Whether you’re training for a sport like roller derby or hockey, participating in an upcoming skating competition, or you just want to be able to keep up with your friends on the rink, here are some tricks to building your skating endurance:

• Alternate the Intensity of Your Workout – This isn’t just for building endurance, it’s also just solid workout advice. Your high intensity workouts should be broken up by less strenuous workouts throughout your week. This will help minimize your risk of over-training and injury.
• Work on Cardio On and Off the Rink – For the most part, stamina is universal (so long as we’re talking about the same muscle groups). Skating endurance training will help you when it comes to running or swimming, and running and swimming will help you when it comes to skating. So pick another workout or two and alternate them.
• Make it Fun – Whether you’re racing your friends or getting down to the music, the more intense your skating session, the more you’ll improve your endurance. And you’re much more likely to stick with a workout regimen if it’s fun!
• Practice Makes Perfect – When it comes to building endurance, there’s no trick in the world more valuable than putting in the time. The more you skate, the easier it will become. So if you want to build skating endurance, then skate!

That last point is key. If you want to increase your roller skating endurance, then you’ve got to practice. And there’s no better place to practice skating than at our amazing Lockport roller skating center. So check out our hours and our calendar of upcoming Lockport events, and make your plans to visit us today!

Are you headed to Lockport for a well-deserved family vacay? Great news! There are plenty of pleasurable things for you and your family to do here. Check out our suggestions:

The Erie Canal Discovery Center

Take your family to Erie Canal Discovery Center to learn more about the Erie Canal and how it was made, as well as the rich history of the city of Lockport, New York. This will give you a good basis for your trip and help you to discover exciting things about the area that will stick with you forever.

Town of Lockport Nature Trail

Take advantage of a sunny summer day and get outdoors at the Town of Lockport Nature Trail. Experience the beautiful flora and fauna of Lockport, plenty of waterfalls, and walking trails suitable for hikers of any level.

Lockport Community Farmers Market

One of the best ways to spend your summertime Saturdays in Lockport is to visit the Lockport Community Farmers Market. Here you can get a taste of what the Lockport community is like, browse the various vendors from Lockport and neighboring cities, and even hear some local music talent play.

Rainbow Skateland

Visit Rainbow Skateland in Lockport with your family for an enjoyable day of roller skating and amusement. Rainbow Skateland is welcome to people of all ages and skill levels and, along with a skating rink, features an arcade, Bounce Zone, Laser Tron, and mini golf. Forgot your skates at home? No problem! Borrow from us or take a look at our pro shop.

Contact us for more ways to have fun during your summer trip to Lockport.

Are you looking for something fun to do in Lockport? Then check out these tips to make the most of your visit to our Lockport skating center:

1. Do Wear Comfortable Clothing – Whether your kids are planning to jump in the Bounce Zone or you are getting down on the skating rink, you want to be comfortable with a full range of movement.
2. Don’t Forget Your Good Socks – Your feet with thank you for not forgetting a pair of nice thick socks. Plus you need to wear socks to skate or to enter the Bounce Zone.
3. Do Get Competitive – Bring your friendly competitive spirit! Our our Laser Tron, Game Zone, and golf are all great ways to engage in a little friendly competition with family and friends.
4. Don’t Be Hangry – We’ve got a snack bar so there’s no reason to hungry. Plus, you’ll need the energy to skate!
5. Do Check Out Our Lockport Events – We always have lots of fun Lockport Events planned, so don’t forget to check them out and mark your calendar for your favorites.
6. Don’t Forget Arcade Money – Our Game Zone has a ton of fun games, including many that give tickets that can be redeemed for fun prizes at our Stuff Shop, so don’t forget to bring a little pocket money for games.

Of course, you can’t make the most of the rink if you don’t visit it, so check out our hours and make your plans to visit our Lockport roller skating rink today!

There’s no reason that kids should get to have all the fun, so here are 4 fun things to do in Lockport for adults:

1. 1. Visit Local Wineries – Here in Lockport, we have lots of wonderful wineries. A wine tasting is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon with friends, or you can make a whole day of it and tour multiple wineries. Between Flight of Five Winery, Niagara Landing Wine Cellars, Honeymoon Trail Winery, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards, and Spring Lake Winery, you’re sure to find a wine (or several) that you love.
   2. Experience a Tunnel Boat Tour – Whether you’re a nature lover or not, you and your friends are sure to enjoy exploring an underground cave, and the Erie Canal just so happens to host the longest underground boat ride in America! The Lockport Cave & Underground Boat Ride is the perfect Lockport outing for those feeling a little adventurous.
   3. Plan a Casino Night – A visit to a nearby casino is the perfect excuse to get fancy and rent a party car with friends. The Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino also makes for a wonderful destination if you want to make a weekend of it!
   4. Go Skating in Lockport – Not only is skating a fun casual activity for friends, but it also makes a great Lockport venue for parties like bachelor/bachelorette parties, adult birthday parties, class reunions, church groups, meetups, and clubs.

So make plans to enjoy an adult night out in Lockport. Check out our upcoming Lockport events, and contact us at 716-507-4381 for more information about hosting a party at Rainbow Skateland.

Summer is nearly here! As the weather starts to warm up, it’s time to start thinking about your summer fitness routine. As you’re putting together your routine, don’t forget to include skating!

