They had a good arcade,” said 1989 Plano East Senior High graduate Dane Hoffman. Many people have wonderful memories of what was then the newest hangout.
Thunderbird roller rink plano times free#
“I remember the pizza was bad,” he said, “but it was free to staff.” Cheese’s in Richardson to see their concept and their pizza production,” laughed Nathan.īut David doesn’t have fond memories of the pizza at Alamo Fun Center. “We had my wife’s 40 th birthday party at Chuck E. A worker at the Crest Auto Group Collision Center said it’s not uncommon to walk outside and see a group of international tourists taking photos of Plano’s Alamo, perhaps mistaking it for the real thing // photo Jennifer Shertzer The Alamo Fun Center offered many options for fun-seekers, including video games, bumper boats, batting cages, miniature golf and a pizza oven. “They discovered that I could work on small engines, and that became one of my duties, to keep those motors running.”ĭavid said that also led him to work on the batting cages as well. It was my second job,” said David Leidy, a former employee. It turned out to be an attraction for many Plano young people then, even though it was not much of a money maker. Photo of the Alamo interior with the original caption from the 1983 Vines High School yearbook The ownership of the arcade, however, did not change. “Video games were really the rage, so we found someone who would buy the video games and we would share the earnings,” he said. A tremendous rainy season and a few concerns from the Plano City Council pushed the opening of the Alamo Fun Center back six months, so that was an obstacle at opening the business. With a population not too far from 300,000 today, the business would most likely have succeeded, but not with the Plano city population of 40,000-60,000 at the time, according to Nathan.
“I think the non-brokens have a lot harder time filling their team.The Alamo Fun Center soon after it opened in August 1982 // photo from 1983 Vines High School yearbook “I’ve seen team bionic play the non-brokens,” which is a team without bionic players, Stevens says. There is even a team at RollerCon - a worldwide roller derby convention held every year in Las Vegas - made up of only bionic players. Bionic is the term used for players with metal holding them together. “This is the first time I’ll be bionic,” she says. She’s even found something to be excited about when it comes to her injury.
It’s hard to imagine having time for much else, but Stevens also teaches art history and welding and is an archivist.ĭespite all that, Stevens remains dedicated to the derby. The team practices regularly and Stevens does cross training individually for five to 10 hours a week. Stevens forms walls with the other blockers to jam up the other team’s jammer.įorming a wall isn’t as easy as it sounds. In roller derby, points are scored when the jammer passes opposing team members. It’s her job, she explains, to stop the other team from scoring points. Today Stevens is co-captain of Assassination’s all-star team, Conspiracy, where she’s a blocker. I love the people who are part of derby.” “I am so supported by the tribe that’s there. Stevens joined Assassination City Roller Derby, and she fell in love with the game and her teammates. “There are also people leaving with what we call ‘nine-month injuries.’ “Īs an adult Stevens’ husband encouraged her to try out for a roller derby team while they were living in Detroit, but she never did until the couple made the move to Texas and her friend said she was joining a team. Injuries aren’t the only thing that will cut a derby career short. This is the third time she’s injured her left hand, the second time she’s broken bones in her hand, and she’s also broken her wrist. “I’ve had broken and separated ribs and broken fingers,” she says while rattling off a list of injuries. Stevens says the game gets pretty physical, which can lead to shorter careers. She’s been a roller girl for six years, which is a pretty long roller derby career, especially for a woman in her 40s. “I got ‘sir’ a lot when I moved to Texas,” she says. She took the name from an Adam Ant song about a cross dresser. Stevens goes by Greta X in the roller rink. “The hand is pretty decimated,” she said the following week, a few hours before seeing a hand surgeon to have metal pins placed in her hand. She played through the pain, completing the tournament and propelling her team to first place.
In June, Stevens broke her hand during the second of four roller derby games at the Midwest Derby Fest. Holly Stevens at Thunderbird Roller Rink in Plano.
0 kommentar(er)
