I was surfing through YouTube videos the other night and came across one that sparked a fond childhood memory for me.

The video was titled simply "The chicken dance song," but as soon as I clicked the "play" button, I was instantly transported back to the 1980s and the roller-skating rink where I spent a fair amount of time as a boy.

My church youth group took a number of trips to the roller rink. Most trips were to Great Skates in Avon, but a few times we went to USA Skates in Indianapolis or Melody Skateland.

As clumsy as I was, I enjoyed my roller-skating experience ... well, at least certain parts of it.

For those of you who grew up in the era of roller-skating rinks, you know that the D.J. plays music and everyone skates around the circular rink.

Ah, the many types of skaters you find on a roller rink. There are the hot shot girls and boys zipping around the rink at break-neck speeds, darting in and out of traffic and blowing the lesser accomplished skaters off the track.

Then there are the poor, helpless saps who may as well have been wearing roller skates while trying to use a stair-stepping machine. I saw many a kid trying desperately to grab onto something, the wall, anything, to break their fall as they went crashing to the ground. Ouch!

Then there was me. I'd be so excited to strap those orange-wheeled, rental skates on my feet, but then ... I had to stand up. Luckily there were benches and half walls I could grasp as I wheeled myself out to the skating rink. Once I got there, I was okay ... until I had to stop.

It usually took me a while to warm up, but once I got going, I could travel around the rink at a modest speed. But there are so many dangers on the roller rink.

I used to get so upset at those clumsy kids of which I spoke of earlier. I'd be going along at my own speed, trying to look good for the hot shot kids and then all of the sudden, one of the poor saps would fall down right in front of me. I could neither stop nor steer, so down I'd go. Man that hurts the knees. And darn the ones that would grab you, like you're going to hold them up. I remember swatting a few of them away as they'd reach out toward me, their eyes as big as marbles and then BOOM, down they'd go.

And then there was the dreaded disco ball! I hated that thing. Again to all of you 80s skaters, remember how they would turn down the lights and then turn on the disco ball. Instantly the floor was turned into the this whirling mass of dots and all sense of direction was suddenly gone. I couldn't tell what way was up or down. And I usually ended up on the floor and I remember crawling out of the traffic pattern as fast as I could before getting run over by one of the hot shots. Whew!!

Then there was the Chicken Dance Song, which is what inspired me to write this blog.

Oh my goodness. Here's how it went. The D.J. would announce that it was time for the Chicken Dance Song and everyone would gather in a circle in the center of the rink.

First of all, have you ever tried to stand in one spot in a pair of roller skates? And then on top of that, you had to do the moves for the Chicken Dance Song!?

You have to flap your wings, wiggle your behind and a bunch of other stuff as the music plays. Many a kid kicked his leg out front and started to roll forward, but while the other kids stopped, he just kept rolling. Usually the kids on the other side of the circle would catch him before he hit the wall on the other side of the rink. Big OUCH!

I was never one of the kids who kept rolling. I perfected the art of falling straight down before I rolled too far.

I hated that song. It gave me such anxiety.

Anyway, I look back at the whole thing with fond memories. Nowadays, kids spend their time parked in front of the TV and playing video games. They probably think roller skating is done on the Wii in the living room.

Those were the days.

P.S. I won't even tell you how much fun trying to use the restroom is when you're wearing a pair of skates.