Caribou roller rink packed for charity skate event

CARIBOU, Maine — The Melody Roller Rink in Caribou was nearly packed just half an hour after opening its doors for a charity event on Saturday night, when skaters only had to make a donation to the Aroostook Roller Derby League for an entrance fee.

Rink owner David Doody said that over 150 people had arrived and made donations just half an hour after the doors opened.

“The crowds are just like the old days when the Loring Air Force Base was open,” he said. “I absolutely love it, and I’ve already heard a lot of comments on the new look and the renovations we did throughout the summer. It seems like everyone is having an awesome time.”

All donations supported the Aroostook Roller Derby League team BiohazARDs and the costs required to play and travel to games in and out of the state.

League President and team Co-Captain Jessica Baird, also known as “Treble MakeHer,” said she was thrilled by the turnout.

“It’s awesome,” she said, “I honestly was not expecting this many people, but the more the merrier. We’re trying to recruit new people for the team and are always looking for help with travel and everything we do. We pay to play and it costs a lot to keep the league going, so every little bit helps.”

Baird said the entire league, which consists of about 30 people, helped organize the event along with Doody. In addition to helping with renovations, they all spread the word as much as possible leading up to the event and also acquired several door prizes either themselves or from numerous local business owners.

“We really appreciate the community supporting us,” she said, “and coming out and showing love. We hope to get more members, because Aroostook Roller Derby is more likely to continue with more people.”

Jen and Jay Olson, a married couple who both participate in derby, worked the entire night and dealt with hundreds of happy skaters.

Jay Olson, who worked behind a counter handing out skates, said he “never expected” such a significant turnout while preparing for the event.

“This is crazy,” he said. “I love it.”

He said that while the event was slated to begin at 7 p.m., people started showing up early and they opened their doors around 6:45 because they didn’t want to turn anyone away.

“I’ve been back here since 6:30,” he said while handing out skates to guests. “The whole team is here too,” adding that he hadn’t had a chance to see everybody yet.

“I want to thank the community for coming out to support us,” Jay Olson added. “This is awesome.”

Jen Olson was just as busy, dealing with a seemingly endless line of customers at the door and taking donations.

At 7:33, she said 186 people had donated, adding that that number did not include the 20 plus members of Aroostook Roller Derby who volunteered for the event.

“People are amazed that all they have to do is pay a dollar to skate,” she said. “This has turned out to be an awesome night for us and we hope to do a repeat next year.”

She added that a few parents remarked they hadn’t seen the Melody Roller Rink this busy “in a long time.”

Jen Olson said the charity skating event was “an entire league effort,” and that many members used Facebook to spread the word.

The team will begin holding tryouts for the upcoming season with the first event landing on Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. in the Melody Roller Rink.

Anyone considering joining the team can send a Facebook message to the team’s page and ask about openings and practice times.

The event also benefits the rink itself, and Doody made several announcements throughout the night about regularly scheduled public skating events planned this winter.

“It’s a good kickoff for me,” he said. “This is a win win for Aroostook Roller Derby and for me.”

Doody said at 8 p.m. that over 220 people were occupying the rink.

The rink also will hold a grand reopening during the second weekend of October, with skating on Friday and Saturday (Oct. 12 and 13) from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m..