On Sept. 25 Lobo Spirit brought the second annual Neon Skate event with a glowing roller skating rink to campus for the University of New Mexico’s 2018 homecoming week celebration.
“It’s like going back to the days were you were a little kid learning how to skate for the first time and then just bringing the neon theme to that with the black lights, I think it’s a great experience,” said Adam Biederwolf, director of Lobo Spirit.
Lobo Spirit partnered with Neon Entertainment to bring a neon skate rink with complimentary roller skates for students to use. Lobo Spirit used black lights and music to set the environment for the portable roller skating rink that was set up in the ballrooms of the Student Union Building. Apparel such as glow sticks, glow bracelets and glow necklaces were passed out to the attendees to bring in the neon ambiance.
Even with the many responsibilities of college students, there was still a large turn out for the event, which volunteers and other attendees said they were surprised by.
“I didn’t think that there were going to be that many people,” said Jack Saloio, a Lobo Spirit Volunteer. “I thought there would only be maybe around 30 people, but then I look in there and there’s probably at least a hundred.”
Students said that with their busy schedules as college students and tight budgets, this event was able to bring people together and give them a night off without breaking the bank.
“I think it’s nice that they have these free events for you to experience these types of things, because going out on the town you might have to pay $15 and most of us are broke college students,” said Cynthia Guerra, a freshman at UNM. “It’s a good way for people to just run into other people and introduce themselves.”
Neon Skate was first on campus in the fall of 2017, though it’s not a traditional homecoming event, Lobo Spirit said they enjoy putting on this event and has plans to continue doing so in the future.
Saloio said that he’s never seen an event like Neon Skate at any institution that he’s attended or visited.
“I think this is something you should do at least once, and I feel people will like it when they find out what it is,” Saloio said. “I think it’s just really cool to have some activity to bring the whole community together.”
Tiffani Watteyne is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted by email at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @tiffanirosew.
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