Archives for May 2014

You may not think too much about those roller skates and how they came to be when you put them on your feet at Roller Kingdom. While you may enjoy rolling, turning, and gliding across the skate floor, skating was not always as simple as it now is in our Tyngsboro and Hudson rinks.

Taking a look at the history of skating, it is evident that the first pair of skates recorded as an invention took their place in the history books in 1760. These skates, developed by inventor John Joseph Merlin, were made with small metal wheels and had their wheels in one line similar to modern day inline skates. It was not until nearly sixty years later in 1819 when the first patent for roller skates was recorded. These skates again were similar to modern day inline skates, but were still quite basic. Simple maneuverability was quite difficult.

A large improvement was made in control and maneuverability in skate design in 1863. A furniture store owner named James Leonard Plimpton designed quad skates with two pairs of wheels. This allowed skaters to turn more easily and led to the first public skating rinks in the United States in 1866.

As skating design continued to change and safety measures such as the toe stop, added in 1876, skating started to take off. Roller skating was largely popular in the United States between 1935 and the early 1960’s. Another spike in skating interest took place in the 1970’s with further wheel improvements and disco music.

What about now?

Fast forward to current day and roller skating is still alive and well. In addition to skating for fitness and fun, at Roller Kingdom speed skating and artistic skating are still a part of what happens each week. Looking back at the history of skating and the change in skates over the years, it leaves the question that is ultimately a personal choice now. What is better, quads or inlines?

Feel free to weigh in on your opinion regarding quads or inlines on our social media channels. Make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google + to keep up with modern day skating events at Roller Kingdom.

Image via wikipedia

If your little one is walking, active, and energetic, then it may be time to get them skating. At the Hudson, MA Roller Kingdom we offer skating lessons specifically for the little ones during our Tiny Tot Roller Skating sessions.

When is Tiny Tot Roller Skating?

Tiny Tot Roller Skating takes place every Thursday from 9:00 am – 10:30 am. Registration is from 9:00-9:30, skating lesson from 9:30-10:00 am, and skating practice is from 10:00-10:30 am (if there is a private rink rental, there will be no practice at 10:00 am). Cost for the weekly lesson is just $5 and parents are free.

Where is Tiny Tot Roller Skating?

You can join us for Tiny Tot Roller Skating at our Hudson roller skating rink.

How much does it cost to participate?

Tiny Tot Roller Skating is just $5. This includes quad skate rental, and did we mention that parents are free?!

Our Thursday Tiny Tot Roller Skating offers a great opportunity for you and your little one to get out and enjoy some exercise together. Your little one will feel so proud and accomplished when they show off their newly acquired skills on wheels. Whether you are a work at home parent, stay at home parent, grandparent, nanny, or sitter, you are welcome to bring your bubbly charge with you to Tiny Tot Roller Skating. Skate rental is included, but we carry training skates in our pro shop as well. If you have any further questions regarding our Tiny Tot Skating, please contact Heidi or Bob at 978-567-5926.

Guest post by Heidi P.

When you think of Memorial Day weekend, do you think parades, barbecues, and artistic roller skating competition? That’s right, artistic roller skating competition.

At Roller Kingdom’s Hudson location, we have been hosting this annual event for over the past 10 years.  Skaters from all over New England (including New York) attend this competition.

Starting around 7:00am Saturday May 24th, the skaters will take the floor looking for the chance to impress the judges with their skills and go home with a medal. The competition will run from early morning Saturday morning thru late afternoon Sunday.

Beginners thru national champions will be attending this meet. Skaters ages range from as young as 4 to as old as 81. If you are interested in coming to watch this event, please contact Heidi at 978-567-5926 after May 20th. She will have the final schedule of events.

Have you heard the term, “work-life balance” lately? If not, then look around! Time.com posted an article in April of 2014 titled, How to Achieve Work-Life Balance in 5 Steps. This article written by Eric Barker pointed out that in a ten year span from 1986-1996 the term “work-life balance” was found in the media 32 times, yet in 2007 it was mentioned over 1,600 times. Clearly, finding this balance between work and life is a concern for many

We have got the solution for you at Roller Kingdom in Massachusetts. Why not take those employees out of the office for a day and celebrate the successes that you’ve had working so hard. After all, you’ve heard the phrase, “Work hard, play hard!” You can certainly play hard at Roller Kingdom with skating, laser tag, karaoke, and arcade games.

With our large screen and sound systems, you can even manage to fit in a quick off-site company meeting if desired. You are welcome to book a private party for your department, or book the rink and bring out the whole company along with family members of employees. We’ve got over 25,000 of square feet for your department or company outing to play in and help find that work-life balance.

We will work with you to customize a package that meets your group needs. We can customize what group activities you would like included, and we can customize a menu plan that works for you. Whether you would like to use our open snack bar and enjoy our tasty treats of pizza, hot dogs, fried dough, nachos, and Pepsi products, or have a catered event, we can make sure your event menu meets your needs.

Contact us today to make your reservation and book your event now!

Come one, come all, come on out to Roller Kingdom and have a ball. Whether your church group consists of crazy and zany youth group, or your women’s group is looking to get out and have a good time, we know that Roller Kingdom is the place to be.

Your church group of ten or more can get a $1 discount of admission to any of our regular public skate sessions. Call ahead and depending on our availability we may be able to get you and your crew a reserved table.

If munchies will make your church group outing complete, then look no further! Our snack bar is stocked with Icees, nachos, pizza, fried dough, pretzels and more. We will gladly work with your church group in customizing a food package to meet your group’s needs whether large or small.

We also customize activity packages for church groups and a variety of other groups including teams, schools, scouts, and other organizations. There is plenty to keep your group occupied and active with roller skating, lasertag, and an arcade that puts the competition to shame. Contact Roller Kingdom in Tyngsboro or Hudson to plan your church group’s outing with a discounted rate or private party.

Roller Kingdom is a great place to visit for a date night! We have plenty of possibilities for a date night or an excuse to skate!

1. Roller Skating Date-You may not know the love of your life as well as you think you do. It may be time to find out how well they can balance in life, that is on eight wheels of course! Dinner and a movie gets boring after awhile, so we suggest that you change it up and add a little variety to your next date night. Come on in to Roller Kingdom for your skating date night! After all, this is a great place to make an excuse to hold hands with the one you love or are interested in!

2. Mom and Dad Night Out-No one ever said that dating has to stop after your married. Mom and dad, take advantage of our rink availability and enjoy a night out! You can skate the rink together and take a trip down memory lane while the kids take their best shots in laser tag or spend a little time with arcade games. We’re open from 7 pm – 11 pm in Tyngsboro and from 7 pm – 10 pm in Hudson.

3. Family Date Night-Family skate nights are just plain fun! If your family is looking for a fun filled family date night, then look no further. This will encourage excercise, family fun, and strengthen skills and interests in skating. Why not pass along the love you have for skating. Plan your next family date night at Roller Kingdom!

4. Sibling Date-If you grew up skating at the rink every Friday and Saturday with your siblings, then relive your childhood at Roller Kingdom with a sibling date! Skating offers a great chance to spend time toegether and catch up on what’s going on with friends and family!

We’d love to hear your ideas for a date night at Roller Kingdom. Make sure you share them in the comments below. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Google +, and Twitter!

Image from cooltext.com