Skating along

"I told them I thought that was an insult," Minkah told the Observer in June 1998.

Looking out over the crowded rink, at the lines snaking in front of the snack bar, at the half-dozen tables reserved for birthday parties that are all full, Minkah is pleased to prove everyone wrong. "They said it wouldn't cash flow," he says with a satisfied grin. "It's the first month, and we're already covering all our costs." He has dropped the suit against the SDDC.

Minkah hired an experienced skating-rink manager from Houston to help get the operation up and running, in addition to hiring 18 neighborhood youths to work there. Manager Burrous Johnson, who has been in the inner-city skating rink business since 1974, thinks the rink's location and Minkah's dedication will guarantee success.

"It takes a lot of gall to put up something for kids," Johnson says. "They're profitable businesses, but you have to have the right attitude and operation. It takes a lot of patience and a lot of love."

To ensure safety, Minkah and Johnson hired a floor guard who uses a portable metal detector on each customer. A strict dress code is enforced -- no halters and no underpants-baring baggy pants. Lascivious dancing is strictly forbidden. Skaters breaking rules are given a warning, and if they persist, they are photographed and escorted out. Their picture remains at the ticket office so they can't sneak back in.

"If you're in here, you have to have your skates on and laced," Minkah says. "Troublemakers don't make trouble on skates."

Minkah's attention to detail is not lost on patrons and visitors. Two police officers stopped by on that recent Saturday afternoon to check the place out. The officers, who did not want to be named, said they were originally nervous about the rink opening, fearing it would attract trouble. They were pleasantly surprised.

"These people are on the job," says an officer by the first name of Freddy. "Kids are coming here strictly to have fun. They're getting high on skating. They're doing a good job of keeping the negative out. We haven't had a rink around here in more than 10 years. I think it's going to help uplift Ledbetter. This makes the police officers work harder. We don't want to see them close down."