Senior Roller Skating

Between them, these seniors have been rolling around for hundreds of years.

At least twice a week, more than 20 of them gather at South Amboy Arena and take to the rink for a couple hours of roller skating. They range in age from 55 to 100.

They share a camaraderie that goes back years. They are connected by their love of the activity and the friendships they have made. There also is the health benefit. For many, skating not only keeps them young at heart, but healthy and fit. Many credit their participation in the activity to keeping them active, in shape and feeling good — and making it to their 80s, 90s and 100s.



Roller skating goes back to the 1700s, according to SkatingFitness.com. The website notes it made its mark in the United States in the late 1880s thanks to James Plimpton, who designed a better roller skate, built rinks in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island, and rented out skates.

Roller skating in all forms continued to become more popular and expand as a recreational pastime in the early 1900s. Because it was inexpensive, activity rose during The Depression. It declined during and following World War II because of cars and movie theaters, but there still were pockets where it flourished.

Roller skating might not be the first thing you think of when you think senior pastime, but it’s a lifelong passion for many regulars at the Central Park Skate Circle in NYC, who are back to boogieing now that Spring has sprung.

The seasonal weekly event features live DJ’s and attracts skaters of all ages, including some who’ve been skating in the park since the roller-disco scene’s heyday in the late 70s. Back then, the park’s Dead Road had become a gathering place for skaters to boogie down to their favorite tunes. Forty-something years later, those former disco kings and queens are part of a blossoming skating community that’s tight knit but welcomes newcomers.