Roller skating is a form of recreation and a sport in which people glide on wheeled boots called roller skates. Some people skate for recreation on sidewalks and in parks, and others skate to music at indoor skating centers. Many take part in competitive roller skating. Joseph Merlin of Belgium invented the roller skate about 1760.
Roller skates.
Most roller skates have two major parts, the boot and the skate assembly. The boots are usually made of leather. Boots worn for recreational and artistic skating have high tops and are laced up the front to a point above the ankle. Speed skaters wear boots with low-cut tops.
The skate assembly is a metal or plastic structure attached to the sole of the boot. There are two main assembly styles, the quad and the in-line (often referred to by the brand name Rollerblade). In a quad skate, a piece of metal called a plate is fastened to the boot. Two truck assemblies are attached to the front and back of the skate. They have movable parts that allow skaters to control the direction of their skating. A pair of wheels are attached to an axle on each truck assembly. A toe stop, found on most skates, allows skaters to stop quickly and to perform maneuvers.
Some people wear clamp-on skates, which attach to shoes. In the mid-1980’s, skates with in-line wheels gained popularity. They remain popular today. In-line wheels are arranged one behind the other, resembling an ice-skate blade. The brake is on the back of the boot.
Early roller skate wheels were made of metal or wood. In the mid-1970’s, wheels made of a hard plastic called polyurethane became popular. Such wheels are quieter than those made of wood or metal, and skaters can move faster and more smoothly on them.
Competitive roller skating
includes three types of events. Artistic skating and speed skating are similar to competitive ice skating (see Ice skating ). Roller hockey resembles ice hockey. Artistic skaters use quad skates. Speed skating and roller hockey use both quad and in-line skates.
Artistic skating
competitors perform graceful movements, often to music. Artistic skating consists of figure skating, free skating, and dance skating. In figure skating, athletes retrace circular patterns marked on the floor. They are judged on accuracy and control.
Free skating can be performed alone or as a team. There are separate events for men and women. Individual free skaters, called singles, combine jumps, spins, and dance footwork with music. They are judged on the speed, accuracy, and difficulty of their jumps, the speed and form of their spins, the originality of their footwork, and their musical expression. Free skating teams, called pairs, consist of a man and a woman. They combine the moves of singles with lifts and other movements. They are judged like singles. But the judges also consider the pair’s ability to precisely mirror each other’s movements.
Dance skating is performed by two skaters, known as a team, or by a solo skater. Both team and solo skaters perform compulsory dances to music.
Speed skating
has separate events for indoor and outdoor competition. Athletes are divided into nine age groups, with separate races for men and women. Indoor events take place on a flat, 100-meter oval track. Distances for indoor races range from 100 meters to 5,000 meters. Outdoor competitions take place on either a road course or on a banked, oval track. Outdoor events vary in distance from 300 meters to 20,000 meters. There are also indoor and outdoor relay events for teams of two, three, or four skaters.
Roller hockey
is a noncontact team sport played by both males and females. A team consists of five players—two forwards, two defense players, and a goalie. There are three versions of roller hockey: (1) hardball, (2) North American ball, and (3) puck. Hardball and North American ball use balls. Puck hockey uses a puck similar to the one used in ice hockey.
