Rinksider Magazine: March / April 2022

RINKSIDER The Official Magazine of the Roller Skating Industry { MAGAZINE PRODUCTION } EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jim McMahon EDITOR & PUBLISHER Lynette Rowland PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Brian Molony, Kalamazoo, MI, Chairman Mark Oliver, Jackson, MI Jeanne Sincavage, Reading, PA Rob Gould, Wilbraham, MA Ava Couey, Hiram, GA

{ ASSOCIATION BOARD } RSA PRESIDENT Cort Wahlig, Newark, DE

RSA VICE PRESIDENT Billy Thompson, Clover, SC

RSA TREASURER Brian Molony, Kalamazoo, MI

RSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alan Bacon, Richland, WA Jeff Warrenburg, Antioch, CA Ed Golebiowski, Coon Rapids, MN Josh Ingrum, Colorado Springs, CO Frank Torries, Lafayette, LA Brian Molony, Kalamazoo, MI Robert Kramer, Terre Haute, IN Ron Parmley, Huntsville, AL Joe Smith, Hermitage, PA Rob Gould, Wilbraham, MA Jeanne Sincavage, Reading, PA Ava Couey, Hiram, GA Shane Locklear, Richmond, VA

{ RSA STAFF } Jim McMahon, Executive Director Angela Tanner, Assistant Executive Director Tonya Crenshaw, Accountant Lynette Rowland, Director of Communications Sharon McMahon, Director of Membership Services / Achievement Program / Pepsi Programming

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Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Cort Wahlig, Lynette Rowland, Keith Loria, Lori Lovely, Corrie Pelc, Lisa Apolinski, Susan Robertson, Geoff Rotunno, Kate Zabriski, Sara Wesche

COVER PROVIDED BY Istock photo. Businesses are welcome to submit photos for consideration for editorial use to editor@rollerskating.com. Must be 350 DPI or greater.

COPYRIGHT Rinksider is published throughout the year by Roller Skating Association International. Copyright 2022 by Roller Skating Association International. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without express written permission of the publisher is strictly forbidden.

DISCLAIMER Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the directors, officers or members of RSA. RSA does not endorse, represent or warrant the accuracy or reliability of any of the information, content, advertisements or other materials contained herein.

SUBMISSIONS Rinksider welcomes stories, art and photo contributions. All such material must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope in order to be returned.

ADVERTISING INFORMATION Please contact Lynette Rowland at 317-347-2626 Ext. 107 or email editor@rollerskating.com to request a media kit and rate card. Advertising discounts available for all RSM Affiliate members.

POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Roller Skating Association, 6905 Corporate Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46278, Phone: 317-347-2626 or Fax: 317-347-2636. Presorted standard at Indianapolis, IN. Subscription is part of membership in Roller Skating Association International. Publication is for RSA members.

MEMBER / SUPPORTER / PARTNER

[ CONTENTS ]

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STEM EDUCATION: ROLLER SKATING STEM PROGRAM UPDATE

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GOING TOUCHLESS MAKING THE DIGITAL LEAP FOR YOUR RINK

COLUMNS

President's Update.................................................... 6 Writers....................................................................... 7 5 Tips to Instantly Become More Innovative......... 8

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WHEELS & THRILLS MAKING A RINK OWNERSHIP DREAM COME TRUE

Preventing and Handling a Social Media Crisis... 28 How to Deal with Difficult Customers.................... 36 Rise of American Roller Sports............................... 40 Hiring Sales People................................................... 44

BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS ON PREPARING FOR THE BACK-TOSCHOOL SEASON

New Mentorship Cruise........................................... 9 How to Become a Learn to Skate Coach................. 20 Staff Retention Through Perks and Promotions... 22

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HOT CRANE GAMES & ITEMS TO FILL THEM WITH

COLUMNS

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42

DIGITAL FOOTPRINT DIGITAL ENHANCEMENTS THAT HAVE LONGEVITY

Planting Seeds for Success...................................... 46 Roller Skating Manufacturers................................. 48 Classified Ads............................................................ 48 Rinksider - The Roller Skating Business Magazine

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news and commentary

PRESIDENT’S UPDATE

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Future Operator Growth Explodes, New Mentorship Program to Begin

hen I was elected as President of the Roller Skating Association, I gave our Executive Director a list of things I would like to accomplish while President. With the help of the Board of Directors and the National Office Staff, we have accomplished most of the tasks I wanted to achieve, including: • Continuing to help our rinks that were still closed or limited in their capacity to re-open. We have continued to help members with the Employee Retention Tax Credit, promotions to help drive in customers, and our weekly town hall meetings that provide members with ideas to improve their businesses. If you’re a member and you’re not taking the time to participate in or watch our recorded weekly town halls, I highly recommend that you take the time every week to do so. Our members who participate are reporting record numbers and the information they learn during the town hall meetings have been invaluable to their growth.

• Acquiring new members. While we lost over 30 members due to the pandemic, we continue to grow as an association.

Currently, we have well over 50 future operators who are excited to try to open a skating center! We are currently working on a program that will connect rink operators close to retirement with future operators to slow down the attrition of rinks that may be sold as non-rinks. This new mentoring program will pair retired rink operators with future operators in the hope that they will be able to help them to realize their dream.

• Completing the formation and implementation of a competitive art program within the American Roller Sports organization. With the help of many volunteers and considerable hard work, we have accomplished what some said would take years in just a few months. This year, we are hosting the 6

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Artistic American Championships in Colorado Springs. In addition, I am thrilled that they were also able to accomplish the development and implementation of STYLE Skating into the art program. Once again, many volunteers and a lot of work went into developing this program. This year, we are excited that this discipline will be showcased at the American Championships.

At the RSA’s annual convention, Jim McMahon will vote to re-elect Billy Thompson and me to once again serve as your President and Vice President. I am grateful that I will have another term to finish the few things that I still want to accomplish during my second two years of presidency. We are nearly complete in finalizing our Pepsi contract, and are currently negotiating an agreement with the newest music licensing organization, Global Music, to ensure that we are getting the best rates for our members.

Looking forward, we have a lot of exciting things in the pipeline, including the 2022 Sk8Expo that will, for the first time, be held in Las Vegas, NV in a brand-new property on the Vegas strip. If that is not exciting enough, we will also be hosting our five year strategic planning session. For the first time ever, this session will be open to all members during the first day of Sk8Expo. I want to make sure that all members have a voice in the direction of the industry. This unique opportunity will allow you to voice your thoughts on where you would like to see the Roller Skating Association in the next five years.

I am also incredibly excited to share information in this issue of Rinksider Magazine about our new Mentorship Cruise on January 7 – 15, 2023. Details about the event are in this issue of Rinksider and on the RSA website under events. This invitation goes out to any member who wishes to attend, but it is also for the purpose of our future operators and retired or experienced rink owners and operators who want to help those who want to get their own roller skating centers up and running. We want our future operators to be successful, and it is my hope that this new mentorship program will help

expand the number of rink owners throughout the country.

I want to take a moment to thank all the RSA Committee chairpersons and committee members for their hard work in accomplishing their duties for our Association. You are the backbone the RSA and your hard work does not go unnoticed. A huge thank you to my wife, Debbie, for being able to handle me being away a lot working for our members. Debbie works countless hours as the chair of the Achievement Program Committee to make the program entertaining, easy to understand and functional for our members. I would also like to thank my sister, Beth, who picks up the slack when I’m not available. Your support is invaluable to me.

I want to thank our esteemed Vice President, Mr. Billy Thompson. His friendship, advice, opinions, and business acumen have been extremely helpful to me in guiding this Association forward. Thank you to our "mighty four" of the RSA Staff ‑ Lynette, Angela, Sharon, and Tonya, you all work amazing as a team. The fact that you accomplish the volume that you do is nothing short of incredible, and I thank you for all of your hard work. To our Executive Director, Jim McMahon, thank you for your dedication to our Association and industry. You make being the President a pleasure and I value your advice and ability to carry out my vision for our Association. Most of all, I value your friendship, which has developed over the past six years.

To our readers of Rinksider and the members of this Association, I hope that you can learn some new things in this issue of our publication.

Our editor, Lynette, puts a lot of energy into creating our publications on a weekly and monthly basis, and I hope you can garner some new ideas with each one. If there’s anything you would like to see more of in our Association, please feel free to contact me at any time. Thank you for re-electing me as your RSA President for the next two years.

Cort Wahlig RSA President

news and commentary

KEITH LORIA

Keith is a freelance writer with more than 15 years experience writing for everything from the Bowling Center Management Magazine to Billiards Association of America. He’s met and interviewed celebrities from William Shatner and Kristen Chenowith to heart surgeon pioneer Marc Dedomenico and Pez Candy CEO Joe Vittoria. He can be reached at freelancekeith@gmail.com.

CORRIE PELC Corrie Pelc is a journalist, editor, and freelance writer with more than 23 year experience. Her byline can be found in a variety of consumer and trade publications, with past and current clients including Funworld magazine, Medical News Today, Hometalk.com, PassportHealth.com, INVISION Magazine, and Sacramento News & Review. She can be reached at corrie.pelc@gmail.com.

SARA WESCHE

LORI LOVELY

Lori is an award-winning syndicated writer, editor and photographer whose byline has appeared in a wide range of local, national and international publications. A recipient of the 1999 AIDServe Superstar Award, Lovely is a long-standing PETA member and was a 25-year member of CARA Charities. In addition, she runs Montrose Farms where she raises alpacas and chickens. Lori can be reached at lori@montrosefarms.com

LISA APOLINSKI Lisa Apolinski is an international speaker, digital strategist, author and founder of 3 Dog Write. She works with companies to develop and share their message using digital assets. Her latest book, Persuade With A Digital Content Story, is available on Amazon.

For information on her agency’s digital services visit 3DogWrite.com.

Sara Wesche is the director of customer enablement for Revenue Path Group, where she helps B2B sales companies develop their seller and business development talent and equip their teams to sell the way modern prospects buy.

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SUSAN ROBERTSON

Susan Robertson empowers individuals, teams, and organizations to more nimbly adapt to change, by transforming thinking from “why we can’t” to “how might we?” She is a creative thinking expert with over 20 years of experience speaking and coaching in Fortune 500 companies. As an instructor on applied creativity at Harvard, Susan brings a scientific foundation to enhancing human creativity. To learn more, please go to: https://susanrobertson.co/

GEOFF ROTUNNO Geoff Rotunno is a freelance writer with over 30 years of professional experience producing stories and other content for a variety of online and traditional publications..He grew up in Los Angeles, majored in journalism and graduated from California State University, Northridge. He has been married for over 30 years to his best friend Marilyn and the couple has two adult children. In addition to writing, Geoff enjoys traveling, gardening, beekeeping – and tending to his friendly flock of chickens, and mostly friendly herd of American Alpine dairy goats.

KATE ZABRISKIE Kate Zabriskie is the president of Business Training Works Inc., a Maryland-based talent development firm. She and her team help businesses establish customer service strategies and train their people to live up to what’s promised. For more information, visit www.businesstrainingworks.com.

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marketing

Innovative IThinking

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hen you really need new ideas or fresh thinking or a creative solution to a challenge, a typical, day-to-day approach in your thinking is not the optimal process.

Using the same old thinking will simply lead you to the same old ideas you’ve already had or tried before. Instead, you need to do something different that will stimulate your brain in diverse ways and shift your perspective on the issues.

Here are some ways to ensure you (and your team) shake up your thinking so that you actually come up with the fresh, new ideas you need.

Change your environment. Get outside your own conference room or office. Debrief the latest research results or industry report in an art museum. Or take your team to the zoo with the objective of coming back with new ideas. Depending on what part of the country you’re in, you could send your teams to the Mall of America, Walt Disney World, or a trendy area of Manhattan to look for inspiration and new ideas.

1. If you can’t physically get out of the office, then find a way to get out metaphorically. Ask people to imagine how they would solve the problem at hand if they lived in Antarctica or viewed from a submarine captain’s perspective.

2. Bring outsiders in. Overtly invite other perspectives into your discovery and idea generation processes. For example, for a project on new packaging and product ideas for a beverage company, invite a boat designer, a rain-water management expert, a sculptor, and a water-park designer (among others). Your project team will be amazed at the range and diversity of new ideas that come when they are exposed to new perspectives on their challenge. They’ll think of ideas they’ll agree they never would have arrived at on their own due to their own

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5 Tips to Instantly Become More Innovative

embedded assumptions about the topic.

3. Truly engage with your customers.

Don’t rely solely on second-hand data to understand your customers’ needs. You need to actually talk to them. Go to their homes or offices to see the problems they need solutions for. All too often teams looking for an idea generation project will say, “We don’t need to do any discovery in advance because we already have ‘lots of data.’”

This should always make you wary, because it usually means they have numerous reports with reams of statistics about customers. Unfortunately, it rarely means they have discovered any new insight into customer needs. If you’re expecting your team to understand the customer by reading a deck or attending a PowerPoint presentation, challenge yourself to find a more engaging and interactive process. It will be far more effective to immerse your team in real customer understanding.

4. Question everything. Do some specific exercises that force people to confront and challenge their subconscious assumptions about the topic. An easy way to do this is to first ask for ideas that the team thinks would solve the problem, but they probably couldn’t implement for some reason. Then, ask them to reframe each idea by saying, “We might be able to implement this idea if...”

What comes behind the “if’s” will help surface many assumptions people have that may or may not actually be barriers.

Of course, some of the barriers will turn out to be real, in which case, don’t spend more time on those ideas. But in every case that I’ve ever done this with client

By Susan Robertson

teams, they also discover many supposed barriers that they could actually solve.

