What to expect from a SK8S Roller Disco
Not all our events are run the same way or at the same venues but very often we will apply a fairly standard format.
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Not all our events are run the same way or at the same venues but very often we will apply a fairly standard format.
This page describes general information about the various events we run which all follow a fairly standard pattern. In addition if you would like to understand more about skating etiquette for our Yarborough Roller Disco’s you can find more specific information here – but you should read whats on this page too 😀
In particular if you are bringing children to the Yarborough Roller Disco you should have a look at the advice for parents so that you can make sure they understand the event before they arrive – it will help to ensure that both you and they have a more positive experience!
If we are running an event where tickets can be bought in advance we will always prioritise ticketed entry. Anyone who brings their own skates that are in good order (are clean and won’t damage the floor), can generally go straight in and get skating. If you see someone in a yellow shirt with the SK8S logo and a flashing red armband – that will be one of our marshals – all our marshals are fairly brilliant and will be able to help you with any questions or on tips to get yourself skating.
Anyone who needs to hire skates will need to queue up at the till and the lockers – we’ll swap your shoes for the skates you hire, so save some time and have your shoes off ready 🙂 Also, if you don’t have your own, we recommend you borrow some of our wrist guards – even if you are a confident skater – you can’t be sure how good all the other skaters are and sooner or later, everyone loses their balance.
Most of our venues tend to be limited for options to store your belongings – we can look after smaller items in the lockers with your shoes but it as your own risk. So in general its best only to bring things you are happy leaving stacked on a chair in a public space.
For smaller venues we will tend to stick to a basic ‘ring’ layout, often with a refuge or practice space in the middle. In larger venues such as full size sports halls, we will try and create a space at the far end of the rink for beginners.
Often when we set things up with the lockers and the disco lights and gantry there is a space along side in the corner that is out of the main skater circuit and often used to practice different moves.
Generally we let everyone get settled for a good while as this gives those who haven’t skated before and those who haven’t skated in a while, a chance to find their balance and practice a bit. If there is time we often run a game about halfway through the event – usually we play Stuck in The Mud – we often play the Macarena around about now (apologies if this isn’t your kind of song but we get alot of requests for it), and then about two thirds through we’ll do a little wrong direction skating by asking everyone to change direction and skate the other way round. Generally skate rinks will ask everyone to skate anti-clockwise when viewed from above. Wrong direction skating is clockwise from above.
In short, its just like normal stuck in the mud except everyone is on skates. We give some yellow hi-vis jackets to either 2 or 3 ‘chasers’ and if a chaser tags you, you have to coast along on your skates with your arms out to the side. If one of the other skaters tags your arm or skates under your arm then you are no longer stuck in the mud and can skate like normal.
Its important that everyone can skate as safely as possible so there are few basics we ask everyone to do. Firstly, most venues require all our skaters to remove their skates when not in the skating area – please respect these requests.
Also within the skating area we ask people not to eat or drink and unless there is a good reason, we will ask people not to skate with bags or backpacks because these can catch or get snagged and cause injury. Similarly we ask people to make sure they aren’t wearing accessories or jewelry that might fall off; debris on the floor can jam under skate wheels and cause accidents.
In addition we will often ask people who are stationary to keep moving while on the rink, even if standing at the sides and around the edge of the rink. On the whole, if people are all moving in the same direction, the chances of a collision are greatly reduced. Since in general the speed of skating increases towards the outside of the rink, it is important people do not loiter at the edges of the rink.
All our marshals are volunteers that come to SK8S events mainly to ensure everyone can skate safely and perhaps to offer tips and advice if anyone asks, and they also help shield anyone who has fallen from oncoming skaters by standing between those that fall or tumble and the direction of skating. Please treat our marshals with respect and follow their instructions. We do not tolerate bad behaviour at our events and generally apply a ‘3-strikes’ approach but bad behaviour towards our Marshals will likely result in immediate expulsion from the event.
The music is varied at our roller discos except where we are running themed events. The playlist, which often must be pre-compiled where internet connectivity is unreliable, often contains an eclectic mix of 70s, 80s and 90s classics, club classics, all mixed up with recent pop and dance hits, nu disco some funk and sometime a little bit of Drum & Bass too. The common denominator is that most of the music we play has quite a lot energy and rhythm with tempo typically in the 110 – 130 BPM range – we don’t often slow things down much below that.
