They come for a skating party, for the scene, and for the friendship, they said.
Most important, they come to let loose on eight wheels: to bop and bounce, spin and groove, perform tricks, show off fancy footwork, and skate backward at speeds so fast that the whoosh blows your hair back.
Some are as young as 18; others are in their 60s. They are students and retirees, stay-at-home moms and maintenance men, bus drivers and factory workers.
"It's what we do," said Anthony "Lyfe" Walker, a 29-year-old music producer, originally from Camden, who makes the nearly two-hour trek from Delaware. "It's our release."
Capri Hill, 21, of Camden, a nutrition worker at Cooper University Hospital, was wearing her white "Honey Rollers" jacket with the sexy skating bumble bee emblazoned on the back.
"When I wake up on Wednesday mornings, I just need to skate," she shouted over the music, her arms locked with fellow Honey Roller Nicole Stanton, 23, of Philadelphia. "It's better than drinking. . . . It's expression. It's exercise. It's art."
"It's an addiction," added Tim Rodriguez, a 23-year-old musician who lives in Camden, before heading onto the floor. "A really fun addiction."
Millennium opened in 2000, said general manager Tracy Medley-Akines, a gracious woman with funky red highlights. It sits on formerly vacant land near the McGuire Gardens housing project.
By 2000, Camden had been without a skating rink for more than a decade, ever since Skateland and Garden Skate closed.
Medley-Akines, 40, of Sicklerville, grew up skating in South Jersey rinks and wanted a clean place with no smoking or drinking.
Millennium's skating floor is large and well-lit. Miss Netta patrols it, constantly blowing her whistle.
In the daytime, there are summer-camp sessions and birthday parties, and Miss Pat offers classes. Friday nights feature gospel music. There is rarely trouble.