5. Let some crazy in the room. The academic definition of creative thinking is “the process of coming up with new and useful ideas.” The only way to get new ideas is to start with seemingly crazy ideas. Every truly innovative idea seems a little crazy at first. If you only start with ideas that are comfortable or clearly easy to implement, they’re probably not very new.

So, encourage people to throw in extremely wild ideas. Then, play a game called “If We Could.” Instruct the team to temporarily let go of the problems in the idea and ask “If we could implement this idea, what would be the benefit(s)?” Once you have identified the benefits of each crazy idea, narrow it down to the most promising few and ask the team to look for possible solutions to the barriers.

A team was on the verge of killing a truly original idea for a new kids’ cereal because they didn’t know how to create the critical component. However, after “If We Could,” they agreed the idea was so interesting and unique that they needed to explore it. The R&D team made a few calls to other experts, and within a few weeks, they had solved it. This idea resulted in the most successful new product launch in the brand’s history!

Unfortunately, it is all too easy to simply approach every new challenge using our typical day-to-day thinking. It feels familiar, easy to access that type of thinking, and works on most daily challenges. So, you subconsciously assume it will work on any challenge. But it’s incredibly helpful to do some meta-analysis on your thinking. I.e., think about how you’re thinking.

Not every problem will benefit from the same type of thinking. Once you recognize that this new situation needs new thinking, it’s fairly easy to do some things to shift to a more productive model for this particular challenge. Then shift back to the more familiar day-to-day thinking for your daily tasks.

news and commentary

Mentorship M Program

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e are so excited to announce that new and future rink owners and operators will have an opportunity to embark on a new journey aboard the Wonder of the Seas with Royal Caribbean. It is at sea where you will receive complete mentorship training on opening and running your new roller skating center with those who consult and work with aspiring rink owners.

We want to ensure your success and help expand the roller skating industry across the country. If you want to own a roller skating rink or you recently purchased a new rink and want to learn how to make it better, join industry retirees, absentee rink owners and other highly successful industry experts to learn how to overcome obstacles and learn how to make your business successful.

You are all invited to book your room and sail away with the best and brightest rink owners in the industry who will mentor you on everything you need to know to build and grow your business.

Future Rink Owners and Seasoned Operators Invited to NEW Mentorship Cruise

By Lynette Rowland

The first event of its kind, this brand new mentorship event will include a complete itinerary to educate, inform and entertain members.

• Diamond Plus: $250

The cruise will run January 7 - 15, 2023 and information on booking can be done TODAY.

• Platinum: $100

The rate is for 2 guests per cabin: • Category 2D Oceanview Balcony: $3,661.14 • Category 2I Boardwalk Balcony: $3,565.14 • Category 2J Central Park Balcony: $3,415.14 • Category 4N Oceanview Cabin: $2,867.14 • Category 4V Inside Cabin: $2,657.14 These prices are for two, including port fees and taxes. If anyone is a member of Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society, and at tier level Platinum to Pinnacle, they would save additional money off this rate. Below are the current balcony discount rates:

• Diamond: $225 • Emerald: $125

If anyone wants to add prepaid gratuities, the current rate is $101.50 per person for the entire cruise.

Because these rooms book VERY fast, we encourage you to book with our travel agent below ASAP. Brian Robinson at Cruise Help, Inc., Managing Travel Agent. VoIP: 515-318-7720 or office: 888-636-3667 ext. 5. Email Brian@ CruiseHelp.org To find links to view the ship and more, visit www.rollerskating.com/mentorshipcruise If you have questions, please contact Roller Skating Association Executive Director, Jim McMahon, at 317-347-2626 Ext. 102.

• Pinnacle: $275

Rinksider - The Roller Skating Business Magazine

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What’s New in the United Skates of America’s STEM Program ver the past several years, childhood education has turned its focus to STEM. Standing for science, technology, engineering and math, STEM helps provide the solid foundation young students need to pursue careers in those fields later in life. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates STEM jobs will grow more than two times quicker by 2029 than all other occupations.

O

Through the STEM Program developed by United Skates of America, roller rinks around the country can provide a unique opportunity for teaching STEM concepts to students. And — as some participating rinks have found — there are added bonuses to be had, including stronger relationships with local schools and getting first-time skaters through the door.

What is the STEM Program?

According to Karen Palermo, CEO and President of United Skates of America, the STEM program was developed about 10 years ago when an educator teaching the company's then math-based educational field trip program suggested updating the program

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to be based on the STEM curriculum.

Today, the STEM program encompasses a three-hour program for schools, grades kindergarten through 12th. The first hour is the educational component led by a STEM instructor. Teachers choose from a variety of lessons tying STEM principles to aspects of roller skating, including motion, rink design, acoustics, and lighting. Then the remaining two are used for students to have lunch and skate. "And while they're skating, all those concepts that they learned in that first hour are really reinforced with the students while they're joining us for the fun portion," Palermo says.

Over the past two years, the STEM Program came to a halt due to shutdowns and restrictions caused by the COVID pandemic.

This year, Palermo says, the program is rebounding and schools are coming back.

"We're coming up upon the first really great and strong end of school year season that we've seen since the global pandemic happened," she added.

And looking forward to the 2022-2023 school year, Palermo says the STEM Program

By: Corrie Pelc

will be updated so all programs align with the Next Generation Standards in the school system. "Our schools have really transitioned out of Common Core and have moved towards Next Generation — most schools at this point have fully adopted the Next Generation Standards," she explains.

According to Palermo, rinks will have access to explanations on how every STEM Program lesson relates to those standards.

This, she explains, allows rinks to specifically recommend a field trip that relates back to some of the benchmarks and objectives that a teacher may be trying to hit for that upcoming school year.

"It's really important to have that curriculum tie-in," she adds. "It's really what makes it specific to the grade level that's coming, and makes it incredibly valuable to the teachers that you're talking to, that this trip is not only going to relate in general STEM to their students and get them to see that STEM is even in fun things like roller skating, but it's also going to hit benchmarks that those teachers are required to hit throughout the course of the year.”

Added Benefits In addition to the first priority of the STEM Program providing an educational experience for teachers and students, rinks participating in the program have found additional benefits as well.

For example, at Great Skate in Glendale, AZ, General Manager of Sales and Marketing Cheryl Thomas says the STEM Program is a great way to get kids into a rink that have never been roller skating before. She says generally in a 100-student field trip, not even half of the participants have either stepped into her rink before or have ever roller-skated.

materials or the time to fit it all in," she explains.

And Jennifer Jones, Sales and Event Manager at Skate Zone 71 in Columbus, OH, says the STEM Program helps create repeat business for their rink, including schools that come back annually. "Some of these schools ... use it for a certain grade level," she explains. "It creates a lot of excitement that they know when they get to third grade or fifth grade, they're going to get And Bornfreund suggests looking for teachers who stepped away from the classroom, which was her situation when she found out about the STEM educator opening at Fun Warehouse.

She suggests reaching out to parent groups to find people who used to be teachers but cannot go back to work full-time due to child care requirements.

She takes advantage of that by including complimentary Skate Mate skating trainers for all kids participating in the STEM Program.

And she also gives every teacher a skate lesson pass, as well as skate lesson passes for all their students. "Because today is their first day, we want them to come back, so I give them a free

to come here and do that roller skating field trip.

It gives them something to look forward to.”

Setting Up For Success

lesson pass," she explains.

Over at Fun Warehouse in Myrtle Beach, SC, STEM Coordinator and Teacher, Melissa Bornfreund, says she also sees a lot of first-time skaters through their STEM Program field trips.

And teachers tell her the program grants them access to some hands-on tools they may not have access to in their classroom. "We have all the materials here and we can do some more of that fun stuff that maybe (the teachers) couldn't quite do in the classroom because they didn't have the

Despite the obvious benefits of offering a STEM Program for local schools, some rinks may be hesitant to start the program. For example, Palermo says the biggest fear she hears from rinks is not being able to find an educator for the curriculum portion of the program. "There has not been one licensee or one of our rinks that has not been able to find an educator," she says. "It takes work, but you will find one.”

Thomas says they have been able to find their STEM educators through social media and ads on LinkedIn and Indeed. She says anyone with an educational background, including substitute and retired teachers, could learn how to teach the program. And she suggests even contacting the schools in your area for any teachers who might be looking for an extra job.

Rinks may also worry about how to draw schools to their STEM Program. Jones says they spread the word through hands-on marketing, including phone calls, in-person meetings, flyers, and eblasts. She has also invited local television studios to the rink to report on their STEM Program. "That's been a really great tool to send out and utilize to get new schools to understand and know about the program," she explains.

"Maybe they've heard about it, but they didn't really understand what it was or see that we were actually an educational component.”

When they hear about the program, Thomas says the schools will come because they want a different experience for their students. "They want something different other than the zoo or the music museum or an art museum," she adds.

And with so many other roller rinks participating in the STEM Program, you won't be alone — you'll have access to others to ask for guidance and ideas. "A lot of us are always willing to share and let people know how we do it to kind of help to see what works best for their rink," Bornfreund says. "Everything's different for everyone, but you never know — maybe something that works for somebody else (will work for others). It's a very sharing group.”

10 Quick Tips For a Successful STEM Program 1. Familiarize yourself with the lessons and how they integrate with the school curriculum.

2. Look for a STEM Educator through social media, employment websites, parent groups, and even local schools.

3. Call schools to tell them about the program and ask for in-person meetings with principals and/or school boards.

4. Drop off program flyers to all schools in the area.

5. Teachers are busy — constantly follow up!

6. Post about the STEM Program on Facebook and encourage followers to tag their teacher friends.

7. Invite local media to come and cover your STEM Program.

8. Offer complimentary Skate Mates for first-time skaters.

9. Provide free skate lesson passes to all teachers and students to get them back into the rink.

10. Utilize all of the materials provided by the United Skates of America team; participate in meetings and licensee only seminars to learn how to improve your program.

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By: Geoff Rotunno

C

Photos: Ideal Amusement Software ovid-19 changed life in many ways – and the skating world was not immune to the transition. Rinks were shut down, then socially distanced, masked – forced to be cashless and touchless in most point of sale venues. As Larry McLean, president and founder of Partywirks, a point of sales and online booking solution for skating and other experience-based businesses likes to say, “If you’re not online today, you’re almost invisible.”

While having a cool superpower such as invisibility may help a virus survive, it just may be akin to a deadly dance with Kryptonite for the average rink owner-operator in 2022.

Longtime amusement industry veteran Brian Duke, now a senior client partner at Semnox Solutions, which offers integrated technology solutions for skating and other entertainment industry providers, offers, “what used to be a huge selling point, that personal touch (me working with you to make certain you are happy) – has been replaced with the kiosk experience, automation.

“Because think about it (and this what Covid did), germaphobe or not, you’re thinking twice about wanting to get anywhere near someone who sneezes or coughs, whether they are wearing a mask or not,” Duke says.

Indeed, the pandemic, which initially threatened the collective existence of familyoperated businesses everywhere, seems to have 12

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been the catalyst for change – and a didn’tsee-that-coming transition to the online world.

Practically overnight, businesses were forced to pivot, improvise and come up with new ideas for fewer touchpoints.

suddenly thought, ‘what if we did some good food, or added laser tag, or a game room?’

They are seeing the benefit of their facility not just being about bowling – but as providing an experience.”

Alex Goldman, an account executive at Ideal Software Systems, another popular entertainment business management provider, muses positively about the traction that Covid provided, “Just before Covid we were thinking, ‘Man, this is going to be a slow transition – it’s going to be ten years before we have mass acceptance.’

One of Ideal’s pathways to enabling rinks to offer the destination experience is by offering a product that can harness the power of the online world and put it in the palm of the customer: the cashless game card.

“But then Covid happened, and everyone was suddenly used to self-service, or a kiosk, or using their phone for just about everything,” he says.

Studies show that customers who use debit cards will typically spend 15% more, so putting a venue card in their hand can equate to a similar revenue bump for the skating rink operation.

As do some of their competitors, Ideal Software’s solution seeks to offer rinks considering converting at least some of their operations to online, an assist in many possible areas: online reservations, touch-screen kiosks, prize redemptions – and a mobile point of sale application which allows rink staff to refill game cards or manage party guest check-ins, right from the game floor.

Explaining the psychology, Goldman offers, “You’re not putting money in a machine and so you’re not feeling it physically leave your hand.

It’s just a quick swipe and it’s gone. And when you are putting coins in, it’s usually a quarter at a time. With the swipe, it’s usually a dollar, and so there is four times the spend to a platform that doesn’t feel like you’re really spending money.

But the real magic, according to Goldman, who sees the skating industry following what has happened in the bowling vertical, happens when you think bigger.

“Plus,” he continues, “with a card, it feels like money already spent. So, those five-dollar entry tickets start turning into twenty, fifty, and onehundred-dollar cards pretty quickly.”

Says Goldman, “People who were bowling, as in just bowling, for years and years and years,

Putting “easy” into the customer side is also essential, says Goldman, whose suite of products

seeks to make the customer spend experience a finger tap away.

businesses with paper tickets and coins.

Providing a customer app (for smartphones), which enables guests to manage their own accounts and games cards, can be foundational for expansion as well – thus leading, says Ideal’s website, for a chance to improve customer satisfaction and reduce a facility’s staffing needs.

But rinks that have taken the plunge into the online world are extending value to customers even when they aren’t on the premises.

“The truth is – and I don’t want to say this disparagingly – is that it is very hard to control things without software,” McLean says.

According to McLean, “When parents are looking for a night out, they might drive up and drop their kids off at the skating rink.

“But they might be reluctant to do that if there’s a big line outside of kids waiting in line to get in.

