About Roller Skating
Roller skating is an activity done for recreation, transportation, sport or just to stay fit. There are several different types and styles, most of which have made their mark on popular culture throughout America. Although the activity, which involves a person wearing specialized skates with wheels, hit its highest peak in the late 1970s and 1980s, it is still evolving as a sport and continues to delight many with its accessibility and ease.
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History
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The history of roller skating begins as far back as the 1760s, when a Belgian inventor named Joesph Merlin rolled his way into a party sporting metal-wheeled boots. Roller skating as it's most often known as, however, came about in 1863 when James Leonard Plimpton designed the basic quad-shaped roller skate, the classic roller skate design. The freewheeling activity hit its highest prominence in the 1970s when the advancement of plastic technology made skates more affordable and the popularity of disco drew people into roller rinks in greater numbers. In the 1990s, however, roller skating began to be eclipsed by "Rollerblading" a type of roller skating done on inline skates where the four wheels were lined up like a blade down the middle of the skate.
Types
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In addition to recreational roller skating, done for fun or fitness, there are three main types of sport roller skating: Artistic, Speed and Aggressive. Artistic roller skating involves skating figures, which display control and accuracy, choreographed dance, judged on accuracy and style and freestyle routines that include jumps, spins and choreography. Artistic roller skating can be done solo, in pairs or in precision teams, typically of four skaters.
There are two types of speed skating: speed skating and inline speed skating. Traditional speed skating is done on specially designed quad skates which have a lower ankle for greater maneuverability. Inline speed skating is performed on inline skates and is strikingly similar to ice speed skating. Inline speed skating has been campaigning to become an Olympic sport, but has yet to reach that goal.
Aggressive roller skating refers to tricks performed using inline skates. The sport involves two factions "park" which is done at skate parks and "street skating," which is done anywhere other than a designated skate park. Aggressive roller skating has become increasingly popular alongside other "extreme" sports like skateboarding and BMX. -
Features
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There are different types of roller skates or inline skates required for the various classes of roller skating. Traditional roller skating is distinguished by the classic, quad shaped roller skate where there are four wheels with two in the front and two on the back of the skate. The classic roller skate is most often used for traditional recreational roller skating. For artistic roller skating, skates are characterized by a high cuff around the angle to give the skater more control for the required jumps and choreography. Speed skates have a very low ankle and low heel to increase speed and maneuverability. More modern inline skating can be distinguished by the use of inline skates, or Rollerblades. Aggressive skating often requires a more rigid and stronger boot, while the two middle wheels of the inline skate are often replaced with smaller hard plastic or rubber wheels for greater control and grip while performing tricks on a ledge or rail.
Benefits
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The Roller Skating Association asserts that there are indeed health benefits of roller skating. Because the activity provides a complete aerobic workout, the benefits can be compared to that of jogging. Because the feet glide, joint damage, which often results from running, is also not as severe. For weight control, it is estimated that 350 calories are burned per hour at six miles per hour and 600 calories are burned per hour at 10 miles per hour.
Significance
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Roller skating has made a definitive mark on American popular culture. From roller derby to roller rinks, roller skating is a near rite-of-passage for children. Additionally, over 94 titles in the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) include roller-skating as a main keyword, some of the more iconic being "Boogie Nights" (1997) and "Xanadu" (1980). Roller derby, a contact roller skate sport, has also increased in popularity throughout the past decade.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Photo courtesy stock.xchng
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