SOUTH AMBOY — A July 14 event at the South Amboy Arena will help get funds rolling for the All American RollerMagic Skating Team, as it looks to send seven members to the USARoller Sports National Championships 2011.
The “Great Balls of Fire Family Fun Night” will run from 7 to 10 July 14 and is open to all. Attendees will get to watch the team, which only recently started skating in South Amboy, in action during a special show. There will also be solo performances by featured skaters.
The event, which has many city sponsors, will include face painting and door prizes, and there will be plenty of time for attendees to take to the rink themselves.
TheAllAmerican RollerMagic team has been skating in South Amboy for exactly one year. Coach Debbie Lewis came from Florham Park and brought many of her skaters with her to the city’s facility.
“It was a big decision,” Lewis said. “It’s a better location for us. We wanted to be in a bigger facility.”
The team of about two-dozen skaters has participants ranging in age from 7 to 60- plus, and represents all skill levels. In fact, on the nationals-bound team is Lacey Picinich, 17, who placed first at nationals last year, and 63-year-old Dave Braun. They are among seven skaters on the team who will be going to nationals, which runs July 24-Aug. 7 in Fort Wayne, Ind., Lewis said.
Team members come from all over the state and even New York to work with Lewis. Depending on location, some team members also practice at the Jackson Skating Center in Ocean County. The South Amboy Arena’s owner, RollerMagic, also owns the Jackson facility.
Anyone with an interest in skating can pursue membership on the team, said Lewis, who has been coaching for 22 years and leads the team with fellow coach Janet Jordan.
Lewis said that in her 22 years of coaching she has seen roller-skating wax and wane in popularity, and as such, she thinks the Family Fun Night is a great opportunity to promote the activity.
The arena staff has welcomed her team with open arms, Lewis said, adding that the move has been a win-win for both the team and the rink. The team has a great place to practice, she said, and the rink gets some “young, strong, vibrant skaters” who can promote skating.
Lewis said she does not have a specific fundraising target in mind for tonight, but news of the event has spread a great deal through word-of-mouth.
“We expect to have a pretty good turnout,” Lewis said, adding this is the only fundraiser planned at this time for the nationals.
Tickets for the “Great Balls of Fire Family Fun Night” are $8. The South Amboy Arena is located at 270 N. StevensAve. For information on the event, call 732-727-1122 or visit www.familyfunskate.com.