Having an online system streamlines the check-in process.”

Despite the purported multitude of benefits of converting a tried and true skating rink business to an online operation, however, the majority of rinks are apparently not yet convinced: one industry report says that almost 75% still run their

According to McLean, one common objection stated by rink owners is the belief that they are giving up control. But it is a fear, says McLean, that is actually a risk to their business.

Photo: Semnox

“If you have five employees answering the phone and describing what the events are, the customer might get five different versions of that offering. Things are missed, things aren’t explained clearly, or something’s changed.

“It’s hard to control what comes out of the staff’s mouths. In fact, in our current era, the guest doesn’t even want to call and talk to the staff,” he asserts.

Goldman concurs, “Is the kid who answers the phone going to stumble through a birthday party list and maybe book the deal – or can the rink control the business by being available at any hour, and maybe grab a booking from a mom who is online at eleven o’clock at night – or at least snare a deposit, and be able to call her back later and grab all of the details.”

The power of lists, which any good software system is good at collecting, cannot be denied.

According to McLean, it is one of the most important things for a rink to have, to be able to succeed for the long term.

“That birthday party kid guest list is the key thing,” he says, “to getting that new generation of customers in the door.

“That new blood is coming straight from the community – starting with birthday parties – and being able to book those quickly and easily – online – is making all the difference,” McLean says.

Partywirks and competitor solutions try to offer an intriguing array of service choices designed to put “easy” onto the rink business side of the coin – value-added options such as digital waivers and help with a rink’s social

Rinksider - The Roller Skating Business Magazine

13

media presence are examples.

But McLean feels that one of the most important value-added services is integration.

“This is one the new trends we are seeing,” explains McLean, “integration with other systems so that businesses can collapse the number of individual vendors they have to deal with.”

“There are all these silos of services. You know, on your phone, you’ve got maybe fifty apps, right? But what if they could talk to each other, share information, make it easier to get the data you want without having to log in to five or six different places?” he asks.

“As more integrations happen, being online is just going to make things that much easier for rink owners and operators.”

Duke also sees advances in technology driving trends.

“You’ve got to hone in on the guest experience,” he says. “If I go up to a reader and I swipe my card and it doesn’t work. I swipe it again. If I swipe it again and it doesn’t work, I get frustrated. Having a chip in a card, and a system where you can just tap, instead of slide, that’s just going to provide so much better of a guest experience.”

With various online services to benefit roller skating businesses big and small – and with even

more improvements on the horizon – it may be hard to imagine that rink owner-operators could still be on the fence about converting to the online way.

suite of online solutions that offer a solid investment return, it all comes down to their own ability to embrace change.

But transitioning to any new venture can still be fraught with unknowns – and indeed, bumpy during a transition.

Tish Aguillard, owner-operator of Aggie’s Skate Connection in Houma, LA, recalls, “I guess I was just being stubborn, not wanting to learn something new.”

Online solution Photo: Partywirks providers have recognized this, and many try to provide a solid customer support offering to every skating business customer, during both installation and post-implementation phases.

“We always try to make sure that we have somebody available to answer the phone when a customer needs us,” says Goldman.

“We are really good about answering the phone whatever day or time somebody calls, and even if we do miss you, we’re usually good about giving a call back within five minutes.”

For some prospective clients, however, despite the promise of great service and a game-changing

However, once she took the leap (Aguillard contracted with Partywirks), she wished she had made the move years before.

“Set up is not hard, they do it for you,” she remembers.

“Once I had it, it freed up so much time for me to take care of other things, and I wasn’t stuck on the phone saying the same thing over and over all day. It’s so amazing just to sign in and see the parties being booked, and you don’t have to do a thing. I’m not a tech person, so if I can do it, just about anyone can.”

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Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

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Rinksider - The Roller Skating Business Magazine

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O

ver the last two years, school field trips, fundraisers, and other programming disappeared at roller rinks around the country.

Programming slowly began to rebound during this school year as schools returned to in-person learning and restrictions eased.

Now roller skating rinks are looking forward to the 2022-2023 school year, hoping it will be back to normal.

So what can roller skating rinks do to get schools back through their doors? It comes down to starting early, continuous communication, and building relationships.

Planning Starts Early

When should roller rinks start planning for next year's back-to-school? Right now, says Ed Hughes, owner of Northland Rolladium in Liberty, MO. Hughes says he starts planning for back to school around April and before school lets out. “Once school's out, it's hard to communicate with anybody,” he adds.

The same is true for Beechmont Rollarena in Cincinnati, OH. Manager, Erica Powell, is currently preparing and distributing two types of free admission coupons she supplies to all school districts in her area. One coupon she offers is for the summer, and the other is for teachers to give to students on the first day of school.

By: Corrie Pelc

“I like to get them the passes and have them sitting in their office so they can get them ready for the first day of school," Powell explains. “I know the first week is crazy for them, so they don't need me in their offices making it even crazier. For the back to school free admission coupons I will start taking in the month of May just so they have them at the beginning of the school year.”

When preparing for the back-to-school season, many rinks also use this time to make large-scale improvements. For example, at Beechmont Rollarena, Powell says they are due for re-coating the floor this year. Last year, they installed new flooring, and the year before that, the arcade area received an upgrade.

“We try to do something that's a big, noticeable

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Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

improvement at least once a year,“ she explains. “Especially with the school parties, they're not going to keep coming if it's the same thing all the time, so we do try to make it a new atmosphere for them.”

And back-to-school time is also a time rinks use to initiate price increases. Powell says her rink will be increasing rental prices to cover the cost of purchasing the new rental skates they need.

Hughes sent out a letter to schools in April explaining the increase on admission for their fundraiser parties. Instead of charging schools $5 in admission, the rink keeps the first $300, and the school keeps the rest, admission will increase to around $5.50 and the rink will keep around $350. “Potentially, the school can make a lot more money, as long as they have people,” he adds.

Get the Word Out

Roller rinks offer a variety of programs for schools. However, if schools don't know about them, they remain unused. How can rinks best communicate their offerings to the educators in their area?

At The New Rink in Shelby Township, MI, General Manager, Ken Yee, says they work directly with the school's PTO to communicate the programs they offer, such as school skate nights, school break sessions, and field trips. “The PTO parent liaisons with the school for us, and then does the leg work to help us get the word out,” he explains.

Over at River Roll Skate Center in Riverside, MO, Owner Skip Clinton agrees working through the school PTO or PTA organization is a great way to go. “Technically, they're not the school — they're just an association with the school,” He says. “Of course, they have to do a lot of what the school says, but their monies are separate from the schools, so they can do as they please with their monies. That's where I always start.”

Clinton says they have also had success with attending teacherrelated events that kick off the school year. He says his districts hold a back-to-school convocation bringing all teachers and administrators together. “We set up a table there, just putting our information out in front of them,” he recalls. “We set up a TV screen and we had the STEM videos playing and just different field triptype stuff that we've done. And it did work — we got several parties out of it.”

Powell also uses the power of social media to spread the word about their school programming.

She encourages parents to tag their teacher friends for the chance to win a $50 Staples gift card. “A lot of times these teachers are buying their own school supplies for their classroom, so we try to get people to tag their teacher friends,” she explains. “If their teacher friend reaches out to us just to get information on a field trip — they don't have to book anything, but just getting the information from us — we'll get them entered to win a gift card.”

Build Lasting Relationships

Once you have your early timeline and communication strategies in place, the third piece to building a solid school program is building relationships that last.

That can be as simple as knowing who the mascots are of your local schools, Powell says. “My schools think it's so fun that when they come in, I know what their mascots are -- we announce that throughout the session,” she explains. “And we encourage them to bring their mascot if they have one and let them walk around or skate on the floor.“ And Powell says to take the time to get to know the names of teachers and PTO parents who book field trips and fundraisers. “Even if you can't remember their name, look it up right before they come so you can call (them) by (their) name the

PHOTOS: NORTHLAND ROLLADIUM'S "PIE YOUR PE TEACHER" EVENT entire time,” she adds. “Just build that relationship with them and they'll keep coming back.”

When schools contact roller rinks to ask about an event, Yee says it's important to make sure all inquiries are responded to. “Have staff on hand to answer the phone or to return calls in a timely manner with the inquiries,” he explains.

Rather than just always calling or emailing teachers, Clinton suggests doing something unique, such as sending them flowers on a holiday and recognizing them whenever possible. For example, if a teacher shows up at a PTA event, they are given special recognition. “(And) we always let teachers skate for free and their families, so that attracts them to come to the events as well,” he adds.

hit home because there's so many people that I don't know them from Adam, but they know who I am. That just helps build those relationships and you become top of mind when it comes to talking about fundraising or fun activities.”

PHOTOS: THE NEW RINK

And Hughes suggests taking the time to get to know all the principals at your local schools, and as many people associated with the PTA as possible. “Jim (McMahon) at one of that one of the town hall meetings said something very wise,” he continues.

“He said it's not the people you know, it's the people who know you. And that really

Rinksider - The Roller Skating Business Magazine

17

10 Quick Tips For Preparing for Back-to-School 1.

Start preparing for the next school year early and before the current school year lets out.

2.

Provide free admission coupons for all students during the summer and/or new school year.

3.

Consider using the new school year for unveiling upgrades.

4. Keep schools in the loop on any pricing increases and try to include a way for them to also increase their dollars.

5.

Communicate directly with PTO/PTA organizations.

6.

Try to attend back-to-school events for educators to provide information on available programming.

7.

Provide unique ways to support local teachers, such as school supply gift cards, free skating, and special recognition.

8.

Get to know your schools' mascots and names of teachers and PTO/PTA parents when they arrive for rink events.

9.

Train staff to return any school inquires promptly.

10. Sign up to become a licensee of the United Skates of America STEM Program to build an even bigger rapport with teachers.

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We hope that you will give JBL Trinity an opportunity to quote your roller skating rink or family entertainment center. Visit us on the web at www.skatinginsurance.com to fill out an application.

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50 First Avenue Atlantic Highlands, NJ Phone: 1-800-925-RINK Fax: 732-888-4646 Rinksider - The Roller Skating Business Magazine

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coaching & sports

Coach C

Certification

O

ne of the goals that RSA President, Cort Walig, wanted when he took office was to have a roller skating teacher in every single roller skating rink around the country. “Better skaters make better customers.” Think about it this way; if you hire a staff member and don’t train them to do their job, it’s doubtful that they will develop the same way that a trained staff member would.

The same applies to your customers – if you’re not teaching your customers how to skate, you’re not developing long-term customers.

Throwing them on the rink and telling someone to just skate will set them up for failure and just opening the doors isn’t enough. Helping your customers be great skaters should be a top priority for your skating rink.

So, how do you license someone to teach roller skating to your customers? Your RSA Achievement Committee is the committee tasked to ensure that you have the tools to help skaters achieve the skill levels necessary to become great skaters. They have made this process so simple and easy that you will want to get several staff members trained to teach your customers how to roller skate.

Let’s say it again: BETTER SKATERS MAKE BETTER CUSTOMERS! DIGITAL COACH LICENSING We’ve had people ask, “how do I license a learn to skate teacher?” It’s incredibly simple to do and you can gather your entire staff together to teach them in one sitting. We have created a completely digital training program for Learn to Skate Teachers! Here’s a quick step-by-step how it works.

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1.

Visit www.rollerskating.com and click on SRSTA > Coaches > Become a Coach

2.

You will see the first option of “LTS – Learn to Skate Teachers” with an instruction video explaining what this program is and how to use it.

3.

Download the Learn to Skate Teacher application.

4.

Download the Study Guide.

5.

Download the Exam.

6.

Open the “Watch the Instruction

Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

Better Skaters Make Better Customers: How to Become a Learn to Skate Coach

Videos” page.

7.

Gather your staff members together and walk through each of the videos and study guide together. Here, you will show them each of the specific moves of each of the three levels of Roller Roo and each of the three levels of Super Skater.

8.

Once they have mastered and understood the program, have the staff member complete the application and the exam.

9.

Return the exam and the application fee of $40 for each Learn to Skate Teacher.

10. Once your staff member’s test has been graded and approved, each new coach will be issued their very own card showing that they are certified as a Learn to Skate Teacher!

11. If you have a staff member who wants to progress into being an artistic, speed or roller hockey coach, all of those materials are on the RSA website, as well!

That’s it – that’s all there is to it! You now have LICENSED TEACHERS in your skating center that you can utilize to implement your new Learn to Skate Program that is also available from the RSA. LEARN TO SKATE PROGRAM The RSA Achievement Committee launched a brand new, completely turnkey Learn to Skate program for your Learn to Skate Teachers to utilize. This program comes with posters to display in your skating center, a skills set, an evaluation sheet, videos, and a certificate for each level. These programs are available for both children and adults and are available for download at www.rollerskating.com > SRSTA > Learn to Skate. There is no need to purchase pins or anything else - the kit includes everything you need! You can send the posters to your local Office Depot to have printed and print the certificates and skills sheets in your rink. Here’s the step-by-step of how to use the program.

1.

License your Learn to Skate Teachers (as above).

2.

Download the Learn to Skate Program Zip file with the materials you need.

By Lynette Rowland

3.

Watch videos on how each skill is taught (same videos used for Learn to Skate Teacher certification).

4.

Display the posters throughout your skating rink and advertise the program on social media using the images included in the kit.

5.

Develop a plan for hours, times, etc., to teach your skaters in both the Roller Roo and Super Skater or adult programs.

6.

Instructions for each level are included in the kit to have students complete each task successfully.

7.

Use the evaluation form when testing students on their skills.

8.

Once the student masters the skills, print and complete the appropriate certificates to award the students of their success.

