Rolling out the old as the new again, thanks to BNSF employee

By PAIGE ROMANOWSKI
Staff Writer 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone found new ways to pass the time. But Gary Boone took it a step further. Boone, a gang trackman on BNSF’s Montana Division, not only resurrected an old pastime, but he also helped unite a community in the process.  

Boone reintroduced his fellow community members to roller skating – and they’re still skating together four years later.  

Amidst the 2020 shutdown, many people started to feel cabin fever. To combat this, the Parks and Recreation Department of Livingston, Montana, decided to allow small skate parties, where groups of up to 10 skaters could have the rink to themselves. 

Boone’s daughter, Abbigail, learned of a skating party and wanted to attend – but they mistakenly thought this party was part of a community skate night. 

“I joined my daughter and crashed a private skate party,” Boone said. “We learned Livingston didn’t do community skate nights anymore because of a shortage of usable skates.”   

After learning about the broken skates, Boone reached out to contacts at the Parks and Rec department to inquire about how he could help get community skate nights running again. With more than 400 pairs of skates needing repair, he recognized what a massive undertaking the repairs would be, so he solicited help from members of his church.  

Between replacing the skates’ wheel bearings and removing obstructions from the wheels and axels (including countless hair ties), Boone and six volunteers from his church repaired all 400 pairs of skates in just three nights.  

“I didn’t have experience fixing skates before, but from my work on the railroad, I just knew wheels had bearings and bearings have to roll,” Boone said. 

The quest to reignite community skate night didn’t end with the incredible turnaround on the skates. Finding enough people to staff and supervise these community skate nights had been another setback for the Parks and Rec department. 

Boone again called upon his church friends.

“I arranged a crew from my church to volunteer at the skate nights and handle skate distribution, repair and returns,” Boone said. 

With his crew of eight volunteers, Livingston’s first community skate night in years went off without a hitch – exceeding their expectations with a building packed with energetic community members gliding around in circles.   

“It’s rewarding to see the kids’ smiling faces and parents getting to get out and do something, especially in the cold winter months,” Boone said. “And God has blessed this event with willing hearts to serve our community. By myself, I never would’ve imagined this being so successful.”