Rollin' with the flow

Romance blossoms in rink, alongside competitive skating

From left, Pam Goodyear, Jim Cheney, Greta Piantosi, Tom Burch, Fred Thompson and Irene Diehl work on a skating routine Oct. 22. photos by john gurzinski/viewPam goodyear, left, a member of the senior roller skating group that competes in the Nevada Senior Olympics, joins in a practice routine at the Crystal Palace, 4680 Boulder Highway, Oct. 22.

Pat Finnegan moved to Las Vegas with her husband nearly 15 years ago with unusual plans for their golden years: They would roller skate competitively.

Still in the ring a decade and a half later, Finnegan has lost and found love again, all while staying on her roller skates.

Finnegan, a 67-year-old Chicagoland native, took an early retirement from teaching and moved to sunny Las Vegas in the mid-1990s. Her husband at he time moved with her, but didn't make the same kind of construction industry contacts he did while living in the Chicago area.

He moved back to the Chicago suburbs, while she stayed behind. And after Pat Finnegan's spouse ended up falling for his new skating partner back in the Windy City, the Las Vegas transplant continued her skating solo.

"You don't want to let them skate together," she warned others in her situation. "There is dancing and socializing. You skate together and you talk. They are still together."

But today, Finnegan is happy with the way things worked out. The last time she saw her ex-husband was the summer -- around the time she married her new love, 64-year old LeMar Keller.

"You might find someone and fall in love," she said while gazing and smiling at her new husband.

Finnegan and Keller smile at each other and touch affectionately like the newlyweds they are. They even finish each others' sentences.

"We have known each other for about three years. We were just friends," Finnegan said.

"We were just friends, and we loved to dance," Keller added. "We took ballroom dancing."

"He could swing!" Finnegan said.

The two have such a love of dancing and skating, and dancing while skating, that they recently tried a viral craze.

"The latest thing we tried was the nightclub two-step from YouTube," Finnegan said. "You'd be surprised what you can learn from YouTube."

The two met about four years ago when Keller stumbled, almost literally, upon Finngan's social group of skaters at the Crystal Palace Skating rink at 4680 Boulder Highway. Keller was there to chaperone his granddaughter for a school event, but didn't know how to roller skate.

To his considerable relief, Keller discovered the older group of skaters, which Finnegan and others had formed more than a decade before. Crystal Palace once had a touring group of competitive skaters of all ages. When that ensemble ceased operation, many of the older, retired members stuck around to skate and socialize with each other on a regular basis.

Today, that number is 15. Finnegan said the fear of falling and getting hurt has deterred many members of the group,which meets every Monday and Thursday at 9 a.m. The session lasts about two hours.

In fact, the injury report sounds much like a Monday Night Football matchup between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings.

"Barbara separated her collar bone. Dee broke her ankle. Cathy fell and broke her wrist," Finnegan said. "Marie fell and hurt her back."

While some skaters come back, others don't, Finnegan said.

"People want to be healthy, be able to walk in their old age," Keller said. "Growing old ain't for sissies."

Certain things can be done to minimize injuries. Not using your wrist to break your fall is one way, Finnegan said. Keller has learned that method to avoid broken bones.

"You have to learn how to fall and how to go down easy," he said.

Keller recalled a nasty spill he took earlier in the year. He was hurting for three months but still managed to roller skate.

"If I didn't persevere, I wouldn't have gotten better (at skating). You can't give up," he said. "And I wouldn't have known her."

On the subject of injuries, the group was unable to participate in the Nevada Senior Olympics in September, as only eight skaters were committed to the games -- too low a number to rationalize a cost-effective competition.

Finnegan was undoubtedly disappointed.

In previous games, both Keller and Finnegan have won multiple gold and silver medals. Keller only started skating at age 60, but his new wife started as a teenager at the old Riverside Park amusement park outside Chicago. She later returned to roller skating in her late 40s.

"It's never too late to learn," Keller said. "It's great for circulation, and it is great exercise."

Members of the skating group voiced praise for life on wheels.

"(I like) having the nerve to still skate while I am old," said 73-year-old Marsha Eiman.

"Exercise, music, enjoyment, meet new friends, show up," added the 80 years young Fred Thompson.

Some even have nicknames almost worthy of the roller derby movie "Whip It."

"My clown name (on skates) is 'Ouch Ouch,' " wrote one member on a group comment card. The 70-something-year-old did not provide a name, but added, "I'll always keep skating. It keeps my blood circulating, and it is fun!"

About the weekly practices, people needn't worry about skating the whole two hours, Finnegan explained. Much of the time is spent watching, sitting, talking and eating.

"You would get very tired skating the whole two hours," she said.

And when not wearing shoes with wheels, the newlyweds perform good deeds. Every Sunday night they can be found at a local bakery, where they collect food for needy schoolchildren in East Las Vegas.

The rest of the time, they just have fun together. Keller recalled helping to drive Finnegan places during their courtship, after she had a seizure unrelated to skating.

"I said, 'After three months, you will either hate me or love me.' "

It is obvious that Keller passed his own probationary period. Skating together helped a lot, he said.

"You have to have things in common with people you love."

Contact reporter Valerie Miller at 387-5286, or vmiller@lvbuisness press.com.