The Student Events team transformed the Little Circle into a roller disco on Jan. 8 from 8-10 p.m., complete with competitive games, prizes, and music provided by local deejay Viliami Toilolo.
Sifa Talakai, shift supervisor for BYU-Hawaii Security oversaw the event and said, “I think it’s great the school is offering this kind of variety for the kids to come out for. Some of them might not be interested in going to a dance, but they love skating so they will show up [tonight]. This is kind of an outreach to the community kids as well. I think it’s wonderful.”
When the night was still young, the ring was quite scarce of skaters, according to Mimo Yuen, a high school senior from Hauula, who said attendance stayed thin for about 20 or so minutes after the 8 p.m. starting time.
She said she didn’t mind the emptiness, because “[my sister and I] had the whole ring to ourselves for a while and that was fun.”
The event was free for all and offered several games at a booth in the center of the Flag Circle where competitors had a chance to win prizes like the movies “Jurassic Park” and “The Princess Bride,” water bottles, and even laundry soap, according to Nathan McKinney, supervisor of the Student Events team, who is a senior from California studying hospitality and tourism management.
McKinney was chiefly responsible for planning the roller rink and described the games as, “minute-to-win-it-style games” where players would race to see who could most quickly complete tasks like flipping a plastic spoon into a red cup or shooting rubber bands at the cups until they fell off the table.
Kei Riggins, a junior from California majoring in vocal performance, is also a member of the Student Events team and said, “We did [this] last year, and it was a really big success. So we wanted to try it again this year. We were hoping to have about 150 people or more show up but were happy with how many came in the end.”
People came and went during the night, and there were between 50-to-80 people at any given time enjoying the festivities.
“It doesn’t matter how many people show up. It’s just about having fun tonight. I like skateboarding, [and] I like music. Put them together into one package and I’m going to love it,” said Halston “Hollywood” Wood, a freshman from Idaho studying biochemistry.
According to Riggins, the night took about a month to plan for and a day to set up.
To prepare, the event team closed off the Little Circle in the morning to ensure no cars would be parked there when it was time for the fun to start.
Riggins said the night was a success, and she wants students to look out for upcoming events her team is planning. Students can find more information on the Facebookpage, “BYUH Student Events,” which is regularly updated.
She said the next big events to watch out for are the BYUH Student Olympics, which will take place Jan. 27-29, and a student talent show in mid-February.