9.

Once they have progressed beyond the basics and you then certify Artistic, Speed or Hockey coaches (available under the "Become a Coach" tab), you can move them through the steps of the SRSTA’s Roller Skating Achievement Program. This program has various levels in several different disciplines including American Dance, International Dance, Circle Figures, Loop Figures, Quad Freestyle, Inline Freestyle, Inline Speed Skating, Style Skating, and Roller Hockey.

As you can see, this program makes it incredibly easy to teach your customers how to skate and helps you build more confident skaters. Remember – better skaters make better customers. When you’re finished reading this, go download the materials and get started.

Should you have any questions about the Learn to Skate Program or becoming a Learn to Skate Teacher or coach, please contact Sharon McMahon at membership@rollerskating.com or call 317-347-2626 Ext. 108.

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Rinksider - The Roller Skating Business Magazine

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liability & human resources

Staff S

Retention

C

ombatting employee turnover in what is known as the millennial - Gen Z workplace isn’t the same game as it was when boomers dominated the labor force. Rink owneroperators looking to retain and motivate their young staff can easily access the formula – and actually save money in the process.

According to Built In, an online community for startups and tech companies, younger employees won’t hesitate to leave their current employer if they’re not engaged or unsatisfied otherwise, and surveys show nearly 80% of those who quit could have been retained, simply if employers would have tapped into some key motivators.

One such motivator, tried and true, is promotion.

“We are super big on promoting from within,” says Sparkles Family Fun Centers owner and RSM member Ava Couey, “and while we have successfully hired people from the outside into management positions, if any of our current employees are ready, of course, we will consider them.”

How Promotions, Incentives, and Perks Can Help You Retain Loyal Staff

retention magic by incorporating into his business model the thing the younger crowd certainly keeps at the forefront of their everyday: social media.

Chris Maganias, owner of Astro Skating Center rinks in Florida, has found great success by attracting future talent when they are very young.

“We have a simple formula for rewarding our employees. We tell them, produce viral content, get a thousand dollars.”

“We’ve got six rinks across central Florida,” Maganias says, “and everyone who works for us has grown up at the rinks. They’re brought in before they even work here, and they are not there just because it’s a job.”

Salter defines “viral” as anything over five million views (TikTok is Skate-N-Party’s most successful platform), and while TikTok’s return to creators for five million views is definitely short of the award Salter pays his own creators, he is sold on the benefits of incentivizing his staff so generously.

“Here’s the thing,” he muses, “it’s a heavy, heavy incentive, but it is also win-win for the business.”

Why? Encouraging employees to participate in the social media communication channel while they are at work can be perceived as going to work to do something you really love.

Salter has learned that rewarding his employees to create great content is not just good for his staff, but good for his business as well.

Couey’s in a winning strategy, because worthy of note is another insight called out by Built In: nearly half of millennials expect to receive a promotion every one to two years – and one in three will leave their current job in search of promotion if employers aren’t aligned with employee expectations.

“Live streaming is becoming a big deal,” he says. We recently bought a very popular, very expensive arcade game called Angry Birds Coin Crash and decided to livestream people playing it here at our facility. Within days, we were seeing five-thousand people actively watch our livestreams, and within a month, even more.

Remembers Couey, “Times are different now.

We recently hired a young lady who had been with us only a month or two, and she was already asking for a raise. We were needing a cafe manager, and so we said to this young person, ‘Well, if you think you’d be interested in being a cafe manager, we could try you in that position – and with that promotion comes a raise.’

“At this point, we go live every two or three days, and we typically are viewed by over half a million people – and up to 30,000 people at any given moment.”

“She said yes, she’d like to try that, and we promoted her She’s been doing a good job!” says Couey.

Not all employees are interested or cut out to be a leader, however. But there are other ways to keep them engaged and happy.

Long-time owner of Skate-N-Party in Alvin, Texas, Scott Salter, seems to have found some

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Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

By Geoff Rotunno

All of that has equated to a healthy amount of ad generation revenue for Skate-N-Party, but perhaps most importantly, Salter has laid the groundwork for an engaged and motivated staff, with a clear, positive effect on employee retention because work feels more like play.

But providing a work atmosphere that passively encourages employees to stay is only part of the story. Another important strategy focuses on actively and aggressively building in career paths – and then thinking progressively about a promotion timetable – being open to an accelerated cadence of moving employees up the ladder.

He continues, “The way it usually goes is, they’ve been skating since they were 4 or 5, and by 16 maybe they get their first job in the skate room. By the time they are 17, they are doing birthday parties. Then by 18, maybe they are an assistant manager – and by 20 or 21, they could be running their own skating rink.”

The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have accelerated Maganias’ strategic timeline even more.

“Before the pandemic started affecting the labor pool, we used to hire at 16 and above. But then we decided to start hiring at 15 ½, because these are kids that are in your rink and they love your rink, but if you wait another year before you allow them to apply for work, they’re going to get jobs at other places.”

How does Maganias retain his already loyal talent?

“We try to take our young people on trips,” he says.

“A few weeks back, we brought a bunch of them down to Costa Rica – we rented a house on a deserted beach, spent a few days horseback riding, and surfing – and a couple of years ago I sent 14 of them to Hawaii. That’s how you build in some real loyalty,” Maganias says.

“Let’s face it: they can see that the rinks are making money – and they can also see that we care enough about them enough to share some of the proceeds. It works – and it’s the right thing to do.”

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Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

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social media & technology

Digital D

PR Crisis

B

ad reviews. Fake reviews.

Disgruntled or careless employees. Videos of altercations. Social media is a great way to communicate with the public about your business, but it can sometimes be a source of negative feedback and headaches, too.

WHAT DETERMINES A PR CRISIS? One negative review does not make a crisis and it’s important to determine the severity to know how to respond. “A social media crisis is fast-moving, far-reaching and potentially can close our doors forever if mishandled,” Chris Masker, vice president of marketing for United Skates of America, Inc., states.

It’s essential to have a media crisis plan with a prepared message and a clear chain of command. First, identify the source. Next, assess the damage and see which social media accounts it affects. Look for trends in the comments; this can help identify a crisis vs. a problem.

Whether you’re seeing multiple bad reviews or you determine that one negative comment has the potential to cause long-term damage to your brand, you need to act. According to BrightLocal’s 2018 Local Consumer Review Survey, 91% of 18- to 34-year-olds online trust reviews as much as personal recommendations.

THE IMPORTANCE OF RESPONDING Small businesses often can’t afford to ignore a bad review. The BrightLocal survey says 95% of consumers aged 18-34 read reviews – and 89% read a business’ response.

Bad reviews are inevitable, Scott Salter, with Alvin Skate N Party and social media chairman for the RSA, acknowledges. When his rink gets a bad review, they “immediately engage with the customer to try and resolve the issue.” If there’s no contact information, they respond publicly with a professionally worded statement: “We apologize that we did not meet your standard.

We will work to earn your business again in the future.”

Like Scott Campbell of Scooter’s Skating Center, some rink owners prefer not to look at all the review sites. He focuses on Facebook ratings and Google reviews, taking the time to respond to all comments. For the good ones, he thanks them and invites them back. For the bad ones, he makes suggestions. For example, when

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Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

How to Prevent and Handle a Social Media PR Crisis

By Lori Lovely

someone complained about his “no drop-off policy,” he suggested they come with a friend’s mom.

bathrooms and posted it online. These kinds of posts are more difficult, if not impossible, to have removed.

Christy Foval, co-owner of Skate Galaxy, says they deal with issues individually. “Sometimes we respond, sometimes we don’t.” Some comments are so confusing that she says they don’t know how to respond. Primarily, they react only to positive reviews as a way to avoid getting into an online battle. She believes people can read between the lines. “They know who’s the drama mama.”

The bright side of having these unwanted situations filmed is that the footage helps identify the culprits so charges can be pressed, Salter says. But to reduce incidents, he has increased security, added security cameras, implemented staff training, and restricted the number of people allowed in the restrooms at the same time.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

There is a chance that employees may inadvertently post something inappropriate online. Creating a social media policy should avert this problem. Provide clear guidelines regarding privacy, confidentiality, the chain of command, expectations for tone, acceptable customer interaction, and appropriate subject matter.

It’s essential to respond to good reviews – so crucial that Foval takes photos of the handwritten reviews on comment cards handed out at parties and posts them.

Responding to good reviews, including reviews with just stars instead of comments, enhances your SEO rankings.

FALSE/FAKE REVIEWS Friends of disgruntled customers sometimes post false reviews, even if they’ve never been to your rink. If you can prove that reviews violate Google’s policies (such as reviews from people who never did business with you), it’s possible to have them removed. Difficult, but possible. Salter says with multiple people flagging it as false, “you can have success in having it removed,” and says he will always attempt to do so.

Alternatively, reviews can be misleading. For example, Salter recalls a review left by a woman whose child fell getting out of her oversized pickup. She posted a photo of the rink with a photo of her child in the ER with the caption, “Went to the skating rink, and this happened.”

Once Salter found out they never even made it into the building, he clarified the situation in response to her review.

“We always take these events head-on,” he says. “We do not want lies or slander to spread online. Our policies are to respond directly and give an honest perspective of what happened. We never choose to lay low. We always speak the truth and [our] mission of providing a fun, safe environment for our customers.”

WHAT IF IT GETS PHYSICAL? Campbell has seen teen altercations at his rink posted on Snapchat. Similarly, Salter’s customers have filmed teenagers fighting in the

EMPLOYEE POSTS

PREVENTION It’s better to prevent negative reviews than to deal with them afterward. Campbell trains his staff to be courteous and professional and not to overreact to situations. “Never stop training staff on tough issues and situations,” Salter adds.

Campbell also bans “problem parents” and ensures that the rink is clean.

SPEED OF RESPONSE Masker believes the public expects a fast response on social media. Salter agrees, “We think responding immediately to negative feedback is important so that gossip and more negativity don’t brew during the silence.”

Unfortunately, according to Hootsuite, it takes most companies an average of 21 hours to launch a defense.

Having a plan expedites a speedy reply. In addition to a prepared statement, that plan should include a list of roles and responsibilities, an approval process for social media posts, a posted social media policy, and guidelines for behavior.

The better prepared you are before a social media crisis strikes, the better the outcome will be. For those who don’t have a canned response at hand, it’s possible to buy a little time with a humble message acknowledging the problem and promising resolution.

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By Lori Lovely

R

obert and Tammy Johnson met as teenagers working at a skating rink in the early '80s. Ever since then, she has dreamed of owning her own rink. “Skating gets in your blood,” she says. Although she worked as a mail carrier for 20 years before opening Wheels & Thrills in 2017, her goal never changed. “I always wanted to open a rink.”

It wasn’t easy. When Robert was 18, he bought a suit to wear when he applied for a bank loan, but it wasn’t until 2013 that the couple was able to purchase a skating rink in Pryor, Oklahoma.

They bought it directly from the owners.

Open for business They sold the Pryor rink in 2016 and opened Wheels & Thrills in 2017. The 26,000-sq.-ft. family entertainment center is highlighted by a 150’ x 75’ hardwood maple floor, and state-ofthe-art lighting, sound, and special effects. The Food Factory restaurant features two ovens, six burners, and four fryers capable of producing what Tammy calls a “huge, diverse menu” that includes pizza, a shrimp basket, Angus burgers, and hand-dipped corndogs and other delectables.

It was the first time in nearly two decades that the town had a skating rink; the old one had

closed in the mid-1990s. That meant that a lot of the local residents didn’t know how to skate.

“When we hired people,” Tammy reminisces, “only one knew how to skate.” When the rink first opened, the floor guards wore tennis shoes because they couldn’t skate. It’s one of the reasons she offers free skating lessons to this day.

While the staff was learning to ambulate on wheels, Tammy and Robert were applying the lessons they’d learned as rink owners in Pryor – like scheduling, budgeting, cleaning, cooking, people skills, and how to fix things.

Robert also runs another business, but at the rink, he takes care of skate sales and the

Even though they purchased land for a rink in Owassa in 2014, they could not secure a loan. “We had to run [the Pryor rink] for three years before we could open ours,” Tammy explains.

Having business experience meant they could qualify for a loan with a lower deposit.

There were other hurdles to overcome. In 2015, Tammy was diagnosed with breast cancer. “Wheels & Thrills became my reason to keep going,” she reflects.

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GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR WHEELS AND THRILLS

Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

bar. “We just got our liquor license,” Tammy gushes. Named the Hole in the Wall because they literally cut a hole in the wall to make space, it features a “smart bar” to keep the footprint small.

The couple’s three sons all worked at the Pryor rink and still occasionally help out, but the youngest is in college, and the other two have full-time jobs.

Something for everyone They don’t do derby or hockey because Tammy wants to preserve their $40,000 painted walls, but they have a speed team. There are also special sessions, such as Adult Night, Dance Night, Christian Music Night, and Teen Night.

There’s no ball pit because Tammy considered sanitation an issue, but there’s a glow room, arcade, and multi-level, themed laser tag with special effects. There’s the Playzone for young children, with its impact-absorbing playground, bounce house, and two double slides. For the

dads, the Johnson's added five TVs near the seating areas.

They host New Year’s Eve balloon drops, Easter egg hunts – which saw 200 toddlers attend during the last spring break – and birthday parties, focusing on families. Tammy points out that most rinks don’t have birthday parties until the kids can skate, but A FULL ARCADE AND PLAY the Playzone at Wheels & ZONE MEANS SOMETHING Thrills offers opportunities FOR EVERYONE. for younger children.

