Skaters from far and wide find community at this Northeast Philly roller skating rink

When Big Daddy Ray hits the skate rink, he does it in style.

With his light-up wheels, high kicks, and smooth style, you can’t miss him.

“Back in my day, I used to do a high kick, a double karate kick,” he said. “I still do a kick today; it’s kind of my trademark.”

But even though Big Daddy Ray, whose off-the-rink name is Ray Stitt, is a flashy figure zooming by, he doesn’t dominate the rink or take up unnecessary space. More often, he’s using his handheld flood light and phone camera to take videos of other skaters nailing their routines.

“Skate family is huge here,” Stitt told The Inquirer on a recent night in the parking lot of Philly Skateplex on Roosevelt Boulevard. He’s wearing matching OG Skate Crew T-shirts with several of his skate family members, including OG Smooth, who agrees with him. “It’s almost like a big family reunion,” said Smooth, a.k.a. Edward Emmett.

Philly Skateplex, formerly known as Palace Roller Skating Center, opened in 1981. For those in Northeast Philly, it’s a hot spot to get your exercise in and meet up with friends. And, according to Stitt, the rink is popular enough that folks travel to skate there.

“Skate family is huge here.”

“More advanced skaters come here from all over the United States,” said Stitt, who lives in Norristown but has been known to travel to rinks throughout the East Coast to make new friends to add to his OG Skate Crew family.

The openness and welcoming nature of the skate community is exactly what inspired Mark “Magoo” Vachon, to get back on the rink after a major health scare. He travels from Lebanon, Pa., to skate at Philly Skateplex.

“I just started traveling to rinks in Lancaster and saw these guys online,” Vachon said. “The first night, OG Smooth started talking to me, and they took me in and we went to an event two weeks later. I haven’t stopped since.”

He credits roller skating, specifically skating with a community, to not just bettering his life, but saving it. “It’s been the best thing that’s happened to me in my adult life,” said Vachon, who says roller skating helped him heal from multiple organ failure. “I sincerely know that it saved my life in a lot of ways.”

The community aspect of skating prompted Vachon to start SK8LIKEYOU, a resource guide and recently-launched podcast for roller skaters. SK8LIKEYOU is a totally volunteer-run operation and aims to help skaters find lessons, videographers, event advertisements, and more. The podcast, Vachon says, includes interviews with the biggest names in skating, both past and present.

“I sincerely know that it saved my life in a lot of ways.”

It’s also a space to celebrate skaters, complete with a Skater of the Month page where folks can nominate themselves or a friend for the honor. The goal of SK8LIKEYOU, according to the organization, is simply to make sure that “you have a chance to love this too.”

Roller skating is, of course, not a new phenomenon. The first use of roller skates dates to the 1740s in a London theatrical performance, with actors affixing wheels to their shoes to simulate ice skating. Around 20 years later, John Joseph Merlin invented the first pair of roller skates and, despite his multiple injuries due to lack of brakes and balance, the popularity of the sport and wheeled footwear took off, with several inventors trying their hand at creating the best pair of roller skates.

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Over two centuries later, in the 1960s, roller skating became a symbol of Black rights and culture. According to a 2023 NBC News article, even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, rinks were still segregated, with only one night a week being open to Black skaters at many facilities.

The NBC News article, which interviews Harry Martin, founder of the Roller Wave traveling roller disco, notes that many of the skate styles of today’s roller skaters were created by Black and Latino skaters in the ’60s. One of those styles, which was popularized in Philadelphia, is fast backwards.

Antonio Rosario, 17, who has been skating at Philly Skateplex for four years and working there for a few months, likes to go backward.

“I just love skating with my friends. I love linking up with them and going backward,” Rosario said. “It’s just awesome.”

Nylah Hill, 18, who borrows her sister’s roller skates to practice at Philly Skateplex, prefers speed.

“I like to go fast,” she said. “Even though I’m not a professional, I like to go fast.”

“You have to roll with it.”

Maybe one day the two will combine their fast and backward preferences and skate the favored Philly style, but until then, both teens see the rink as a great place to try something new and meet new people. And they each have advice for those who may want to give roller skating a try:

“Don’t focus on other people’s skills. Just go at your own pace,” Hill said.

“You have to roll with it,” said Rosario, who rolled out to the parking lot to talk with The Inquirer.

“The best of us fall, and the best of us get the biggest bruise. It’s awesome. We love bragging about who got the biggest bruise.”

The Philly Fall SK8 Bash is scheduled for Nov. 8-9 at Philly Skateplex at 11586 Roosevelt Blvd. For more information, head to the Philly Fall SK8 Bash Facebook page. All other Philly Skateplex events and schedules can be found at phillyskateplex.com/schedule.