In-Line Skating
In-line skates are generally assumed to be very new and modern, but actually all roller skates were in-line from the first known pair in 1716 until 1863, when James Plimpton invented a skate with four wheels in a rectangular arrangement.
Plimpton's invention marked the beginning of roller skating's popularity, since the "quad" skates were much more controllable than the older types. However, some manufacturers made in-line skates even after the quad skate was invented.
One of them was the Chicago Roller Skate Company, which in 1966 introduced a boot skate with four in-line wheels. The design was unusual in that the front and rear wheels extended beyond the boot.
Two hockey-playing brothers, Scott and Brennan Olson of Minneapolis, saw a pair of those skate boots in 1980 while they were looking at used equipment in a sporting goods store. They immediately saw the resemblance in design to ice skates and realized that the in-line skates could be used for training and practice when there was no ice.
The Olson brothers used hockey boots, polyurethane wheels and rubber heel brakes to make their own in-line skates at home and began selling them to friends. Within a short time, they formed a company called Rollerblade to manufacture and market the skates. In 1984, they sold the company to a group that could market in-line skates nationally. Within five years, there were about 3.3 million in-line skaters in the country. That number has now grown to well over 30 million.
A group of manufacturers, retailers, and skaters founded the International Inline Skating Association (IISA) in 1991 to promote the sport, to develop educational programs about safe skating, and to certify instructors. The IISA is not directly involved in organizing or sanctioning competitions, though.
As a competitive sport, in-line skating is actually several sports. The in-line versions of the traditional roller skating events, speed skating, artistic (figure) skating, and roller hockey, have been governed by USA Roller Sports, Inc., since 1992. In-line hockey was added to the Pan-American Games program in 1999.
The best-known and most popular of the competitive sports, though, is aggressive in-line skating, also known as "aggro." Aggro is patterned after skateboarding competition. There are two events, street and vert (for vertical). In street competition, skaters perform tricks while jumping over boxes, ramps, and rails on a street-like surface. In vert, they do a 60-second routine of tricks and stunts in a half-pipe, like that used in skateboarding and snowboarding.
There is no single governing body for the aggressive form of the sport, but the Aggressive Skaters Association (ASA) is the major organizing and sanctioning organization. The ASA manages the major professional events, such as the X Games and the Gravity Games, and it conducts a world championship. The organization also runs an amateur circuit which includes more than 50 events in more than 20 countries, including competition in skateboarding and freestyle BMX (bicycle stunt riding), as well as in-line skating.
Another competitive form of in-line skating, known primarily through the X Games, is downhill racing, which is similar to the skiing event.