Tammy “We do lots of costumes: says. They princess, superhero, and Paw Patrol themes.” market Her favorite is the Tiny Tots program for on social kids under six years old. Toddlers play with media and pony cycles, beach balls, and push toys. There’s the radio a game to help them learn colors and shapes. and do TV They can drive little cars under the limbo bar, spots on play in the bounce house, and skate. What Discover started as a Thursday Oklahoma. morning activity has Schools become so popular from other that Tammy added states come Tiny Tot sessions one for skating Saturday morning parties. and one Monday Through it all, Tammy is still living the dream. night a month. As the “It’s all about people and relationships.” Several children age out of of their original employees still work there. She the program, many says they’re like family – quite literally for some return to skate. of them. One pair got married, and two other couples are engaged. Overseeing it all is Tammy, surrogate mom to employees and skaters alike. “I wouldn’t know what to do otherwise.”

Building a community

A NEW LIQUOR LICENSE ALLOWED WHEELS AND THRILLS TO OPEN THEIR NEW "HOLE IN THE WALL" WITH A SMART BAR.

Some of the newness has worn off after five years. “Now we’re getting known,”

15 Tips for Aspiring Rink Owners 1.

Develop a business plan.

2.

Write down your goals.

3.

Form a legal entity, such as an LLC, to protect your assets.

11. Make sure your prices are competitive.

4.

Apply for an EIN for tax purposes.

5.

Calculate your expenses – including insurance, marketing, equipment, operating expenses, inventory, and staff.

12. Hire the right people, train them, and develop an employee handbook.

6.

Identify your target market.

7.

Open a business bank account.

8.

Obtain any necessary permits and licenses, such as music licensing (at a discount through your RSA membership) and liquor.

9.

Publicize what makes your rink unique.

10. Check out the competition. Don’t limit your competitors

to only roller skating centers. Visit other FECs in the area.

Know the bowling alleys, movie theaters, and sporting facilities in your area.

13. Define your brand, choose a name, and design a logo that professionally and consistently represents it.

14. Design a website and secure your social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. 15. Market and promote your rink through advertising, social media, and other means. Hold a grand opening and invite local officials or celebrities to it. Send out mailers. Pass out fliers. Build relationships with schools, churches, and other local organizations.

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By: Keith Loria

Historically, arcades were filled with teens playing their favorite games and little kids looking to win cute prizes with redemptions, but as roller rinks have learned in the past decade, that’s no longer the case. Today, cranes are utilized in the rink aimed at three generations of customers, all enjoying the latest and greatest cranes.

Ed Golebiowski, owner of Cheap Skate Funarama in Coon Rapids, MN, has six crane machines in his facility, a duck crane, a candy crane, and two medium-prize cranes with blind bags filled with prizes around $20. He also has two large cranes that contain reversible octopi and licensed plush and larger prizes.

“Because of supply issues, a lot of times I am being forced to change things out because I can’t get things in stock,” Golebiowski says. “The candy cranes and duck cranes are big for younger kids, and the six-inch glitter ducks or large, 10-inch lollypops are popular for older kids.”

The way the cranes operate today, Golebiowski can dial in the value of the prize. The claw will automatically tighten or loosen depending on how much money is brought in. That allows him to add larger-valued prizes.

Paula Rinker, merchandiser and planning manager for Coast To Coast Entertainment, which offers more than a dozen different crane machines, notes cranes are just a beautiful attraction in the rink and people are naturally drawn to them.

“Unlike a video game, it’s the attraction of the products that make the crane worthwhile,” she says. “I know a lot of skating rinks have products for sale, but they are really missing out on opportunity there. People will just buy what they want and take it away, whereas with the crane, like any type of

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redemption product, people will continue to play and play until they get the tickets for the prize they want. They are very powerful.”

The company’s hottest crane is an update to its Prize Cube, which is now called King Claw, bolstered by a change in glass, allowing the visibility of the products inside to be seen much better.

“People like the visuals of our Fun Zone cranes, which have a nice foil front, but the King Claw has a nice sleek front, but all four sides of the crane light up, and it provides a really dramatic presentation,” Rinker says. “For skating rinks unsure about the Fun Zone because of the wear and tear of the skate, I believe the King Claw is the great answer and delivers the ‘wow” effect.”

Coast to Coast Entertainment also offers a newer take on its famous Toy Taxi Crane, boasting a beautiful art package with an excellent LED light. The 24-inch Fun Zone, which is best for an operator looking for a smaller-footprint crane, allows them the ability to put whatever small merchandise they want inside—whether that’s candy, plush, ducks, or jewelry.

Gerry Clothier, vice president of sales for A&A Global Industries, notes the great thing about cranes are they offer the ability to give high-quality prizes to your guest and add in the

element of fun and winning.

“They are reasonably priced and don’t take much room or require a great deal of time to get them ready,” he says. “Two of the hottest cranes out there are the Find A Key from the Big Crane Company and Lil Diamond from Smart Industries. Both offer the player to win a prize every time.”

Cranes and other prize machines should be on a regular rotation to keep them fresh.

“Keep your games clean and in good operating order,” Clothier says. “Make sure to place merchandise in the cranes in an appealing manner. Keep the hot trends front and center and change out at least some of your merchandise monthly.”

Brad Armstrong, owner and operator of three rinks—Roller Kingdom in Reno, NV, The Rink in Sacramento, CA, and Top Gun Skate Center in Fallon, NV, deals with three different demographics of customers and creates a separate arcade and crane strategy for each one.

“Cranes are an essential part of all of my rinks, especially the one in Fallon,” he says. “I recently bought a new crane for my rink in Reno that’s as big as a small apartment. I also have the mini cranes, so I have the smallest and largest available.”

He’s also a fan of the play-till-you-win cranes,

where people don’t walk away without a prize, though it has a great ROI as it’s a dollar crane offering .17 cent items.

Armstrong chooses cranes based on the look, opting for neon colors and things that catch people’s eyes.

“As far as what I put in my cranes, I have a boy’s crane and a girl’s crane, which seem to work out really well,” he says. “You definitely want to put in licensed items over generic.”

Know Your Novelties Most customers at roller skating rinks are looking for novelty prizes that are trendy, licensed, unique, or higher quality than the typical items you might have found in the past.

That’s why it’s essential for rink operators to keep up with the latest trends and change their prizes regularly.

A&A Global and its affiliate, Koko’s Confectionery & Novelty, offer more than 7,000 products, including novelty candy, toys for kids of all ages, licensed merchandise, flashing and glow items, inflatables, party supplies, electronics, plush, and balls.

“We introduce new items each week and encourage our customers to try new items,” Clothier says. “Constant change is always good

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33

Top 5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Crane Games 1.

Invest in a crane where you can dial in a prize value. Most of the older cranes have more of a sensitivity dial, so Golebiowski notes investing in new equipment will get your ROI where it needs to be.

2. Change out merchandise and keep the product fresh. Don’t let items sit in machines for months. Pay attention to new trends.

3. Pay attention to what kids like and if it’s a happening trend, get on it. If everyone playing is aiming for the same prizes, this should tell you that it’s time to add more of

when it comes to redemption prizes. We analyze trends to predict what will sell and keep the inventory turning. Prizes must be high quality, trendy, versatile and ever changing.”

The company also works with rinks to provide continual suggestions and merchandising assistance to suit the needs of each customers’ demographics and customer focus.

“Keeping the redemption/prize center fully stocked, current and trendy, fresh and clean is the best way to keep the kids coming back and a great incentive for playing more games,” Clothier says. “You will never go wrong with Icee Squeeze, Icee Spray and Slush Puppie Dip N Lik, and will wow the crowd with trendy items like Tik Tok Jelly, which is all the rage thanks to the many TikTok videos.”

To attract older kids and adults, cranes may have high-end items like Nintendo Switch, headphones or a bundle of 5,000 tickets that could be traded in at the prize counter— Golebiowski found success with all of these prizes.

When choosing what to add to the cranes, Rinker notes that anything squishy and tactile is popular right now, but rink operators should pay attention to the latest trends and make adjustments as needed.

Some of the hot trends in spring of 2022 are reversible octopi and plush.

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Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

those items because people will be more apt to spend their money.

4. Put them in high-traffic areas. If you don’t have an arcade in the facility, put the crane near the snack bar or somewhere up front so you can attract players coming in and out of the rink.

5. Don’t overstuff machines so it looks impossible to get something. Players want to win, and you need to ensure that people are winning enough that they will keep playing.

“With the rising cost of plush, operators should not be afraid to look at good quality, generic plush,” Rinker says. “The licensed plush is always nice, but you can find some really nice pieces like unicorns and dinosaurs with great neon colors, and they are a fraction of what you would have to pay for those.”

Because of supply issues, rink operators shouldn’t be afraid to get creative with their choices and mix in balls, lollypops, and other items to keep things fresh.

Successful Tactics Cranes can be utilized to drive traffic to a darker area of a facility or improve a food & beverage outlet by having a crane nearby.

Rinker says there’s one thing she’s noticed that roller rinks don’t take advantage of with their cranes—and that’s using cranes as not just a source of incremental revenue but as a marketing tool for the business.

“Rinks should be offering prizes with custom logos or custom products, and get their brand awareness out there,” she says. “They can even use their own resources for prizes, such as coupons at the snack bar or for a free skate rental, to generate some repeat business. You can use your cranes to work for your business.”

She also notes rinks shouldn’t be afraid to get

creative and use their crane to cross-pollinate or promote other games within the arcade. For instance, Coast to Coast Entertainment may have a Willy Wonka-themed plush in a crane next to a pusher, they will Velcro the individual player’s card onto the plush, so if a player is collecting the cards and need that card to finish the set, it incents them to play the crane to get that item. It also gives them an incentive to try the pusher.

“This is a great way to boost revenues and increase traffic to the games and get players to stay longer and enhance their experience,” Rinker says.

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35

liability & human resources

Customer C

I

Service

How to Deal with Difficult Customers

By Keith Loria

t seems that customers have become excessively difficult lately, and rink operators and their staff have had to deal with uncontrollable and angry customers.

“There’s no question that COVID has put people on edge; they are quick to anger like they’ve never been,” says Jared Halls, general manager of Classic Fun Center in Orem, Utah.

“We’ve always had unruly customers, but they get there a lot quicker these days.”

Darla Dunn, an operator at Cordova Skating Center in Cordova, TN, notes her year has been full of customers who are screaming, cussing, and not wanting to obey the rules—especially dress codes—and for many of these instances, she finds it best just to have the customers go away.

“Refunds have become a very common answer,” she says. “If they don’t like something, here’s your money back.”

Encounters like this have been increasing, and most experts blame the pandemic and folks being held up in their homes for so long.

Joseph Michelli, an internationally known speaker who deals with the customer experience in his seminars and who happens to have been “big into roller skating during my day,” is not surprised by the experiences he hears about in roller rinks and other facilities.

“There’s been a real trend of selfishness in America,” he says. “People have become more self-absorbed and the me-generation is definitely a part of it. We’re socially polarized so we have a society where you can pretty much say anything and half the people would agree with you and half the people would take offense. All those factors play into this.”

The fact that this past year has been full of controversy concerning mask mandates and social distancing has only added to frustrations and attitudes among customers and has really amped up the problem.

“We’ve seen many people who are frustrated and depressed and there’s just a whole bunch of emotional issues that have taken root because of the pandemic,” Michelli says.

DEFINING A DIFFICULT CUSTOMER A problematic customer can fall into many ranges, but for the most part, they are angry, judgy, opinionated, snarky or demanding.

“All of us have become difficult customers on some level—we want what we want, when we want it, as memorably and cheaply as possible, and as fast as possible,” Michelli says. “We’ve all been conditioned thanks to increasing technology and providers like Amazon, to have higher expectations of what customer service should look like.”

Add to that the fact that some people feel entitled, and that there needs transcend everyone else’s, and you have the perfect storm for difficult customers.

Halls notes there are numerous things that cause someone to be difficult, and it usually comes down to them not getting what they wanted or trying to get something they shouldn’t be getting. For example, they may have a coupon that isn’t valid for the day they try, their video game may be having problems, or they might complain about a birthday party because there are more people than they thought on their guest list.

Simon Bailey, a speaker and author who deals with the subject, notes roughly seven out of 10

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people in the workplace are stressed out, and when people don’t have an outlet, they act out in other ways, and the slightest little thing triggers them. That’s what many rink operators are seeing happen with their customers.

“They may lash out, they may be confrontational, they might raise their voice and say things aren’t run properly if things are going slower than normal,” he says. “And most of them think they are right so rink workers need to work to diffuse things.”

CONFLICT RESOLUTION Halls has an interesting way of handling things—he just gives in to what the customers want.

“I teach my managers to say ‘yes’ and let them have what they want,” he says. “If someone doesn’t want to pay for two guests at the party because they say they don’t know who they are, we’ll take them off. If someone has a coupon that doesn’t work on Saturdays, and it’s Saturday, we’ll honor it that day. If a video game took a token, we’ll get them set up with a new game.”

While his managers feel he is getting played more often than not, Halls doesn’t care because it makes the customer happy, diffuses the situation and keeps people in the facility and

coming back.

“The naysayers will say I’m getting ripped off and people will take advantage of you, but I’ve been doing this 30 years and I have found it’s like one in a thousand of someone who is really trying to rip you off,” Halls says. “People are happy in the building, so that’s all that matters.

It’s so much easier.”

And sometimes, rather than give money back, he’s a big fan of giving gift certificates, which makes the customer happy and gets people returning to the rink.

When he’s discussing conflict resolution strategies, Michelli tells people that despite the old adage, the customer is not always right.

