A 1970s vibe was in order on the tennis courts of the Williamsbridge Oval in Norwood on Friday evening, Sept. 24. District 11 City Councilman Eric Dinowitz, District 16 City Councilmember Vanessa Gibson, and NYC Department of Parks & Recreation partnered to host a highly successful “Skate Night,” which drew a crowd of about 120 excited skaters, young and old, beginners and seasoned, some staying on until after the sun went down.

 

Sponsored by NYC Health+Hospitals, BronxNet, Fidelis Care, Emblem Health and Essen Healthcare, the event was marked by an upbeat, backdrop of funk music, courtesy of an on-site DJ, which added to the fun, end-of-summer atmosphere.

 

Gibson, Democratic nominee for Bronx borough president, delighted attendees when she arrived dressed in part in 1970s regalia, and though she was a bit rusty to start off, like Dinowitz, she later proved she could roll with the best, donning a pair of bright yellow skates for the occasion, and delighting in the beautiful, fall weather.

The councilwoman said the idea behind the event was to bring folks together after a difficult year and a half. “I love roller skating and roller blading. I think of the movie, ‘Roll Bounce,’ (2005) but you also think about the generation of my family that grew up in the 1980s and Skate Key when it was in Allerton on 138th Street, and we used to roller skate all the time,” she said.

 

Gibson said residents don’t have public space anymore in New York City and so residents have to make the best use of the parks. “We have to join with the Parks’ department with innovation to bring these opportunities….with the skates, the rollerblades, and we have these glow sticks that we’re going to glow up at night,” she said.

 

Asked if it had been a difficult event to organize in terms of safety, Gibson said, “I think it’s feasible because we identified a large park space like Williamsbridge Oval, where you have a large space for kids to play, where they’re social distancing, where they’re practicing and being very safe,” she said. “This is a beautiful park. It’s got so much opportunity.”

 

She added, “I just love it. I mean, there’s so much going on. I just want to find a way for people to have fun and we’re also safe, and it’s part of our health and wellness too. We’re using our bodies. We’re moving around, and that’s also good for us. I love seeing the kids out here with roller skates and roller blades because this is exactly what we always want. We want the open parks. We want our space and our recreation to make sure our kids and our families have some enjoyable family time.”

 

Asked by one reporter if we would see her later in action, she said, “Yes, yes! You will. I’m going to put on my rollerblades. I’ve been practicing!”

 

Gibson took the occasion to thank the Parks’ department and local media for spreading the word about the event. She said her staff had also distributed flyers about the event outside schools to raise awareness about it ahead of time.

 

In terms of the inspiration behind the event, she said she and her team had wanted to do something different, and as she had recently attended a Great Gatsby-themed event elsewhere in the borough which she said was a lot of fun, she said, “I said, ‘Why not old school?’” adding, “I had to make sure I got my hair right today!”

 

Bronx Old School Skate Party! Had such a blast. Shoutout to Go Sports USA for the lessons and keeping me off the ground, lol. Thx to ⁦@EricDinowitzNYC⁩ ⁦@NYCParks⁩ #TeamGibson 🛼🛼🛼🛼 pic.twitter.com/Uf7aWOnrfd

— Hon. Vanessa L. Gibson, MPA (She, Her, Hers) (@Vanessalgibson) October 2, 2021

The councilwoman said in light of the COVID pandemic and the impact that it had in the borough, it was important to come out and bond, adding, “We also have to make sure that we support the Parks’ department, that they have sufficient staff and playground associates and PEP officers to make sure the parks are safe,” she said.

 

“We have to make sure people will clean up after themselves, because we want to make sure we keep it clean for residents and families and children of all ages. I really want to thank everyone all the different organizations who helped us,” she said. “We did a similar event in my barrio and now we’re in the Bronx again. We want to make sure that we do our part. We work hard, but we also want to have time for recreation.”

 

The next day, the councilwoman tweeted, “Bronx Old School Skate Party! Had such a blast. Shoutout to Go Sports USA for the lessons and keeping me off the ground, lol. Thx to @EricDinowitzNYC, @NYCParks #TeamGibson.”

For his part, Dinowitz, meanwhile, was accompanied at the event by his son who the councilman said was trying out skating for the first time. Like other youngsters at the event, his son was able to learn the basics of skating while standing on a protective ground covering in one corner of the court, thanks to the availability of onsite Skate coaches from Go Sports USA.

