There are many good stories about Elvis out there, but I’ll try to pass on ones that have a source attribution and are probably true. Here’s one of the best.
One night in 1957, Elvis reserved the Rainbow Skating Rink in Memphis for a private party. About 150 people showed up, and for the first two hours nothing of note happened. Then, Elvis walked in and joined the group. After a few minutes, all the girls left the rink, and the boys split up, half on one side, half on the other. Rink employee, Will McDaniel, had no idea what was going on, but he wanted to join the action, whatever it was. He lined up with the group on the ice at the opposite end from Elvis.
Then he learned the rules of the game — charge the other side and try to knock somebody down. Elvis blew the whistle, came right for Will, and literally knocked him out. When Will woke up and regained his composure, he was ready for a second try against Elvis. The whistle blew again, and both sides surged toward the other. This time, Will slammed Elvis hard to the ice. In his own words, “I dodged his moves and laid him out.”
The flush of victory was fleeting as Will realized the trouble he might be in for harming the “King”, so he quickly got off the rink and hid under a table. Fortunately, Elvis wasn’t hurt, and the evening of fun continued. Lots of folks have stories to tell about meeting Elvis, but not many of them can top this one.
© 2005 Philip R Arnold