“Because they are your customers, and we would like to turn a sour or negative customer into a positive customer who will come back in again and do business with us and refer people, we’re going to try and take the high road to get this person as functional as possible,” he says, adding that there are limits to this. “It’s important to tell your team that at no time should a customer mistreat an employee, and if that happens, it should escalate to a supervisor to try and de-escalate a person. If that still doesn’t work, you’re going to have to get some other source in there to encourage the person not to stay on the rink premises.”

There are limits, but it’s essential to put some sort of effort to try to neutralize them and turn them into positive influencers for the rink.

“Let’s make sure we know what they are upset about,” Michelli says. “Sometimes we think we know and try to fix before truly understanding.

Maybe there’s something that warrants this type

liability & human resources ONLINE TROLLS

of reaction. Think about what might have it taken for yourself to get that upset and if you were, how would you want someone to treat you.”

Michelli’s best piece of advice is to listen to a person and acknowledge that you are hearing them, even if they are not making much sense or are really loud, and remind yourself this is not a personal attack. This person probably treats many people this way, and your job is to try and get them to a constructive place.

“Lower your voice as they raise theirs, and try to use a calm approach, which can be extremely hard as someone is yelling at you,” he says. “We biologically jack up because it’s a threat, and we feel like someone is going to harm us and our flight or fight response gets activated. It takes a lot of work, training and deep breaths to counteract the nervous system and get you in the proper mind space to help to help.”

Many people rely on social media reviews these days, which is why a difficult customer who has free reign to say what they want can be a terrible thing for business.

If someone leaves the rink a bad review or says something negative, Michelli notes to take the conversation out of social media.

“Reach out by direct message and get a conversation outside of the public boards,” he says. “The goal is to come up with a resolution.”

If something is settled and you calm the customer down, then you can ask if they would consider rescinding their review or comment.

“You don’t want to push them, but if things are really resolved, the goal is to get them to revise what they have said,” Michelli says.

Once the difficult customer finishes their rant, ask, “what do you need me to do?”

“It’s critical that they articulate their needs rather than you trying to guess,” Michelli says.

“You need to balance empathy and assertiveness.

If you do this badly, and you are overly empathetic, you let people run all over you. If you are dominant and go straight at them, it also won’t work.”

Bailey said you should always try to take a disgruntled customer off to the side, so their attitude doesn’t have a domino effect on other customers.

“Stay calm and try to bring people down to where you are,” he says. “The main goal is to agree upon what a solution will look like.”

TOP 20 sONGS April 2022

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Gayle - abcdefu Justin Bieber - Ghost Glass Animals - Heat Waves Lil Nas X - That's What I Want The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber - Stay Imagine Dragons - Enemy Ed Sheeran - Bad Habits Ed Sheeran - Shivers Charlie Puth - Light Switch Elton John & Dua Lipa - Cold Heart Doja Cat - You Right

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

Alesso & Katy Perry - When I'm Gone Post Malone & The Weeknd - One Right Now 5 Seconds Of Summer - Complete Mess Lauren Spencer-Smith - Fingers Crossed Harry Styles - As It Was Camila Cabello - Bam Bam Avril Lavigne F/Blackbear - Love It When You Hate Me 19. Benson Boone - Ghost Town 20. Shawn Mendes - When You're Gone

Chart compiled from national airplay charts and Promo Only feedback.

For more information, vist www.promoonly.com.

The Industry’s #1 Source for Music and Music Videos.

Rinksider - The Roller Skating Business Magazine

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Rinksider - The Roller Skating Business Magazine

39

news and commentary

Roller R Sports

F

ive years ago, the board of directors for the RSA had a strategic planning session that included many of its members.

One of the goals was to look for a way to have the rink owners more involved in running roller sports.

A majority vote decided that it would put its own program together with the goal of hosting championships that would boost rink involvement and get rink sports more in the public—and Olympic—eye.

Bobby Bentley, former president of RSA, was elected president of the newly-named American Roller Sports, and the plan was set in motion.

Initially, it started developing programs for the Inline Hockey Association and five years ago, it held the first-ever American Inline Hockey Championships and American Roller Speed Skating Championships.

“The importance of this is we had these beginner skate programs and achievement programs, and these kids were participating in them, but they would go nowhere once they finished with them,” Bentley says. “We felt like we needed to develop programs that would continue on the achievement program to better the sport.”

Plus, it gave the rink owners a turnkey program they could run themselves and gave them a path to get certified to teach.

After three years, COVID interrupted the 2020 event, but it was back in 2021 with the Rink Hockey Championships added to the mix, and this year, the Artistic Roller Skating Championships will make its inaugural bow.

Today, American Roller Sports has a base of more than 1,000 skaters in roller hockey, ball hockey, speed, artistic, freestyle and style skating.

“My best advice for coaches and skaters is to come in with an open mind,” Bentley says.

“You want to teach your kids to participate in roller sports and learn all the disciplines of roller sports and know it will advance your classes that you’re teaching in your local roller rink.”

THE UPCOMING CHAMPIONSHIPS From May 26-30, the American Rink Hockey Championships will take place at the Xfinity Roller Sports Arena by Skate City, in Colorado 40

Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

The Rise of American Roller Sports and the Upcoming American Championships

By Keith Loria

Springs, CO. This will be followed by the American Rink Hockey Championships from May 26 - 30, the American Inline Hockey Championships from June 3-12, then the American Roller Speed Championships from June 15-19, and the American Artistic Roller Skating Championships, held July 23-28.

All of the events will be streamed live on Rollerplanet.net.

Larry Bishop, vice president of American Roller Sports, owns Skate City rinks and donates his facility for the events, knowing what a great thing this is for the industry.

“It’s an opportunity for rink owners to have their sports participants compete in an event that is dedicated to their customers,” he says. “This is for the rinks and their skaters. It’s an association run by their roller skating association and it’s clearly the best event run in their disciplines. It’s always an impressive showing.”

His facility meets all international specifications for each sport, whether it’s the rink hockey floor, the hardwood floor for artistic skating or the stall-mat interlocking tile floor for inline hockey.

Plus, he’s boosting the rink up for the championships by adding a brand-new, state-ofthe-art digital flat screen that will be available.

“We’ll have four dressing rooms for the athletes, all with pine-wood locker stalls, and flat screens for them to watch,” Bishop says.

“We’ve got brand new air conditioning on the skating floor and it’s just going to be an amazing event all around.”

For those taking part in the events, medals and trophies will be awarded, and the speed skating championships has a prize pool of

$10,000.

Among the notable skaters who have attended the American Championships in the past include inline skating USA World Team members Kelsey Rogers and Kayla Duque; inline star skater Jazmyn Foster; national speed champion Jeilyn Godin; youth inline skating star Michaela Renick; and two-time national inline skating champion, Mackenzie Robinson.

On the men’s side, notable names include Team USA speed skaters Christian Keesler, Justin Stelly and Herbie Harbison III; and professional inline skaters Gabriel Lyons, Dustin Hebson, Colton Miller and James Sadler.

Many of these fan favorites are expected to appear at the 2022 championships as well.

These names will help in bringing more notoriety to the event and hopefully take these championships to the next level.

“There’s a long-term plan to help spearhead some energy in roller sports here in Colorado Springs, known as Olympic City to many,” Bishop says. “We’re trying to bring roller sports to their attention and at the very least, we want to be a demonstration sport in 2028 for the L.A. Games.”

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social media & technology

Digital D

Footprint

M

ost people cannot imagine a world without the internet. But the start of public access to the digital world dates back only to 1989, when the first providers hit the scene, according to RetroComputingStackExchange.com. Flashforward to today, when internet users account for nearly 60 percent of the world population, or close to five billion people. With that many people, there has also been an increase in the number of internet users. Year-over-year digital adoption has grown just over seven percent for 2021, according to the same global overview report from datareportal.com.

While the average time on social media has nearly doubled in five years, the overall increase in average hours on social media has slowed in growth to less than one percent year-over-year increase, according to reports from Global Web Index.

This is an interesting dilemma: more internet users but not as dramatic of an average time increase on social platforms meant to share digital content. A key question arises from this data: how do companies spotlight their digital content so as to have longevity for years to come, when there seems to be possible downward pressure on engagement? The answer lies in the type of digital engagement used to capture user attention fully when they are online.

Consider these three times of digital engagement as an organization’s new staple to put a spotlight on their digital footprint.

1. LIVE STREAM VIDEO & AUDIO One great way to incorporate digital engagement is to have it in real time. Live streaming of either video or audio allows the audience to comment, share and engage as the conversation progresses. This is also a great way to move the conversation to one that is more relevant in the moment for the audience members.

This can be a scary endeavor as companies do not have full control over the content as it is being created. However, in those unscripted moments, true and amazing digital engagement can be found. And because the live streaming allows for audience engagement, the impact of the content will resonate for those audience 42

Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

Put a Spotlight on Your Digital Footprint: Types of Digital Enhancements that Have Longevity to Shine

By Lisa Apolinski, CMC

members.

Giving up control of how the content unfolds has risks but so much more reward.

Involving your audience in your content is a great way to make the content relevant in that moment and for future audiences who will be listening to great live engagement.

PRO TIP: To keep the conversation in the intended lane, limit live stream to 30 minutes or less.

2. USER GENERATED CONTENT Some of the best content is generated by customers and clients. User-generated content provides prospects with information that is highly applicable because it comes from a similar viewpoint. User-generated content can also answer questions and concerns that companies are not aware of and in a way that provides the appropriate type of information future customers want to know.

User-generated content allows customers to become company advocates. This type of free publicity also provides different voices in an organization’s digital content and some amazing perspectives can be provided.

What’s more, content that is created by happy customers can provide alternate points of view and new messaging that might not have been considered. Most user-generated content will be limited to social media posts, images and video.

However, any user-generated content can be repurposed and shared on other digital channels, which provides additional content options.

PRO TIP: Ask customers to share their usergenerated content on the company socials.

3. VIRTUAL EVENTS & COMMUNITIES Allowing for virtual events and communities as additions or alternatives to in-person options provides a platform for customers to engage exclusively with one another. This is an important consideration, as many organizations want to insert themselves directly into conversations when stepping aside and allowing authentic connection can be exactly what

customers need.

These types of virtual engagements allow companies to be a proverbial fly on the wall.

Seeing the types of conversations customers have with one another can show the current concerns of the day. This can provide future opportunities to create solutions for the customer base, and expand into untapped product and services areas.

Virtual events and communities can also provide the support customers need as they learn how to use these products and services, from basic 101 guides to ingenious hacks. Being aware of the types of questions as well as answers can provide additional content ideas, such as cheat sheets, videos that address common issues and tips and tricks to get the most out of the purchased products and services.

PRO TIP: Resist the urge to be an active participant in the virtual conversations unless invited.

There is one theme that appears with each of these types of content – the audience is in the creation driver’s seat. By allowing customers to create the digital content, they will also be much more inclined to engage with that content, including comments and sharing. Content that is developed from the customers’ perspective dramatically increases the chance of that content being highly relevant. Relevant content will have a much longer shelf life in the digital world and allow more eyes to see it.

Strong digital engagement can provide the spotlight organizations need on their digital footprint. Bring these types of digital engagement into a regular rotation to create longevity in digital content.

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43

marketing

Sales S

& Marketing

F

inding talent right now is hard, and those difficulties are well documented. But when it comes to hiring sellers, some companies are making it even harder on themselves.

The problem? Hiring sellers is simply a completely different — and unique — challenge from any other position in your organization.

There are three obstacles that exist only in the selling role that get in the way. Unfortunately, traditional methods of hiring aren’t going to overcome them, and can actually make things worse.

Understanding the way that sellers think and act can lead to finding better applicants and making fewer hiring mistakes. Here are the three unique obstacles: NO OTHER POSITION IS DESIGNED FOR A FIGHT. Other positions in your company have challenges to overcome. But no other position is expected to deal with others actively working against them.

Sellers must compete for business. They see everyone around them as competition, and they expect you, as employer, to see it that way, too.

One recent candidate was approached by a company that offered enormous commissions based on the second and third sales, after a small initial purchase. The problem? Those follow-on sales were the responsibility of an inside team, not the seller being hired.

When you’re constantly observing the world around you trying to take away your sale, that’s an unattractive offer. Despite potential on-target earnings in the high six figures, the candidate didn’t even ask for the interview.

“They can dream up those numbers all they want,” she said, “But it just doesn’t work like that. I’m not putting my income in someone else’s hands.”

NO OTHER POSITION IS DESIGNED TO BE IGNORED. Most positions get lots of feedback. Work is subject to review. Customers let you know what they think. One of the main functions of management is to let people know how they’re doing and enabling them to do better.

Sellers? Not so much. When they miss

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Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

Three Reasons Why Hiring Salespeople Just Doesn't Work Like That

By Sara Wesche

the mark, they’re met with silence. That may sound like an attractive proposition, but imagine a world in which self-improvement is largely left entirely up to you, alone.

Doesn’t sound so great now, does it?

In fact, the internet has fundamentally changed selling.

No longer do prospects need information early on in the sale. The internet has made buyers ignore salespeople until the very end of their journey. They only engage after they’ve done all their research on their own.

This is why big offers alone don’t attract highquality sellers. To the candidate, every dollar is the same, but not every earning opportunity is.

Without the right tools and structure in place, they’re left on an island. There’s too much to figure out and not enough time to hunt down business.

To employers, offers without this structure can be seen as “lots of freedom.” But to the candidate, it seems like the employer is relying on them to figure everything out. That’s unattractive, especially in a world where they’re already ignored more and more.

NO OTHER POSITION IS ALL IN ITS HEAD. Think about the interview most of the people in your company had, before they were first hired. Their manager almost certainly was looking for either formal education or years of experience in order to consider them for the job.

