80s Skate Night is always a favorite event. (Photo by Daniel Fremen.)
On a cold winter’s night, many Covenant College students showed up to Hamilton Skate Place decked out in denim, leather, neon, and all kinds of ‘80s garb. Groups of friends showed up as early as 10 p.m., huddled close together, waiting for sweet shelter from the cold and for sick pairs of roller skates. As the line outside grew longer, the anticipation grew higher as the time for the doors to open crept closer.
The moment the clock struck 11:30, the insanely dressed hooligans piled into the rink (but not before flashing their Scots cards) for a rocking good time. Brave students strapped wheels to their feet, ready to roll, while our very own D.J. Grant Lowe tore up the turntables with some truly iconic ‘80s jams.
At a glance, Sk80s looks like a bunch of carefree kiddos having a good time, but it is a dangerous world out there. If you were not blessed with skating abilities, one can only hope you were blessed with balance, because otherwise, the slippery ground of the skating rink floor is your only friend of the night. People risk their lives out on that floor, and some are not so lucky as to come out unscathed. With tobacco-free smoke and fog spreading throughout the room and an added assortment of colored flashing lights creating limited visibility in the room, it is a true miracle that everyone makes it out okay.
Well, almost everyone. Borderlands resident, Dan Glecier (‘20), was one of the unlucky ones. Rather than joining the Covenant College masses at Cookout or Steak ’n Shake, Glecier rushed to the hospital where he discovered he had a broken wrist.
He said, “It was a fun time to be had there, but more so in terms of wreckless fun.” Even still, those of us at the Bagpipe, along with Dan, urge you to be safe out there on the rink in the future.
Of course, not everyone has this experience. Take Grace and Sarah Newsome for example, a pair of standout siblings who stunned the crowd with their crazy-good skating skills. After winning their separate races, the sisters joined hands with Joel Dahms and Nick Hall — two other impeccably good skaters who skated past their competitors for victory — respectively to determine who would be crowned best of the best.
Barely nudging out her younger sister, Grace Newsome, along with Hall, crossed the finish line seconds before Sarah Newsome and Dahms, claiming victory. Even though she lost, Sarah Newsome admits she loved the fact she and her sister both won their separate races. However, Newsome clarifies although “Grace beat me in the final race, I probably would have won if I wasn’t wearing a skirt.” Rumors say the two are still on good terms even after the tough competition.
As the night wound down in the wee hours of the night, exhausted skaters and dancers exited the floor and drove off to enjoy a late night bite and maybe even some sleep. Overall, the night was as successful as it could have been. If you need proof, just scroll through Instagram and you will surely find a plethora of ‘80s themed captions and smiling faces documenting the great time everyone in attendance had. Sk80s can be summed up nicely in the words of skating pro, Garrett Thompson, “Sk80s is a heck of a time because you really get to go back and live a night in your parents’ shoes. It’s kind of a magical feeling when you L.A.R.P. as ‘80s people.”