My fellow staff writer, Liberty Klingebiel, took a visit to Skating Plus in Ventura on Jan. 7 to test out the skating experience.

The rink sits in the same group of buildings as the Buena Lanes bowling alley and Golf n’ Stuff mini golf. We went on the day that the rink was having their so-called ‘cheap-skate’ night, which meant that admission to the rink was only $7.00. We considered the price fairly affordable, but there is an additional fee to rent skates. Skate rental varied from $3.00 for roller skates and $4.00 for rollerblades.

Since it was a Wednesday night, it was not very crowded but there were still quite a few people nonetheless. Surprisingly, the facility played a wide range of music from rap to disco and even took music requests from the public. We put in a request to play Dancing Queen by ABBA and were quite surprised when we heard it playing since skating places often ignore song requests. 

Skating Plus offers food items and snacks such as pizza, nachos, chips, candies, and sodas. The food is relatively pricey and they do not allow outside food and drink so it is pretty much your only option. But, from my experience, the food is amazing and worth a try. Additionally, they do offer bookings for birthday parties, but prices vary based on the size of the group.

I have played hockey for roughly five years so skating is a second way of walking for me. Any chance I get to skate, whether it be on ice or on wheels, I take it. In other words, skating is natural for me and the rink is like a second home. Thus, I have been to this rink many times, and, each time, I have had a great experience.

The rink itself is in relatively good condition and there are only very small tears in the carpet-like walls. These are likely from the roller derby also offered at Skating Plus. The music played is accompanied by colored lights and a disco ball.

The skaters all vary in both experience and age. There were people that were highly skilled at skating and could dance to the music and there were others that fell frequently.

Overall, I think this is a good place to take someone out for a date or to go out and have a good time with friends. No matter your level of experience, Skating Plus offers a good environment for both sides of the spectrum. The food is good, the music is groovy and the skating is fine.