Skating back to the ’80s in style

Colorful outfits and great music set the scene Saturday, Nov. 17 at “The Rink.” One of America’s most cherished time periods returned for two hours. Students took selfies and showed off their skating skills (or lack thereof). Dazzling lights and mirrors on the wall allowed for some interesting pictures. Lockers allowed students to store their valuables without interrupting the dancing fever.

Bands like the B-52’s and Journey and singers such as Whitney Houston all got their airtime thanks to the disc- spinning of Pano Stavropoulos. The event produced a nice turnout and some great memories! Students hopped in their friends’ cars or used the provided Hope transportation to arrive in herds, hanging out with friends or significant others. The event ran from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m., with the last shuttles returning around midnight.

Students were encouraged to wear trendy outfits (by 80s standards) and bring their own skates.The outfits ranged from over-the-top glam to something straight out of a John Hughes movie. Some friends chose to just hang around and chit-chat, but were prone to skating on to bust a move as a group. Particularly of interest is that this year, SAC charged $3 for admission, whereas the event had previously been free.

While many students voiced small disapproval with this change, there was a notable reduction in the foot-traffic at the event. This $3 pricetag may have played a role in the smaller crowd present this year. Despite this, the event still maintained a comfortable number of skaters present on the rink without the immense overflow of the previous year. Readers are invited to recall last year’s overwhelming Sk80s crowd. It rendered hundreds of students who arrived even an hour before closing unable to skate.

One of the owners remarked how pleasant it was to have Hope students come out for the event and spend time at The Rink, which is an openly Christian organization. He also commented that they would be open to expanding the timeslot by an additional hour if requested by SAC. He hopes to maintain the satisfaction of any individual skater who wishes to skate their socks off. Certainly with the popularity of the event, a similar recurrence is expected next year. SAC has just a few more events before the year draws to a close, so keep your inbox clean and your schedule open!