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November 19, 2004
Skate Zone opens doors, expects busy weekend
By BREANNE HUBBARD The hours for Skate Zone are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, and 11 a.m. to midnight on weekends. The cost to skate varies on the session. According to manager Jesse Torres, open skate from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. is $2. "It's kind of like a matinee," he said. Other sessions can cost up to $8, including the rental of skates. Rental prices for skates are currently set at $2 for regular, and $3 for inline. Skaters who have been in other indoor skating rinks can look forward to the fun and games during skating sessions. Torres said the chicken dance, hokey pokey and couples skate will be only a few of the many different games. Not only is there skating, but the business has a 3,000 square-foot laser tag room. Laser tag is $4 per game, but Skate Zone has a deal this month. With the purchase of a skating session, laser tag will be $6 for unlimited games. Games last five minutes each. "It seems a lot longer when you're running around," Torres said. There are currently 16 laser vests. The sound system used in the skating business is state of the art technology. "Everything is computer controlled," Torres said. There are three disc jockeys hired to make music for the skating sessions. Two of the DJs have their own equipment and turntables, Torres said. Most of the music played will be top-40 hits, but there will also be various genres to appeal to everyone. "We're not limited," Torres said. There is also an arcade inside Skate Zone with ticket redemption. Torres said people who have kept their tickets from the Mountain View Casino would be able to bring those in for redemption. "We're honoring them," he said. The Skate Zone has a snack bar that offers a wide variety of food, from taquitos and egg rolls, to hot dogs and pizza. "We have just about all your normal snack bar stuff," Torres said. "There's some unique things." One of the different items is mac and cheese bites, which Torres claims are very tasty. He also swears by the taquitos. Torres said the snack bar's smorgasbord is geared to high school students who might want a place to hang out for lunch. "We have really good food and we're right down the street," he said. Hanging out at Skate Zone for a good time is encouraged and free during weekdays. On Friday and Saturday nights, Torres said, a skating session must be purchased in order to enter the building. "That's basically all you're paying for," he said. Everything at Skate Zone is subject to change, Torres said. "We don't really know what to expect yet," he said. The grand opening for Skate Zone had a good turnout, Torres said. "It was pretty good for not advertising," he said. Before Skate Zone opened, Torres said a few test runs were conducted. "We're very happy with the way it turned out." Torres expects a larger crowd this weekend, once word-of-mouth has traveled through the valley. "We're expecting ourselves to be extremely busy on the weekends." The skating surface will be coated one more time at the end of this month, or early next month, Torres said, for a satisfactory finish. Eventually, Skate Zone would like to try its hand at a roller hockey league. Some of the employees at Skate Zone are skilled players and will be able to teach those interested. "We'll hold some clinics and show everyone how the sport works," Torres said. "Then we'll see how it goes. I think that'll be a lot of fun and a great addition." The rink is also sanction-sized to host state hockey tournaments. Skate Zone also caters to birthday parties. "We are the spot for birthday parties. All you do is bring the kids and the cake," Torres said. He added that Skate Zone employees attended seminars for throwing birthday parties and all plan to make the business the best place in town to hold parties. The skating rink is an alcohol and smoke-free environment. "We're strictly for the kids of all ages. Even for the kids at heart," Torres said. To contact Skate Zone for more information, call 727-4386. |
