Oaks Park Rink in southern Portland is a national treasure — the oldest rink in the America, established in 1905, and the second largest in the country! I had the pleasure of spending the weekend skating on that buttery, gigantic floor for the Rose City Skate Jam.
What’s interesting about the rink is not only how long it is, but also how wide. It took me awhile to get used to having that much room to move. The middle section had three large rings for doing all sorts of skating, from ballroom to NY/NJ to jamming to choreo.
The most striking feature of the whole place is the gigantic pipe organ that sits above the rink, with the actual keyboard in a booth off to the side. Skating to a live pipe organ is a vibe, for sure!
I loved the classic touches of the rink, from snack bar to the signage to the awards going back to 1942. I definitely felt transported to another era being there, while also jamming to contemporary R&B and hip-hop during the skate parties. You can see the care that the whole staff has for the place.
Of course the best part of the weekend was the people. There was a big contingent from the Bay Area, which was nice to see. But also folks from Seattle, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Chicago, and other skating hubs. And of course there were lots of very nice local skaters there.
It was an incredible weekend of skate artistry on the finest skating rink I’ve ever been on. I can’t wait to come back.
On a side note: I figured out, through hard experience, how to survive a long night of skating! (And probably other dance activities.) This is what worked for me:
- Stretch out well at the beginning of the session
- Do a long warm up skate
- Take a significant break every hour
- Drink hella water all night
This might seem obvious, but I wrecked myself the first night when I didn’t do any of this!