Inline
Skating -
History of the Sport
Aggressive / freestyle inline skating / rollerblading was born in the
early 1980s and is a descendent of the 'less aggressive' pastime called
rollerskating. Tricks initially resembled those of the more established
sport of skateboarding until later in the decade when Rollerblade
marketed the first inline skates and organised amateur competitions. In
1995 the Aggressive
Skaters Association (ASA) was formed and the inaugural X Games were
held in the USA. Australia's domination of the sport commenced immediately
as Matt Salerno, then a 16 year old Aussie,
won the Gold Medal in the Street competition.
Street (aka park)
Many rollerbladers refer to this discipline as park. Competitors skate
around the course and aim to impress the judges by completing a variety
of spins, airs, grabs, slides and grinds. Judges award points according
to style, difficulty, consistency and line.
Vert
Competitors drop into the vert half-pipe and launch themselves high into
the air and perform a series of tricks. Vert is similar to street but
competitors gain more height and execute more spins. 1080 and 1260 degree
spins have been achieved by skaters and once again Australians such as
Cesar Mora, Manuel
Billiris, Sam Fogarty and Shane
Yost have taken the sport to new heights and dominated the ASA
pro-tour.
Real Street
The growth of the competition series IMYTA
(I Match Your Trick Association) has led to a significant number of
competitions happening in city streets all over the world.
Related
articles
- Glossary of terms
- Media Area
- Tricks and tips