Not sellers.

The vast majority started selling at some point in their career without any formal education, and with little experience. And that’s a problem because, unlike other professionals whose work you can point to and say “that’s incorrect,” with selling it’s different.

The soft-skill nature of selling, combined with very little formal education, creates a space in which self-limiting beliefs can come into play.

Hiring companies that don’t understand these hurdles are doomed to making bad hires more often.

THE COSTS ARE TOO HIGH TO MISS The cost of missing a sales hire is so much

higher than in any other position. They command some of the highest salaries in the organization. When they miss deals, those opportunities don’t come back around. The worst hires can even damage reputations.

A bad hire in management could cost a company tens of thousands of dollars. A bad hire in sales could cost that same company hundreds of thousands – or more.

Yet, time and time again, companies are tossing up We’re Hiring posts and expecting their revenues to improve in six months or less.

The best sellers are already working somewhere else. They’re not looking for new roles. And employers who can’t understand their world aren’t going to get their attention. Instead, those employers are going to attract the wrong kind of talent that won’t move the needle.

If you want to hire the best sellers, you have to understand the reality they’re facing. Show them how you’ll help them compete. Show them how you’ll prepare and equip them. Search for the ones with the right mentality it takes to earn deals.

This is the only way to make certain you don’t bear the cost of a bad hire in sales, one where neither employer nor employee are enjoying their brief time together.

Sara Wesche is the director of customer enablement for Revenue Path Group, where she helps B2B sales companies develop their seller and business development talent and equip their teams to sell the way modern prospects buy.

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liability & human resources

Staff S

Success

K

endra, I think you’re going to do wonderfully at this next task. You have a good eye for detail, and that’s exactly what’s required here.”

“Tom, you have a real knack with people, and I’d like you to take on a temporary role in account management. I think you will thrive based on what I’ve seen you do with our internal customers.”

“When I was asked to recommend someone to head the new department, I immediately thought of you. You learn quickly, you work hard, and you’re good at bringing a team together. These next few months are going to be a heavy lift, and I can’t think of anyone else better suited to the task.”

Like gardeners planting seeds, people who spot potential can help others produce results they may never have imagined for themselves. By following a few steps, anyone can learn to see the future success in others.

STEP ONE: START WITH STRENGTHS Pay attention to what’s special. Everyone has talents, and great potential-spotters zero in on those gifts. Is someone organized, great with people, quick to pick on new activities, or mechanically inclined?

STEP TWO: LOOK IN LESS OBVIOUS AREAS Once you’ve identified the visible strengths, start looking in less obvious places. You may uncover a hidden talent. An average performer may become exceptional with a little help from the power of suggestion.

STEP THREE: STICK WITH SINCERITY It’s one thing to recognize a spark before you see it. It’s another to tell people they’re good at something when there is significant evidence to the contrary. Most people can spot insincerity from a mile away, so it’s important to remain sincere.

STEP FOUR: IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES In addition to recognizing possibility, great potential-spotters are on the lookout for the places where others can shine. They know opportunities come in all shapes and sizes.

Sometimes the opportunity is a task or project.

Other times it’s a position or some other responsibility.

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Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

The Power of Potential: Planting the Seeds for Success, One Person at a Time

By Kate Zabriskie

STEP FIVE: BRING THE PERSON AND THE OPPORTUNITY TOGETHER IN THE RIGHT PLACE Great potential-spotters understand not only who and what to pair, but also how to introduce the opportunity.

Sometimes these conversations are casual, and other times they’re formal meetings. Which type to hold largely depends on the person and the task.

And because every circumstance is different, it’s important to be deliberate.

If the task is part of routine work, a short conversation held in public may be appropriate. Conversely, when presenting a large project or new position, a formal meeting might be a better option.

STEP SIX: CONNECT WHAT AND WHY Potential-spotters follow a formula. They recognize a person’s strength, how it fits with the opportunity, and why the match makes sense.

“Julie, you’ve always done well with spreadsheets. I think you’d be a good fit for the position that’s opening in inventory management. Their system is similar to what you’ve been working with. In the role, not only would you be able to use what you currently know, but you’d also grow your skill set and open yourself to additional opportunities.”

“Ben, I’ve been watching you work. You know how to follow the SOP, and now I think you’re ready to increase your speed. You’re diligent in your approach to what you do, and your attitude is certainly one of ‘can do.’ I’d like to get you some additional time on the line later today. I know you could be one of our top performers with some practice.”

STEP SEVEN: PREPARE FOR A RANGE OF REACTIONS People react to potential-spotters in a range of ways. Some embrace what they’re told and look forward to tackling whatever opportunity the spotter highlights. Others get bogged down in self-doubt and require additional reassurance.

And from time to time, the spotter meets with rejection when the person with the potential doesn’t immediately, or for that matter, ever, embrace the opportunity. A good potentialspotter is ready for anything.

STEP EIGHT: SET THE STAGE FOR SUCCESS Sometimes people with great potential fail because of factors that have nothing to do with the person or the opportunity. Exceptional potential-spotters keep this in mind. To the extent they can, they pave the way for success with training, exposure to information, time to practice new skills, and other appropriate resources.

STEP NINE: EMBRACE ALL RESULTS When people meet with success, potentialspotters acknowledge it, and they’re well on their way toward finding additional opportunities to build on what’s been achieved. On the other hand, when people and opportunities don’t come together well, a good potential-spotter takes the situation in stride and finds other avenues in which people can thrive.

STEP TEN: MAKE TIME FOR SPOTTING Potential-spotting can happen organically, but it can happen more often when you set aside time to think about it. Scheduling spotting time can yield great results. Great potential is in everyone, and when it’s unleashed, it compounds. Success builds success.

Imagine if everyone in your workplace realized even half of their potential. What could people achieve alone and together? Probably more than they do now. So, whose potential do you need to spot today?

MOVING FUN FORWARD

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47

connections

2022 RSA Affiliate Member Listings If your firm services the roller skating industry or small business owners and you would like information about becoming a member, or you are a current member needing to update your information, call the Association headquarters at 317-347-2626 Ext. 108. If you would like an additional listing under another RSM category, there is a charge of $125 per additional category.

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY & SOCIAL MEDIA AXE PAYMENTS

Brian Worth 877-429-3729 501 E. Las Olas Blvd. Ft. Lauderdale FL 33301 bworth@getaxepay.com www.getaxepay.com

BEYOND

Kristin Novak-Csapo 302-668-7282 204 Miriam Dr., Bear, DE 19701 kristin.novak-csapo@getbeyond.com me.getbeyond.com/kristinnovakcsapo

HOWND

Brandon Willey 877-394-2410 1840 E. Guadalupe Rd., Floor 2 Tempe, AZ 85283 brandon@hownd.com www.hownd.com

IDEAL SOFTWARE SYSTEMS

Cat Owen 3839 Hwy 45 North, Meridian, MS 39301 800-964-3325 fecsales@idealss.com

INFLY

801-550-6166 36 W. Syracuse Rd., Vineyard, UT 84059 team@infly.com www.infly.co

INTERCARD INC.

Rhonda Stevens 314-275-8066 1884 Lackland Hill Parkway Suite 1, St. Louis, MO 63146 rstevens@intercardinc.com www.intercardinc.com

LILYPAD

Jeremy Devalk 4056 Meadowbrooke Dr., Unit 148, London, ON NBL 1ES jeremy@lilypadpos.com www.lilypadpos.com

MANCUSO, INC.

Nick Champa 859-404-7744 297 Ruccio Way, Lexington, KY 40503 nick@visitchamps.com nick@visitchamps.com/mancuso

PARTY CENTER SOFTWARE

Scott Drummond 888-804-1166 1010 Camerado Drive #206, Cameron Park, CA 95682 sales@partycentersoftware.com www.partycentersoftware.com

PARTYWIRKS.COM

Larry McLean 503-488-5516 9450 SW Gemini Dr, Suite 30375 Beaverton OR 97008 larry@partywirks.com www.partywirks.com

RADIOBOSS

Adam Smith 516-694-6000 28 Baiting Place Rd., Farmingdale, NY 11735 adam@radioboss.com www.radioboss.com

ROLLER DIGITAL

Kevin Columbo 213-839-6940 13910 Fiji Way, Apt. 171, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 partners@rollerdigital.com

ROLLER PLANET

Bob James Colorado Springs, CO customerservice@rollerplanet.net www.rollerplanet.net

SEMNOX SOLUTIONS LLC

Brian Duke 11498 Luna Rd Suite 200, Farmers Branch, TX 75234 616-264-4816 brian.duke@semnox.com www.semnox.com

TIMES TWO TECHNOLOGY

Kendall Cabe 508-283-3830 Ext. 801 1257 Worcester Rd. #296, Framingham, MA 01701 kendall.cabe@timestwotechnology. com www.timestwotechnology.com

YOUR EVENTS TEAM

Michael Douglas 8424 A. Santa Monica Blvd., #736, West Hollywood, CA 90069 michael@youreventsteam.com www.youreventsteam.com

COIN OPERATED LOCKERS AMERICAN LOCKER SECURITY SYSTEMS 2380 Dean Way, Suite 100 South Lake, TX 76092 800-828-9118 info@americanlocker.com www.americanlocker.com

CONSULTING AND RINK PLANNING RC SPORTS INC.

Nathan Dieringer 913-894-5177 14501 W. 98th, Pillar 18-51A, Lenexa, KS 66219 nathan@rcsports.com www.rcsports.com

US DESIGN LAB

813-947-2360 15077 N. 40th St., Suite 103B, Tampa, FL 33605 gary@usdesignlab.com www.usdesignlab.com

FINANCIAL, PLANNING AND PAYMENT SYSTEMS CFG WEALTH MANAGEMENT SERVICES

48

Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

Michael Puckett 317-841-7959 9840 Westpoint Drive, Suite 150, Indianapolis, IN 46256 mpuckett@cfgwms.com www.cfgwms.com

CSA BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

David Brewer 866-400-0272 797 Bishops Circle, Evans, GA 30809 dbrewer@csamail.net www.csabusinesssolutions.com

FEC FINANCIAL GROUP LLC

Scot Heit 800-417-6883 12414 Medford Rd., Philadelphia, PA 19154 scott@fecfin.com www.fecfin.com

INTERLINE CASH SYSTEMS INC., DBA CA$HMATE USA John Kinley 888.437.0920 P.O. Box 366261, Bonita Springs FL 34136 john@cashmate.us www.cashmateusa.com

FLOOR MATERIALS AND INSTALLATIONS ASTRO CARPET MILLS

Stefanie Mantooth 800-542-4189 extension 836 PO Box 1059, Calhoun, GA 30701 smantooth@marquisind.com www.astrocarpetmills.com

FLAGSHIP CARPETS

Marsha Long 800-778-5241 734 S. River St., PO Box 1779, Calhoun, GA 30701 marsha@flagshipcarpets.com www.neoncarpets.com

FLOOR SYSTEMS INC

Kim Wall 260-484-7746 4517 Industrial Rd., Fort Wayne, IN 46825 kim@floorsystemsinc.com www.floorsystemsinc.com

OMEGA PATTERN WORKS

Kristin Messick Office: 800-554-7007 Cell: 620-200-5405 PO Box 1059, Calhoun, GA 30701 kamessick@gmail.com www.omegapatternworks.com

REPCOLITE

Roy Spencer 231-726-5911 1250 9th Ave, Muskegon, MI 49440 muskegon@repcolite.com www.repcolite.com

ROLL-ON FLOOR PRODUCTS

Joseph Nazzaro Jr. 817-571-2438 233 W. Pipeline Rd., Hurst, TX 76053 joenazzaro@aol.com www.roll-on.com

SOUTHEASTERN SKATE SUPPLY #2 David Ramsey 800-241-8060 462 Veterans Memorial Hwy, SE, Mableton, GA 30126 david@seskate2.com www.southeasternskatesupply.com

TITE COAT INTERNATIONAL Scott Gray 800-442-8483 2440 County Road 870 Crane Hill, AL 35053 owner@titecoat.com www.titecoat.com

VERSACOURT

Jamie Noble 843-884-0603 205 Boring Drive, Dalton, GA 30721 jaime.noble@recreationalgroup.com www.icecourt.com

GROUNDS MAINTENANCE AND OFFICE CHEMICALS AGENT + CLEANER & PROTECTANTS

Brian Carel 417-864-6644 2733 E. Battlefield #156 Springfield, MO 65804 brian@agentplus.solutions ProtectedByAGentPlus.com

INSURANCE AMERITRUST INSURANCE GROUP Lisa Ignoto 913-266-5325 11880 College Blvd, Ste 500, Overland Park, KS 66210 lisa.ignoto@ameritrustgroup.com https://www.ameritrustconnect.com/ association/rsa

HANASAB INSURANCE SERVICES INC Robert Ferrer 323-782-8454 625 South Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036 robert@hanasabinsurance.com www.hanasabinsurance.com

JBL TRINITY GROUP LTD

Anthony Profaci 800-925-7465 50 First Avenue, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 7716 anthonyprofaci@jbltrinity.com www.skatinginsurance.com

LEGAL INTERNATIONAL AMUSEMENT & LEISURE DEFENSE ASSOCIATION PO Box 4563 Louisville, KY 40204 502-473-0956 info@ialda.org www.ialda.org

connections

MEDIA BOWLING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE & TRAINERTAINMENT David Garber 817-886-4840 6829 Green Leave Dr. North Richland Hills, TX 76182 david.garber@trainertainment.net www.trainertainment.net

RINKSIDER MAGAZINE Lynette Rowland 317-347-2626 Ext. 107 6905 Corporate Drive Indianapolis, IN 46278 editor@rollerskating.com www.rollerskating.com

ROLLER SK8R MAGAZINE

Susan Geary 540-339-9461 4712 Oak Rd. NW, Roanoke VA rollerskater@susangeary.com

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS AND PARKS MAGAZINE

Scott Borowski 610-645-6940 1062 E. Lancaster Ave. Suite F/5, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 www.tapmag.com

MUSIC ASCAP

John Bonaccorso 800-505-4052 2 Music Square West Nashville TN 37203 jjohnson@ascap.com www.ascap.com

FEC MUSIC

Jim Juniper 866-684-8324 787 Adelaide St North Suite 2, London, ON N5Y 2L8 sales@fecmusic.com http://www.fecmusic.com

NOVELTY ITEMS/ REDEMPTION PRODUCTS A & A GLOBAL INDUSTRIES

Kim Dunn 800-638-6000 17 Stenerson Lane, Cockeysville, MD 21030 kdunn@aaglobal.com www.aaglobal.com

BMI MERCHANDISE

Dave Schwartz 732-363-0212 1960 Rutgers University Blvd., Lakewood, NJ 8701 dschwartz@bmimerchandise.com www.bmimerchandise.com

COAST TO COAST/ELAUT GROUP USA Jimmy Chapman 732-238-0096 2201 4th Avenue North Lake Worth Beach, FL 33461 jchapman@elautgroupusa.com www.cranemachines.com

FUN EXPRESS

Lae Phonephakdy 402-939-3020 4206 S 108th St, Omaha, NE 68137 laep@funexpress.com www.funexpress.com

FUNTASTIC NOVELTIES INC.