 

Dinowitz told Norwood News that both councilmembers skated in their youth and thought it would be a fun way to bring the community together, adding that although a lot of serious work was carried out at City Hall, it was important to make time to have fun too. “What an exciting opportunity for our community to come together and have a good time,” he said.

 

Given that lots of kids had to be simultaneously kept safe from injury during the event, we asked the councilman if it had been difficult to organize. “Well, you have two council members who know how to skate. So, I think that’s all you really need, right?” he said.

 

“We listen to the needs of the community. We’re here to try to provide joy for our constituents, right? Especially after the last 18 months, I think, more and more people are realizing how important it is for us to enjoy our time together and enjoy our parks.”

 

Dinowitz said so many people rediscovered their parks amid the pandemic, when they weren’t allowed go into stores or restaurants or were too scared to go inside. “There’s a recent resurgence of use of the parks,” he said. “You know, it’s more important now than ever that we invest in our parks and invest in programming for our children and our families.”

 

Of the Williamsbridge Oval, he said, “I’d say it is one of the best. I happen to have one of the best parks in my district.” Summing up the event, he added, “We, in the city council, know that government’s about more than just making sure buildings are up to code. It’s about providing space and opportunity for people to grow, have a great time and enjoy each other, and that’s what we’re doing with this event tonight.”

In a tweet later that evening, the councilman wrote, “Having a great time with @Vanessalgibson at our Bronx Skate Night. Roll into Williamsbridge Oval Park and join us until 8pm! Shout out to @NYCParks for organizing this amazing event and #GetRollin for supplying the rollerblades.”

 

Rahmaan Mazone, aka “Ramazone,” aka “The Voice,” was one of the skating instructors on site at the event “I’m one of the MCs for mostly all the rollerblading competitions that are happening in the New York City community,” he told Norwood News.

 

We asked Mazone if the kids had found skating difficult to learn. “Um, there’s not really much hard about learning to skate,” he said. “The thing I like teaching people is showing them how to fall, first. They’re always scared about falling. So, I teach them how to fall properly, knowing they’re not going to hurt themselves, so it brings out the stress or the scariness, but nine times out of ten, most people, they just self-doubt themselves.”

Mazone said once people learned how not to doubt themselves, and get over their first fall, skating is a breeze. “The fear…. it’s always gonna be fear, but what you have to do to overcome it is to get into it,” he said. “If you don’t jump in, you’re never going to understand what you’re getting into.”

 

He added, “You’re never going to get over it, and the only way you can is, like I said, I see these kids fall every time. They’re so afraid of falling. I tell them, ‘That’s part of the program.’ If you don’t fall, you don’t succeed. You won’t progress, because we have to fall in order to get back up and do better.”

 

Mazone said being an instructor is the best thing in the world. “I love teaching it. I love being an instructor,” he said. “I’ve been doing it now for, like, six years, I’ve been rollerblading for 30 years. I turned 45 on Tuesday and to still be doing this, it’s a beautiful feeling being an instructor.”

Mazone said he’s been working with Go Sports USA for about three years. “I’ve been working with Ray [his colleague] for six years, off and on, just doing this, being a helpful instructor,” he said. “I love teaching. It’s so awesome to give back to the people.”

 

He encouraged folks to look out for the group’s organization. “Go to SportsUSA.org, and we’re usually at any school facility. Look out for Ray Mendez, myself, Rahmaan Mazone. Paces Medina is one of the instructors over there. Brandon Hagan is another one.. Tommy,” he said.

 

“It’s a beautiful thing to do and it brings a blessing to my heart to just give back to what helped me stay alive because if it wasn’t for rollerblading, I wouldn’t be here now talking to you.”

Antoinette Scotte was also in attendance with her daughter, Jonisa, 11, who attends nearby M.S. 80. She said they didn’t know about the event until they saw the flurry of activity as they were walking back from Jonisa’s school and decided to stop by. Jonisa said she was excited to participate in the event though she had never skated before. “Actually, I’m kind of scared,” she said, before adding, “I’ll try!”

 

Asked if she would like to see similar skating events take place in the future, both mother and daughter said they would. Jonisa said the summer had been kind of boring and she was glad to be back in school with her friends. Her mom said she had spent a lot of the summer sleeping and watching movies on a tablet.

