Living: The New Wheels

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There has also, naturally, been a resurgence in rinks. "We've come a long way from the seedy places of 20 years ago," says George Pickard, the executive director of the Roller Skating Rink Operators Association of America, which has grown from 500 in 1970 to more than 1,500 members today. Many rinks have become in effect "youth nightclubs" says Pickard, with the same music and wild lighting of the discos. Cher and Ringo Starr have given parties in Los Angeles' Sherman Square Rink. Skateway, in Orange County, Calif., has a floor that looks like blue ice and a $40,000 light and sound system. At Brooklyn's Empire Rollerdrome rink, members of skating groups like the Jigaboo Jamers do the Hustle and the lindy. "Once you're rolling, you can do anything you normally do on your feet," says Lynn, with all the fervor of a Holy Roller. "You can strut, you can jump, you can do a conga line. Except that you're doing it at 20 m.p.h."

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