Metrodome Skaters Lace Up For Penultimate 'RollerDome'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - The Minnesota Vikings' final game at the Metrodome is Sunday, but they aren't the only ones moving out.
After 24 years, Minnesotans have been lacing up their skates and hitting the concourses for the RollerDome.
But Monday night's skate was the second to last inside the dome. After Friday, the RollerDome will be history.
RollerDome founder Mike Cofrin says he has an "interesting combination of feelings" regarding the end of this cherished tradition.
"Sad about its ending, excited about its future," Cofrin said. "And overall, just a real strong sense of gratitude."
Cofrin started the RollerDome in 1990 after runners started a club inside the dome.
But the name was thanks to former Chicago Bears' coach Mike Ditka, who said the Metrodome was better suited for skating than football.
"He would call the Metrodome the 'Rollerdome,' and so we borrowed his name and built on it," he said.
Aside from recreational skaters, the RollerDome has made history, hosting numerous Guinness World Records for distance skating.
In 1993, Jonathan Seutter skated for 24 hours in the Metrodome, setting a new 24-hour world record with 271 miles.
"It's 605 meters of skating on two levels, and it fits a lot of people," Cofrin said. "There's no other space like it."
He says people will be able to skate inside the new Vikings stadium. But for many, the memories made at the Metrodome can't be replaced.
