Students got to be their own "Dancing Queen" at an ABBA-themed roller skating night hosted by the University Activities Board on Thursday. From 6-9 p.m. in the Union Ballroom, students got to skate, eat pizza and hear ABBA’s greatest hits, courtesy of the Impact 89.9.
This was not the first time the UAB has put on a skate night, but it was the first ABBA themed one. Music Coordinator at UAB and journalism senior Meg Vandermark took inspiration from a past music coordinator but added her own ABBA twist.
“We did this event two years ago, and it had a really good turnout,” Vandermark said. “As a music coordinator, I wanted to do this as one of my events, because I had the budget to do it. I thought it would be fun to make it more themed because last time it was just roller disco. And it would just be more fun if it were more collective. I feel like ABBA has so many hits, so that was definitely part of it.”
To put the event together, the UAB got a vendor to build the floor of the rink and bring the skates. They also contacted a regular collaborator radio station Impact 89.9.
“I just hope that students are able to take a break and relax at an event like this,” Vandermark said. “ I feel like it's fun to allow students to have the space to be able to bond with their friends and give them that opportunity. I just want to make sure that everyone leaves it thinking, ‘Okay, I know what UAB is and I want to come back to an event.’”
To allow everyone time to skate, students were given colored wristbands, with each color assigning 20-minute skating slot.
“I just wanted to make sure that everyone gets enough time on the floor,” Vandermark said. “That's mainly the priority with wristbands out at events like that. And they're able to go back and get more time, too. To manage the flow of people, especially at an event like this, where there's a limited number of skates.”
The event brought about new experiences for students, as well as a break. Neuroscience freshman Nimat Haq roller skated for the first time on Thursday. “I fell on my face a lot of times, but it was very great,” Haq said. “It's a great environment, everyone's very enthusiastic. It's really nice to see everyone having fun.”
Haq came with a friend who told her about the event, marketing sophomore Estelle Wiese. Weise first heard about the event through UAB advertising in the dining halls.
“I love ABBA so much, I love skating and I thought it would be a fun opportunity to hang out with friends,” Weise said. “I really loved seeing all the people here because everybody was so enthusiastic and so supportive, even if we're not the best at skating. It was very smooth, very easy to just get on the skate rink, the music was great and the lighting was so much fun. So, overall, just a great environment.”
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