GROVE CITY — Cherie and Tom Rosak met on roller skates.

Married in 1956, the couple has competed in freestyle, figure and dance skating competitions in addition to teaching skating all their lives.

A photograph of their last competition in 1982 shows the couple gliding down the rink with the wind blowing through their hair, side by side, his hand around her waist. The photo hangs on the wall at Neat Feat Roller Rink, which the Rosaks have owned for 18 years.

With Cherie, 70, in poor health, the couple plans to sell the rink, but both agree they will never hang up their skates for good.

"My wife says, 'I'm going to skate myself into the grave,' and I like it that much too," Tom Rosak said with a laugh. "Once we sell this rink, we'll still go out and teach." Rosak is 76. The Rosaks said they will continue to manage the business until that day comes.

The couple began competing together in the early 1950s after meeting at Olympia Park Roller Rink inPittsburgh, where they both grew up.

In the early 1980s, they managed the Park Town Roller Rink in Lawrence County and briefly worked at a rink in North Carolina.

In 1988, they moved to Grove City, making their permanent work place at Neat Feat the following year. No matter what, they never stopped moving.

Their daughter Valerie Freeman, said, "When I was a kid, for as long as I can remember, if a slow song came on the radio that they both liked, no matter what they were doing, my dad would grab her and they would both start dancing.

"If my mother didn't have arthritis, they'd still be doing that today."

Freeman, 47, of Upper St. Clair, said her parents have maintained an unstoppable dynamic.

"My dad has always been the action, and my mother has always been the thought," she said. "My father would go crazy if he couldn't keep moving. He still climbs up on the roof and does the roof work."

Freeman said her mother took care of the advertising and promotion for the roller rink, while her father did "all of the running around."

Tom Rosak had five older brothers who were avid roller skaters and introduced him to his lifelong passion.

"They took me up there and put me on skates, and I liked it so much, I just stayed with it ever since," he said.

He said he and his wife have kept their bond strong through years of skating together and teaching as partners.

"We talked things over and we did a lot of communicating with each other," he said. "Four eyes are better than two. We'd be out practicing and she'd see something I wouldn't see, and I'd see something she wouldn't."

The rink at 890 N. Broad St. Extension has an old-fashioned feel, with hardwood floors scuffed from years of skating. Along the wall, a glass case displays photographs of former students who have skated through their lives, along with their trophies.

April Aldstadt, 32, of Grove City was one of the Rosaks' star students for eight years. She started taking lessons when she was 14 years old and became a competitive skater a short time later.

"They were like a second mom and dad to me," Aldstadt said. "They took care of everything and provided a great atmosphere for me."

One competition in particular was a victory for all three of them. Aldstadt was struggling to master figure circles up until the day of the event. She pulled through and succeeded against the odds.

"They announced I was first and we were all really excited, and they were really proud of me because they worked just as hard as I did to get those moves down," she said.

The couple pushed Aldstadt to reach her full potential on and off the rink, requesting to see her report card on a regular basis. When she competed in the Olympic National Competition in Lincoln, Neb., in 1996, the couple packed up their car and drove her there.

Aldstadt said the couple maintained a working relationship that kept their business and teaching styles balanced.

"Usually, Tom was the tougher one and Cherie could be tough too — but when I was struggling emotionally, she was always there for that part," she said.

Jerome Metheney of Grove City worked at Neat Feat in the early 1990s. He said the Rosaks' dedication is an inspiration.

"They just have a great knowledge of figure skating and they're just good people," Metheney said. "You couldn't ask for more. They're like family."

Metheney also said more than anything, they took care of the community by creating a space for families.

"They had a good place to keep kids out of trouble," he said.

Freeman said her parents' lives can teach everyone an important lesson.

"Their ability to maintain a pleasant working relationship while they are living and working together every day has shown me that if you can't laugh, you might as well pack it up," Freeman said.

"You need to find humor in everything and keep on going."

The Neat Feat rink remains open from 7 to 10 p.m. Fridays and from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.