all over the country.
The team's most notable skaters were Joan Weston, Charlie O'Connell, and Ann Calvello.
A few of our older team members saw them live at the San Francisco Cow Palace.
It became so popular, it came to television and drew a national audience until over exposure made audiences dwindle and the dynamic exhibition faded away.
Then came Disco.
The Disco Era had a profound effect upon American life.
There was dancing. There was the iconic film, Saturday Night Fever.
There was also Disco Skating.
The Disco craze from popular 1970s culture led to another increase in the popularity of roller rinks, often called roller discos.
Gone were the plain lighting and old-fashioned organ music as a generally older clientele were replaced by adolescents and twenty-somethings skating under mirror balls and special lights to disco beats.
The end of the Disco Era and the advent of inline roller skates hit the roller rink industry hard, with many rinks closing.
A roller rink is a hard surface usually consisting of hardwood or concrete, used for roller skating or inline skating.
This includes roller hockey, speed skating, roller derby, and individual recreational skating.
Roller rinks can be located in an indoor or outdoor facility.
For those who learn to skate, it can be a ton of fun.
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Do you like to roller skate?
Well, guess what?
A roller rink is coming back to San Francisco. Can you believe that?
Here is some exciting news.
San Francisco Debuts New Outdoor Roller Rink in Civic Center
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October 15, 2022
City's new entertainment experience will offer family-friendly fun for people of all ages to enjoy and bring more people to Civic Center and surrounding areas.
San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced the opening of San FranDISCO, a new 5,000 square ft. roller rink on Fulton Plaza in Civic Center. In partnership with San Francisco’s iconic Church of 8 Wheels and the Civic Center Community Benefit District (CCCBD), the pop-up rink will showcase the best of roller-skating culture, featuring music from live DJs, disco balls, and colorful lights.
The new roller rink is a three-month pilot program with the possibility of extension following evaluation made by the City with partners and community. San FranDISCO will be open to the public Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 8:00 p.m. Youth under 18 years can skate for $5, and people 18 and up for $15 (admission fees cover entrance and skate rental). With offerings for everyone, the rink is a welcomed new outdoor entertainment amenity for residents and visitors alike to enjoy.
"I’m happy our families, kids, and residents are going to be able to come down to roller skate right across from City Hall at Fulton Plaza," said Mayor London Breed. "Bringing our City back is going to require everyone in our community working together on ideas like this rink that get people excited about San Francisco. I want to thank Civic Center Community Benefits District for their support of this project and we are proud to partner with Church of 8 Wheels, a San Francisco institution."
San FranDISCO is one of many new concepts derived from the City’s Economic Recovery plan to prioritize the City’s downtown area by bringing families, residents, and visitors back to
San Francisco public spaces and businesses.
“Bringing families, workers, residents and visitors here to San FranDISCO is the goal of the events and activities the City is hosting as part of our economic recovery,” said Kate Sofis, Executive Director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. “Transforming our public spaces for unique activities such as a roller rink speaks to the fun and spirit of San Francisco and we look forward to having many more events that bring people together and support our local businesses over the next few months.”
In addition to the high-quality rink flooring protected from the elements with a roof canopy, the rink facility features restrooms, a skate rental kiosk, and ample public seating areas where anyone can enjoy watching skaters in action. Instructors will offer 90-minute skating sessions at 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., and a two-hour session from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. evenings Wednesdays through Sunday.
Programming at the rink will complement and support other initiatives in the area as part of the Civic Center Initiative, such as the re-opening of the Café Kiosk in Civic Center Plaza, now operated by Assembly Café; the addition of new weekday musical performances and food trucks to Civic Center Plaza; the enhanced seasonal produce offerings at the long-standing Heart of the City Farmers Market happening Wednesdays and Sundays in UN Plaza; and the Civic Center Plaza Tree Lighting planned for December 7th.
“The rink is truly a bright spot and an indication of where people are with returning to public life. People need people, and they want to do fun things with others in unique and interesting places,” said Tracy Everwine, Executive Director of the Civic Center Community Benefit District.
"It's a new day for outdoor skating in San Francisco and the entire Bay Area skate community is buzzing." said Church of 8 Wheels founder David Miles. “This downtown rink, which is opening during National Roller-Skating month, is new, fresh, very San Francisco and will connect even more people to our City's skate culture and one another.”
San FranDISCO Fulton Plaza Roller Rink is sponsored by the City of San Francisco and OEWD, and in partnership with the Church of 8 Wheels, the Civic Center Community Benefit District, the San Francisco Public Library, and the Asian Art Museum.
For more information, please visit www.skatesanfrandisco.com.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_rink
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NOTE: Very important, whenever you are engaging in a new exercise or sport for the first time, please consult with your physician first.