Kris Wall Friesner 260-482-1566 4515 Industrial Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46825 kris@funtasticnovelties.com www.funnov.com

GLOWORKS

Joe Iacona 800-809-4569 23133 Schoenherr Road, Warren, MI 48089 joe@gloworks.com www.gloworks.com

RHODE ISLAND NOVELTY

Dan Highcove 800-435-3456 350 Commerce Dr., Fall River, MA 02720 dhighcove@rinovelty.com www.rinovelty.com

SSM VENDING

Judi Heston-Donnell 877-213-0500 1716 West Broadway Road Suite 111, Mesa, AZ 85202 judi@ssmvending.com www.ssmvending.com

STICKER AWESOME

ROLLER SKATES & DISTRIBUTORS

info@lasertron.us www.lasertron.us

PLAYSMART

Gary Boots 217-221-4031 107 North Missouri, Sedalia, MO 65301 gboots@playsmart.com www.playsmart.com

RIDE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

Tamara Dean 503-606-4438 PO Box 40, Independence, OR 97351 RDCcars@gmail.com www.bumpercar.com

ROLLER SKATE MANUFACTURERS ATOM SKATES

Josh Haagen 253-301-3460 2750 Williamson Place NW Suite 148, DuPont, WA 98327 Info@atomskates.com www.atomskates.com

CHICAGO SKATES/NATIONAL SPORTING GOODS

Jill Cook 425-999-3379 319 169th St. SW, Bothell WA 98012 jill@stickerawesome.com www.stickerawesome.com

Joel Aranson 973-779-2323 376 Hollywood Ave., Fairfield, NJ 7004 skater@chicagoskates.com www.chicagoskates.com

THE STUFF SHOP

CRAZY SKATES USA

Mike Hill 800-860-8474 111 Triple Diamond Blvd, North Venice, FL 34275 mike@stuffshop.com www.stuffshop.com

Trent Carter 317-222-6105 2801 Fortune Circle East Indianapolis, IN 46241 contact@crazyskateco.com www.crazyskateco.com

JAMMERZ SKATE COMPANY

PARTY SUPPLIES PARTY DIRECT

Kimberly Hawkins 800-548-7868 PO Box 353, Peru, IN 46970 acct@partydirect.com www.partydirect.com

REBECCA’S

Joseph Nazzaro Jr. 817-545-2745 233 W. Pipeline Rd., Hurst, TX 76053 service@rebeccas.com www.rebeccas.com

PLAY EQUIPMENT AND LASER TAG CREATIVE WORKS INC.

Armando Lanuti 317-834-4770 350 Bridge St., Mooresville, IN 46158 marketing@thewoweffect.com www.thewoweffect.com

LASER BLAST

Carla Ewald 877-338-7889 6118 Gotfredson Rd., Plymouth, MI 48170 mike@laser-blast.com www.laser-blast.com

LASERTRON

Ann Kessler 716-836-0670 251 Meyer Rd., Amherst, NY 14226

Robert Burt 2229 23rd Ave. Rockford, IL 61104 815-708-7781 jammerz2010@yahoo.com www.jammerzlightedplates.com

RIEDELL SKATES INC.

Bob Riegelman 800-698-6893 122 Cannon River Ave N, Red Wing, MN 55066 tylerh@riedellskates.com www.riedellskates.com

ROLLER DERBY SKATE CORP

Tony Muse 217-324-3961 311 West Edwards Street, Litchfield, IL 62056 tmuse@rollerderbyskates.com www.rollerderby.com

SKATES US INC.

David Ripp 765-935-7477 415 West Eaton Pike, Richmond, IN 47374 david.ripp@skatesUS.com www.SkatesUS.com

SURE GRIP INTERNATIONAL

Jim Ball 800-344-3331 5519 Rawlings, Southgate, CA 90280 skates@suregrip.com www.suregrip.com

GOLDEN HORSE RENTALS/LW SKATES

Walt Hedrick 817-781-1898 4004 Cedar Creek Ct, Arlington, TX 76016 waltskate@yahoo.com www.usedrentalskates.com

PARADISE SKATE WHOLESALE SHIPPING

Robert Bruce 925-470-6549 1201 W. 10th St. Antioch, CA 94509 robert@paradiseskate.com www.paradiseskatewholesale.com

RC SPORTS INC.

Nathan Dieringer 913-894-5177 17501 W. 98th, Pillar 18-51A, Lenexa, KS 66219 nathan@rcsports.com www.rcsports.com

SOUTHEASTERN SKATE SUPPLY INC.

Glenn Ramsey Jr 800-444-7528 2917 Nicholas Ave, Roanoke, VA 24012 info@seskate.com www.seskate.com

SOUTHEASTERN SKATE SUPPLY #2 David Ramsey 800-241-8060 462 Veterans Memorial Hwy, SE, Mableton, GA 30126 david@seskate2.com www.southeasternskatesupply.com

ROLLER SPORTS AMERICAN ROLLER SPORTS 6905 Corporate Drive Indianapolis, IN 46278 317-347-2626 Ext. 105 info@americanrollersports.com www.americanrollersports.com

USA ROLLER SPORTS

Heidi Permatteo 402-483-7551 4730 South Street, Lincoln, NE 68506 www.usarollersports.org

SIGNAGE & APPAREL EXPERT HOSIERY LLC

Abid Sheikh 919-799-7707 5448 Apex Peakway No. 115, Apex, NC 27502 support@experthosiery.com www.funtimefootwear.com

LAYMON HUGHES HOSIERY

Sharon Hughes 256-845-1034 1017 Sanders Ave. NE, Fort Payne, AL 35967 laymonhughes@bellsouth.net www.laymonhugheshosiery.com

SNACK BAR EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES GOLD MEDAL PRODUCTS COMPANY Stephanie Goodin

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49

connections 800-543-0862 10700 Medallion Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45241-4807 sgoodin@gmpopcorn.com www.gmpopcorn.com

ICEE COMPANY

Natalie Peterson 803-926-5657 265 Mason Rd., La Vergne, TN 37086 iceeap@icee.com www.icee.com

MINI MELTS ICE CREAM

Rachel Fox 860-889-7300 2540 Metropolitan Dr., Trevose, PA 19053 rfox@minimelts.com www.minimelts.com

PEPSI-COLA COMPANY

Brian McRedmond 513-325-5853 700 Anderson Hill Rd, Purchase, New York, 10577 brian.mcredmond@pepsico.com www.pepsiworld.com

QUIK N’ CRISPY

Paul Artt 651-669-8993 12021 Plano Rd. Suite 160, Dallas, TX 75243 paul@q-n-c.com www.q-n-c.com

SCHWAN’S FOOD SERVICE

Doug Priestas 507-537-8140 9472 Hunters Pond Dr., Tampa, FL 33647 douglas.priestas@schwans.com www.schwans.com

310 Ice Pond Rd., Bozeman, MT 59715 elwood@actionlighting.com www.actionlighting.com

ART ATTACK

Doug Wilson 863-438-7469 101 Shepard Ave., Dundee, FL 33838 doug@artattackfx.com www.artattackfx.com

AUDIO LITE

Terry Maxfield 800-255-1015 701 Graham St., Emporia, KS 66801 terry@audiolite.com www.audiolite.com

FROGGY’S FOG

Christopher Markgraf 615-469-4906 302 Rutherford Ln, Columbia, TN 38401 sales@froggysfog.com www.froggysfog.com

STAR WHOLESALE LIGHTING AND SOUND

Michael Couey 678-570-7608 55 Thomas Grace Annex, Sharpsburg, GA 30277 michael@starliteffc.com www.buystarwholesale.com

UVSCENERY, LLC

Greg Kaplan 508-739-6846 2218 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02140 uvscenery@gmail.com www.uvscenery.com

SOUND SYSTEMS, LIGHTING, ART & SPECIAL EFFECTS ACTION LIGHTING Elwood Bakken 800-248-0076

AMERICAN CHANGER

Wayne Snihur 954-917-3009 1400 NW 65th Place, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 info@americanchanger.com www.americanchanger.com

AMUSEMENT CONNECT

Frank Licausi 816-405-3187 frank@amusementconnect.com www.amusementconnect.com 7020 Universal Ave., Kansas City, MO 64120

BAY TEK GAMES INC.

Lauren Perlberg 920-822-3951 1077 E. Glenbrook Drive, Pulaski, WI 54162 sales@baytekgames.com www.baytekgames.com

BENCHMARK GAMES

Paula Rinker 561-588-5200 51 Hypoluxo Rd, Hypoluxo, FL 33462 prinker@benchmarkgames.com www.benchmarkgames.com

BETSON ENTERPRISES

Bob Dipipi 201-438-1300 303 Paterson Plank Rd, Carlstadt, NJ 7072 bdipipi@betson.com www.betson.com

PIPELINE GAMES

SPECIAL PRODUCTS & SERVICES

STATE FAIR MINI DONUTS

Pamela Palm 763-438-2867 1515 Archwood Rd, Minnetonka, MN 55305 ppalm@statefairminidonuts.com www.statefairminidonuts.com

VENDING, VIDEO & COIN OPERATED GAMES

QUBICA AMF

Rob Geiger 804-569-1000 8100 AMF Drive, Mechanicsville, VA 23111 rgeiger@qubicaamf.us www.qubicaamf.us

TOTAL SPORTS CONSULTING

Alphonses Heraghty 45 Ashley Circle, Commack, NY 11725 631-241-3058 heraghty36@gmail.com

Beverly Ruhman 732-387-0233 4000 Bordentown Ave. Suite 30 Sayreville NJ 08872 beverly@pipelinegames.com www.pipelinegames.com

PLAYER ONE AMUSEMENT GROUP Bill Freeman 386-747-0845 1390 Canary Drive Deland, FL 32720 bill.freeman@cineplex.com www.winwithp1ag.com

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING LOOKING FOR RINK TO LEASE: Husband and wife team with 20 years of experience owning and operating skating rinks. Will relocate. Interested in leasing, lease purchase or owner financed sale. Susan Foster, 704-621-8595.

Susantfoster@yahoo.com.

TO PLACE YOUR ADVERTISEMENT HERE OR IN OUR WEEKLY ENEWSLETTER, EMAIL LYNETTE ROWLAND AT EDITOR@ROLLERSKATING.COM OR CALL 317-347-2626 EXT. 107. ADS ARE $1 PER WORD WITH A $25 MINIMUM PLACEMENT.

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Volume 30 - Issue 3 - March/April 2022

SHAFFER DISTRIBUTING CO.

Paul Jones 1-800-282-0194 1100 W. 3rd Ave, Columbus, OH 43212 pjones@shafferdistributing.com www.shafferdistributing.com

WHEEL, LACES, BEARING MANUFACTURERS ANABOLIX SKATE COMPANY

Mike Elsbury 317-903-6172 1221 Luce Creek Cir., Greenwood, IN 46142 anabolixsk8@gmail.com www.anabolixskate.com

DERBY LACES

Jill Cook 206-499-5533 319 169th St. SW Bothell, WA 98012 jill@derbylaces.com www.derbylaces.com

RUBY ROLLER SPORTS

816-683-4000 2601 Madison Ave., Suite B Kansas City, MO 64108 luke@rubyrollersports.com www.rubyrollersports.com

ROLL ONE LIST. DBA ROLLERBONES AND BONES BEARINGS Isaac Oltmans 805-683-4779 6860 Cortana Drive, Suite B Goleta, GA 93117 isaac@rollone.com www.rollone.com

WRIST BANDS, TICKETS AND TOKENS HOFFMAN MINT

Wayne Snihur 954-917-5451 1400 NW 65th Place, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309 wayne@hoffmanmint.com www.hoffmanmint.com

MAXIMIZE YOUR TIME. MINIMIZE YOUR WAIT. Roller Skating Association (RSA) has built a valuable relationship with AmeriTrust CONNECT to provide a competitive workers’ compensation insurance quote in minutes. We offer a premium credit to RSA members as part of the RSA endorsed benefit program.

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dividend paid to eligible RSA members in 2021