Business & Tech
Fountain Valley Roller Rink Helps Keep 'Artistic Skating' Alive
The rink helps train up to 35 competitive dance skaters, 20 of whom will compete in the national championship next month.
Competitive roller skating, once a booming popular fad in the 1980s, is slowly dying, but one local roller rink is helping to keep the art of "artistic dance skating" alive.Â
The Fountain Valley Skating Center, located at 9105 Recreation Circle, is bustling with activity during the week, as dozens of competitve skaters are preparing for the national championships, which will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico next month.Â
Owner Bob LaBriola, at 82, has seen it all in the world of roller skating. He's owned the center since 1976, according to the Orange County Register, and has seen all of the highs and lows.Â
Now, with numbers and popularity continuing to dwindle, his passion is to continue to coach students and participants in the "artistic skating" world.Â
"I don't drive a Rolls-Royce. I don't live in Newport. But I get a tremendous sense of accomplishment from running this center," LaBriola told the newspaper.
Most of the skaters are over 50, and usually train at the centers on Mondays and Fridays in preperation for the competition. But as the times have changed, their passion for the sport has never faded.ÂDance skating is exactly what it sounds like. Skaters, either individually or in teams, skate to choreographed routines to various styles of music. Points are awarded for tricks, movements, technical merits, etc.Â
Dawn Cunko, 51, and Bill Okamura, 72, are just two of the 35 or so adults who gather regularly to skate, practice, and work on routines. Cunko, a Costa Mesa resident, is a six-time national champion.
Though she trains hard and will be returning to the competition in August, it's about more than piling up wins for her.Â
"Adults forget how to play," Cunko told the Orange County Register. "This is how we have fun."
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LaBriola, despite the decreasing popularity of roller skating, is encouraged by the number of young students who still use his rink. It's not in its heyday, but he's happy the kids can still come and have fun. According to the paper, more than 90 schools within a five-mile radius of the rink do fundraisers of some kind at his facility.
"I love the sport of skating, and I love the business of skating," he said. "Even though the competitive part of skating is not as popular, the business is increasing. And for me, that's competitive."
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The Fountain Valley Skating Center is open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. but hours can be extended for private parties.Â
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