October 20, 2007
Thunderbird Skate Rink in Plano
Alanna and I went to the Thunderbird Rink in Plano, which JW told me was still in operation. Alanna didn't remember it until we pulled up to the very small, very full lot -- she had last been there in 1999, the last ACT Academy event I attended with her.
We dropped $10 and went into a den of chaos.
This rink was swarming with kids, and they were skating in all directions. Adults were chasing kids in all directions. The floor was divited with hockey stick dents and was very slippery, even with my really nice wheels. In short, it was an awful, awful experience. There were no rink guards, and kids were crashing into each other and the walls all over the place. Children were screaming in pain in some cases, and I couldn't tell if their parents even noticed. I had to dodge and even pick up kids to avoid hitting them, and nearly totalled two different kids who popped out from behind an adult while going the wrong way (i.e. directly at me).
We stayed barely over an hour, and vowed never to return. Thunderbird Skate is only the second worst rink in D/FW (Lewisville's one is the worst) but I'm increasingly convinced that Chuck's rink (White Rock Skate Center) is a real gem in this day of few and far-between rinks.
Posted by Steven at 04:29 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2007
Glowlaces: Found!
Many moons ago, I found a product called "glow laces" -- a "Y" shaped pair of electroluminescent blue plastic wires that blinked blue in the dark, and powered by small watch battery modules. I threaded them into my Riedell Carrera skates, and had cool glow-in-the-dark skates that caught everyone's eye. Sadly, the product is no longer made, and I couldn't find anything like it ... until:
This is Glowwire from Solution Industries, and for all practical purposes, it's the same as the original glow laces. I paid $24 for these two powered blue wires, and that included batteries. I haven't added them to my Riedell 395 skates yet, but hope to this weekend before the regular Sunday skate at White Rock Skate Center.
Cool, huh?
Posted by Steven at 11:57 PM | Comments (0)