rinks near Wrightsville Beach, NC

[mikawendy]

Hi, everybody--
I'll be in Wrightsville Beach, NC, in early September and was wondering if there are any rinks close to there and when do they have public and freestyle sessions? I'll only be there a short time, so I don't know if I'll get a chance to skate, but if there's a really close rink, I might bring the skates along just in case. (They're getting to be a security blanket as I travel, lol! :D )

Thanks!

[TreSk8sAZ]

I don't know what cities are around there, but this link has a list of most if not all of the rinks in NC

http://www.sk8stuff.com/utility/lister_rinks.asp?stap=NC

Hope this helps!

[MissIndigo]

Unfortunately, there are no rinks within close driving distance to Wrightsville Beach. The closest you will get is the rink at Fort Bragg, but as that one is on base I don't know what kind of permission civillians need to use it. Furthermore, I'm not sure how easy it is to get from Fayetteville to Wilmington. Your best bet, if you are absolutely hard up to skate, is to head west up I-40 and skate at one of the rinks in the Raleigh area. That's about a 2-3 hour drive.

Funny you ask this as it reminds me of the days when I was skating as a kid. There was a rink in Wilmington that was open for about a year for the 89-90 season. From what I understood, it didn't work because the climate was too hot (and they have rinks in Florida...hello...?) and I remember the kids from there coming to skate in Raleigh on the weekends.

[icechick]

The Fort Bragg rink is open to the public and has freestyles as well. You may need to go through a brief military check, but I think that has eased up. The club is the Cape Fear FSC, the rink is McClellan, and the phone number is (910)396-5127. The ice there is great and the freestyles are NEVER crowded!

[johns]

The Wrightsville Beach ( road ) rink closed because the dude
from Raleigh who owned it, was overextended bigtime. He was
the owner / operator of the Ice House at South Hills in Raleigh.
Also, he sent my coach down there from Raleigh, and I lost
contact with him after that. My coaches name was Steve, and
he was Australian. Does anybody remember him, or know where
he went after the rink closed ?

johns

[MissIndigo]

I remember who you're talking about but I don't know what happened to him. I stopped skating (when younger) in the fall of '90 and we were only kept apprised of the drama that occurred between my coach and the rink management. A couple of the coaches I used to know at this rink are still around, at other rinks in the area.

It's good to finally know what happened to the rink down there.

[mskater]

Stephen was my first coach as well and I was living in Wilmington when I first began skating. Drove up to Raleigh on the weekend for lessons and to practice since there was no rink in town; didn't start till 96. NEwayz, BIG NEWS: Just heard this morning that there's to be a new rink opening up in Wilmington next summer, 2004:] Last I heard of Stephen, btw, he was coaching roller skating at the roller rink in Wilmington...but that was back in 97 so I doubt he's still doing that...

[MissIndigo]

New rink in Wilmington?!?!

*MissIndigo jumps up and down!!!* :D

That will give me reason to head home more often! And to Wrightsville instead of Morehead!!!