 

NYPD Officer Stephen Echevarria from the 52nd precinct was also present on the day. Asked for his thoughts on the event, he said, “I think it’s a great thing for the community. I think the community look forward to more things like this to happen and a lot of different people coming together. It’s really something special… for the community, the Parks’ department, elected officials, people in the community coming together and enjoying a beautiful day.”

Gerald Rosa is a young man from Norwood who has been a skater for about six years and was out walking his dog when he heard about the event. He decided to come back with his mom and check it out. He also said he would love to see similar skating events organized in the future. “I love skating, so I decided to come by,” he said. Asked if skating was difficult, he said, “No, not for me, but with my skates, I was skating for about a year and a half and my skates broke, unfortunately, so I haven’t gotten around to getting a new pair.”

 

His mom, Cassandra, was giving skating a go for the first time. Asked if she was managing to slowly master it, she said, “I’m trying. I don’t want to fall, that’s the thing, but I’m trying.” She said she was also enthusiastic about the prospect of future similar events being held.

We spoke with another mother who preferred not to give her name and who came with her 8-year-old son and other children to the event. We asked her if the kids had found learning how to skate difficult. Speaking in Spanish, she said, “No, they’re learning,” she said. “It’s good for them, and this skating event is very good.”

 

The event was not just for kids, however. We also spoke to Tremont resident, Genesis, who had traveled up to Norwood for the occasion. She told us she took up roller-skating “on quads” during the pandemic and seemed to be very much in free flow, gliding easily around the park with her mom.

“Yeah, I took it on this year, and it’s just been really therapeutic,” Genesis said. “I’m a dancer, but it’s just this time [the pandemic] has really taught me to re-evaluate dance culture, and what I really like about the skating scene or, at least, what I see from other places in the country, is that it’s really, really liberating.”

 

She added, “I don’t know, it’s a space for anyone to join and just to have fun and be themselves and be creative.” Genesis said she rollerbladed as a kid (inline skating) with her mom. “She taught me a little bit, and then I took this on. We got my mom a pair once she turned 50, and she’s like, ‘Wow, this is awesome! I feel like a kid again!’”

Asked about the difference between inline skates and quads, Genesis said, “The inline skates, I believe, are more for, like, outdoor, for a little bit of a rugged terrain, whereas the quad skates are usually used for, like, dancing or just other things.. I don’t know all of them.”  Asked if she would like to see similar skating events happening again, she said, “Yeah, for sure, and I hope to see more adults.”

 

Norwood mom, Tisha Hatch, said she came to support the event when she saw the flyer circulating. “I just wanted to come up and help the kids because this is the pastime we grew up on,” Hatch said. “It, sort of, became re-popular during the pandemic, but it’s always been in the community.”

Asked if she skated in the Oval as a kid, Hatch said, “We usually skated in the street because at that time, my mother had a play street, so my mother would close the street in the summer and the kids would come ride their bikes, roller skate, roller blade, and when the kids got.. when I had kids and they got older, they were on roller blades like they are today.”

 

Hatch said the events like the skating event were a good way to keep kids safe and occupied. “This is something that they love, and they can come here, have a good time, be safe.. because the community here is always out and about…52 precinct, and it’s just a typical way to release,” she said. “They can come do other things if they have siblings that don’t skate. They can come here.. soccer, basketball, baseball, whatever..”

 

Hatch said she hopes they could bring back skating maybe once a month. “I’m just glad they brought it back. I remember they used to close the Grand Concourse for everybody.. riding bikes if it was Sunday. That, I wish they would bring back,” she said. “Unfortunately, one bad apple spoiled it.”

 

Asked what happened, she said there had been a police chase. “Thank God, none of the kids were hurt but that was the end of Sundays after that, at least for that but I wish they could pick, like, a section at least by 161,” she said. “That’s my hope, and I’m going to advocate for that because it’s fun! It’s only Sunday; you have nothing to do. A lot of kids have bikes but where they gonna bike at?  On the sidewalk, in the streets, where cars are? Not safe……not safe.”

Meanwhile, 11-year-old Norwood resident, William, said he usually skates in the skate park on the other side of the Oval and was also excited about the event. Having previously lived in Queens, he added enthusiastically, “I’ve been here for like five years, and I hope I don’t leave!”