Skate-O-Mania to remain open after securing insurance coverage

Albuquerque's Skate-O-Mania plans to keep on rolling just a few weeks after expiring insurance coverage put the roller rink's future in question.

In an email to patrons last month, owner Courtney Ballew said soaring insurance costs amid surging legal claims could force the business to close by the end of November. On Tuesday, however, the roller rink took to social media to announce that it secured insurance coverage, allowing the business to stay open and covered for the next year.

"(W)e can't express how much your support has meant to us," Skate-O-Mania wrote to customers in a Facebook post. "When we shared that we would be closing, Albuquerque showed up. You called, shared our story, offered connections and reminded us how much this rink means to the community."

Ballew said he credits the latest development to the community's "unbelievable" response.

"My phones were ringing off the hook with people trying to help," Ballew said, estimating he received emails from between 30 and 40 local insurance brokers, as well as community members and state lawmakers.

Through those conversations, Ballew connected with several of the few nationwide underwriters willing to cover roller rinks. Most said no before one finally stepped up, he said. Ballew signed paperwork with a Wisconsin-based insurer on Friday. The agreement establishes coverage through November 2027.

"It was a huge relief," Ballew said. "Finally able to sleep so much better knowing that we're able to keep open."

The year of coverage gives Ballew and his business "time to work toward a more lasting solution," Skate-O-Mania said in its social media post. When Ballew first announced the roller rink might close, he blamed rising legal claims and insurance costs, saying flaws in New Mexico law were partly to blame.

He said New Mexico lacks the tort reform that many other states have passed to protect businesses from meritless claims. He said personal injury lawyers often prolong claims against the rink until the insurance company settles, even when the business has disproved them.

Skate-O-Mania has added more cameras and implemented waiver protections over the years to combat the issue, but Ballew said it isn't enough.

"Everybody wants to get that check, and so it's just kind of the nature of the society in which we live in now, and I think local laws haven't caught up to that realization yet," Ballew said. "We need some better protections for businesses because it's getting out of hand."

Ballew said Democrat Sens. Michael Padilla and Natalie Figueroa of Albuquerque reached out to him and he sent them information on tort reform. He hasn't heard back yet, but the two said in their initial messages they would look into getting someone to take the issue on.

Realistically, Ballew said getting tort reform legislation passed in New Mexico would be "kind of a long shot." But passing a statute specifically to create more protections for roller rinks could be a more feasible option.

"I know there is a statute for ski areas, and there's a statute for horseback riding places," Ballew said. "There's probably at least a dozen states that have a roller skating statute, and I gave (the senators) examples of that, so hopefully we can get something like that passed."

With Skate-O-Mania's immediate future secure, Ballew said he plans to follow up with lawmakers and ramp up other efforts, including meeting, talking and building a case with other roller rinks across the state.

He is also considering driving Skate-O-Mania's giant roller skate car to the 2026 legislative session in Santa Fe, decked out in banners and accompanied by supporters.

"My hope is that we're here for decades still. We've been here since 1980, and so we'll hit 50 years here in just a few years, which is amazing," Ballew said. "I hope that continues."

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.

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