Profiles 9.5

Liz Ruiz | Aloha Roller Rink

aloharollerrink.com | instagram: lizapalooza

Written by Rashi Gupta

When Liz Ruiz started her mobile business, Aloha Roller Rink, four years ago, the entire enterprise consisted of a single trailer packed with fleet skates. Since she was nine years old, Liz has dabbled in every aspect of skating and spent eight years on Silicon Valley Roller Girls’ roller derby teams. In order to give back to the roller skating community full time, Liz chose to retire from the team and for the past few summers has committed herself to hosting skating nights every weekend at Roosevelt Park. She also hosts events at local libraries and schools throughout the year. Liz hopes to occupy a more permanent and family-friendly location in the near future and connect residents through the only roller rink in San Jose.

“Back when I was a kid, the rink was the social place where everybody hung out. I mean, it was practically an underage nightclub. There were disco lights and people dancing and skating. It was my social scene until I turned sixteen and got a car, and that opened up my options more. I came back to do roller derby mostly because, at that point, I was in an office job and felt like I wasn’t being active enough. I wanted to find something I could do that would keep me active and in a team environment so I’d have accountability. I ended up finding the roller derby team and joining them, and I was back in skating again.”