Here are some of the many reasons that skating makes a good summer workout:

• Skating is Good Cardio – Skating makes for a comparable aerobic workout to jogging. Cardio is, of course, required to strengthen your heart and its ability to efficiently pump blood.
• You Can Skate No Matter the Weather – As temperatures continue to rise, you’re likely to start finding it more daunting to get out and exercise on the really hot days. Thankfully, skating is a great indoor exercise you can do regardless of the weather. It is recommended that everyone should exercise for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a weeks, and having an indoor option as part of your routine will help make you more likely to reach that goal.
• Skating is a Low Impact Exercise – Running and most sports are hard on joints. This can make exercising difficult (especially for those with injuries or joint issues). Thankfully, skating’s fluid motions puts very little stress on your joints while otherwise providing a comparable exercise to jogging.
• It Engages Multiple Muscle Groups – Skating is a great exercise for your legs, but it also engages and strengths your arms, back, and core as they are all used for maintaining balance while on skates.

So make skating a part of your summer work out by making plans to get fit at our Lockport Roller Skating!

When most people think of the different types of skates, they think about inlines and quads. But there is really quite a big difference just among the different styles of quads skates. Here are the major differences between types of quad skates:

Artistic Skates

As the name implies, these skates are primarily used for free skating, dance skating, precision, or synchronized skating. Artistic skates have high leather boots, a jump bar for added stability, and an extremely strong sole plate.

Jam Skates

Jam skates favor fast and agile movements and are therefore very lightweight when compared to other skates. They are immediately noticeable by their low boot and a dance plug in place of the traditional toe stop.  

Speed Skates

The general public tends to associate inline skates with speed skating more than with quads, but there are some truly excellent quad speed skaters and quad speed skates out there! Speed skates are recognizable by their relative lack of padding. In general, these skates fit more like shoes than other kinds of skates. The boot also sits lower than most other states to allow a greater amount of maneuverability. Speed skates and jam skates are similar (lower cut and lightweight) but speed skates have a toe stop.

Roller Derby Skates

Derby skates feature low cut boots (like speed and jam skates) but are much more padded than other skates (because derby is a contact sport after all). Derby skates also tend to have a strap to help keep the skater’s foot in place better.

Rhythm Skates

Rhythm skates are designed for dancing, and feature a high boot like an artistic skate but with a dance plug like a jam skate.

No matter your skate style preference, come on down to our Lockport roller skating rink. And don’t forget to check out all our fun upcoming Lockport events!

Tired of the cold winter weather? Thankfully winter is almost over, but we’re not out of the woods yet. Don’t let the bleak weather keep you from having a good time. Now is a great time to have a fresh experience or learn something new.

Check out these fun indoor things to do in Lockport to bide your time until things warm up again!

• • Palace Theater – Consider catching a show at the Palace Theater. By going to the Palace Theater you are not only supporting local indie theater, but you’ll also be enjoying a great show in the historic opulence of this grand 1920s theater.

• • Lockport Art Company – Take a class at Lockport Art Company. This art studio offers several classes each week on a variety of pottery techniques including hand building, wheel pottery, functional pottery, and sculpture. They also have a studio for working in glass!
  • Rainbow Skateland – No matter the weather, it is always a great time to skate at Rainbow Skateland! Getting enough exercise can be especially hard during the winter months due to the cold wet weather, but indoor skating is great exercise. Of course there is a lot more to do at Rainbow Skateland than skate. You and your family can play a few arcade games, take the little ones on our Bounce Zone, or have a Laser Tron competition.

So make plans to spend the day skating in Lockport! Check out our hours and our many fun upcoming Lockport events and make your plans today.

February is the month of love, flowers, hearts — and not just the candy kind! That’s right, February is also American Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S., but the good news is that there are many ways you can treat your heart better and reduce your risk of heart disease — including roller skating!

That’s right, roller skating is not just fun, but it’s also literally good for your health. One of the best things you can do for your heart is to stay active, and roller skating is a great way to get in an aerobic workout while having a blast.

It is recommended to get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, 5 days a week, and skating is a great way to make this happened! Skating is a wonderful workout for your whole body. It doesn’t just improve core strength and tone muscles, but it can also provide an aerobic workout that gets your heart pumping.

Skating (or any physical activity that is fun and social) can also help to reduce stress. Not to mention that when exercising is fun, you will be much more likely to stick with it.

So make skating a part of your regular routine and join us at Rainbow Skateland for a little Lockport roller skating. Check out our hours and our fun upcoming Lockport events, and make your plans to skate today. Your heart will thank you for it!

Jam skating has a long and interesting history, but most people don’t know a whole lot about it.

Most people are probably familiar with it due to its popularity in music videos like “Blow” by Beyoncé. Of course the Queen Bey wasn’t the only artist to include impressive jam skating in her videos. “1, 2 Step” by Ciara and Missy Elliott, “I Heart You” by Toni Braxton, and “My Shoes” by Murphy Lee are all great examples of jam skating.

What is Jam Skating?

Jam skating is a particular form of freestyle skating that has been heavily influenced by various rhythm skate styles, artistic skating, modern dance, break dancing, and even gymnastics. As a style, jam skating emphasizes personal expression over speed or aggressive skating styles, and is noted for its free flowing movements.

History of Jam Skating

Roller rinks were very popular around the time of WWII. While some people were content to just skate laps, others began what would become rhythm skating. As its name implies, rhythm skating is simply a form of skating wherein the skater dances, shuffles, and/or slides to the rhythm of the music.

From this early rhythm skating came many distinct styles including the bee-bop style of the 1950s and 1960s, the soul skating style of the 1970s, and of course, roller disco during the 1970s. All of these styles and their evolutions influenced the rise of Jam Skating, which combined these influences with break dancing and gymnastics to create a new style.

Now that you’ve read about the fascinating history of jam skating, why not try a little skating of your own? Check out our hours and calendar of upcoming Lockport events, and make your plans to visit out Lockport skating rink today!