Jess G.
Yelp
Very few times have I gone to a rink and absolutely enjoyed my experience; but, this was one of those times. My friends and I all had an amazing time at United Skates of America (and the name is so clever how could I not go there?).
I myself am a seasoned roller skater and employee at one of the biggest rinks on the east coast, Sportsman's Hall in MD. So, when I took a trip to the Tampa area I knew I had to bring my skates and see what the area had to offer, and WOW was I pleasantly surprised.
So now about the rink itself. We went on a Tuesday and admission was $4 (with skate rentals included which was great for my friends that didn't have their own skates). I brought my own skates and they didn't check them at the door which was surprising to me; I know my skates don't have any issues but others might (just something to think about for the sake of the beautiful wooden floor which i will get to). Just through the doors are many various arcade games which is great for the younger crowd and parties as well. There was also a huge prize counter with lots of different prizes and a snack bar with many options for prices very similar to those at my home rink. Since the session was only 2 hours long we did not end up playing any games or having any food from the snack bar.
We then headed towards the right side of the building to sit down, set our things down, and put our skates on; the only problem with this being that there was no entrance to the floor on this side, and the one that there was blocked off by tables (I would have liked to be able to enter the floor from that side and not had to go all the way around). On the left side of the building was the skate rental counter where they had lots of skates, leather quads, speed quads, little kid "click-clack" skates, inline skates (it's always nice seeing a good variety like that) and NO PLASTIC SKATES (it was surprising seeing a rink with absolutely none).
Next, onto the practically flawless wooden floor. I will always prefer a wooden floor over a concrete floor anytime, and this floor was almost perfect. The wood was curved on the ends so it was never bumpy as long as you followed the correct skating path and didn't cut in (as the courteous skater does). The coating on the floor was great, not too sticky and not too slippery. I skate on harder wheels and I wasn't sliding at all but it also wasn't so sticky that I couldn't easily glide and jam as I pleased. The floor was a very average size floor but nice and wide and there was plenty of room for the crowd, although if the crowd was bigger like on a weekend skate I can imagine the floor feeling a bit crammed. My home rink is one of the largest on the east coast, so I usually feel like the floor is 'small' even if it's average. The ONLY issue with the floor was a few dents in the coating, which could have been caused by skaters without toe plugs or with axels sticking out from their wheels (which is why I suggested checking skates at the door earlier in my review). Even though there were just a few dents they happened to be in my path and with wide hard wheels like mine I "ka-chunked" quite a few times, something that may cause an inexperienced skater to fall or trip. I assume when they re-coat the floor (as most rinks do once a year) those bumps will be filled in and it will no longer be a problem so it obviously doesn't hurt my opinion of this rink and their absolutely AMAZING WOODEN FLOOR.
Now the part that is the most hit or miss with skating rinks, the music, and I want to say initially I was not impressed with the music. It seemed like a mix of older Pop top 40 such as Gangnam Style and Old Town Road, which are songs I personally can not see myself or anyone else skating to, and also some music I didn't know (which is surprising as I listen to a lot of music and work at a rink with a really great DJ who plays a variety of music). But not to fear, the DJ at United Skates also played some music that I REALLY enjoy skating to such as Don't Start Now by Dua Lipa AND when I asked to request a song I was met with absolute positivity and a very well musically educated DJ (at least as far as music in the skating community). I requested music by Debbie Deb, a shuffle skating favorite and he knew exactly what to play. I asked for anything Debbie Deb or When I Hear Music and was met with with "Sure! like Lookout Weekend?" but he ended up playing When I Hear Music (which is really my favorite song to shuffle to). You would be surprised how many times I've gone to a rink and the DJ didn't know any shuffle skating songs or just didn't have it on whatever they were using to play music. So needless to say I was VERY IMPRESSED with the DJ here. He also had a sense of humor and reminded me of our own DJ at my home rink Sportsman's Hall.
Overall this rink went above and beyond my expectations and if I visit the area again I will definitely be coming back.