When I was growing up in New York almost every saturday afternoon was spent at the Skate Key (a roller rink in the Bronk on 138th, right up near Harlem). It was the highlight of my pre-teen life. At times my mother would take me and a number of extended family members. Sometimes I would go with this kid named Troy whom was my best friend at the time and I had a MASSIVE crush on (I didnt tell him this until 2 weeks before I left NY to move to VA, we used to do everything together, we were in the cadets, went bowling, movies, ahhh youth...moving on) Of course it was fun, a lot of people, great music, good times. Well, it was good times. One unassuming Saturday afternoon in 1995 I go to the skate key with my brother, cousin Jennifer and God-sister Chasity. Everything was going fine, I was skating along. All of a sudden I felt some grab me, then they proceeded to push me to the ground and fall on top of me. By the way this was a grown man! So the skate officials clear the floor, I pick up my dignity and move to the bench. I sat down, I felt fine at the time but they said they had to send me to the hospital. That's when I started to freak out. So they put me in the ambulance and I am at the hospital, in the waiting room, by myself, for HOURS. My mom finally shows up and that's when they take me in to examine me. I fractured my right wrist (good thing i guess cause im a lefty) I had a cast and everything. It was pretty cool cause all of my classmates wrote on my cast and I had a story to tell. Needless to say though, we never went back to the Skate Key.
Then we move to Virginia in the summer of '97. Around this time we discovered this place called Plaza Roller Rink in Buckroe. On friday nights this was THE place to be. If you weren't at Plaza on friday nights, you were no one! Plaza was the place to go to see your crush, meet up with your friends, put on your freshest FUBU, Nautica, RP55, WU Wear and Tommy Hilfiger gear, and plan to be a part of or watch a fight. Man it was great. Well, it WAS great. Back in the day I used to super duper stunt on them. I always had the "name brand" jeans (that were really from the chinese beauty supply from across the street) the best "name brand" shirts (that my aunt Linda was selling from the trunk) and the dopest pair of Air Force 1's with the coolest colorways (now those were real!) oh with the NY fitted to match. Anyways one xmas my parents got me these Baby Blue Suede low top AF1's with a matching sweater vest(LOL). Those sneakers were my pride and joy and everyone at Lindsay went Oddles a Noodles on em. So one day I go to Plaza with my bestie Shawquana and we switch our sneakers for skates. Me being a dummy I put my brand new sneaks in a cubby instead of a locker. BAD MOVE. The night was fine until I went back to the cubby and seen that my sneakers were not there. I lost it. Mind you at this time (in 1999) I was super hood. Im running all around yelling "WHO THE F@#K STOLE MY SNEAKERS!?" I wound up walking out of Plaza in my socks, my mother yelling at me, and walking on a gravel parking lot. Needless to say I never went back to Plaza. Actually I probably went back twice while I was in high school, but the thrill was gone. One good thing though is that my birthday is not that far from xmas, so I got a new AF1's all gray high tops,
but they were not the baby blue suede joints, ugggh.
All in all I had fun as a kid, and I look back at those times fondly. I decided the other day to dedicate a mixtape to my time at the Plaza. It was a time of fun, laughter, questionable fashion and antics and the beginning of my journey here in Virginia. I'm calling the mixtape "Plaza Roller Rink: Class of '98-'99". It should be here soon....enough. Although this post was lengthy I hope you enjoyed it. This was probably the most fun I have had writing a blog post.
PS here is a bonus video from my days at the Skate Key
