Aggressive inline skating
Encyclopedia
Aggressive inline skating is a form of inline skating
, performed on specially designed inline skates
with focus on sliding stances known as grinds with a focus on new tricks, stunts and personal style. Participants refer to the activity as "'rollerblading'", "blading", "skating" or "rolling". Vert
or park
is part of extreme sport
s and street skating or freeskate in urban areas.
players in Minnesota
were looking for a way to practice during the summer. Scott and Brennan Olson formed the company Rollerblade
, Inc., to sell skates with four polyurethane wheels arranged in a straight line on the bottom of a padded boot. In 1988, Rollerblade introduced the first aggressive inline skate, the Rollerblade Lightning TRS. Aggressive inline skating finally developed as an organized sport in the early 1990s. The Aggressive Skaters Association (ASA) was formed by a number of aggressive inline skaters in 1994 as a forum to develop rules governing competitions and equipment. The sport was included in the first X-Games in 1995 and included vertical ramp and street event competitions. It reached its height in popularity in the late 90s, with mainstream movies like Disney's Brink!
and other films. Aggressive inline skating was removed from the ESPN X-Games in 2005 although it is still included in the Asian X Games, LG Action Sports Competitions, Montpellier Fise, and many other large competitions. Much of aggressive inline skating's progression has been documented through inline Skate videos, such as T-Bone Film's The Hoax and Videogroove
series (both defunct). As of 2011, skate videos have in large part become distributed on the Internet
through YouTube
and Vimeo
rather than by VHS
or DVD
s sold through skate shops.
s. This style differs from street skating due to the specific nature of skate parks, which are designed for skaters to do tricks, e.g. on the top of the ramp (coping). Park skating often emphasizes the technical side of aggressive inline, focusing on the variety of tricks a skater can do and encouraging skaters to connect tricks. A series of tricks connected together in a fluid motion over different obstacles is known as a 'line'. Skate parks often feature quarter pipes and half-pipes, curved ramps and other features that are not usually found in a regular urban setting. A better quality skate park will have good lines—making it easier for skaters to perform tricks. Good skateparks have a flow to them.
, short for vertical, skating is a style of skating performed within a half-pipe
. It focuses on complicated aerial maneuvers, such as spins and flips. The intent of the skater is to build speed until they are of sufficient height above the edge of the ramp to perform various aerial acrobatics. They may also grind the lip of the half-pipe sliding their skates from one point of the lip to another. In competitions skaters have limited time, often less than a minute, to impress the judges by landing numerous and difficult tricks.
Aggressive inline skates are specially designed to be tougher and stronger than normal inline skates, due to the high levels of stress placed on the skate by the stunts and tricks a skater performs. A typical skate consists of the;
Typically each part is replaceable, and certain manufacturers provided parts that have been divided into individual sections, so a skater can replace specific worn areas.
There are several different variations on frame design. Originally a skate had four wheels on each skate, with a gap between the middle wheel where a plastic insert called an H-block was used for grinding. During the mid 1990s a plastic plate, known as the 'grind plate' was attached to the inside of the frame between the middle two wheels to extend the life of the H-block. As frame manufacturers began making removable h-blocks, the grind plate has fallen out of favor. As the sport evolved, skate companies started manufacturing wheels that were intentionally undersized, in order to facilitate grinding. The undersized wheels are called anti-rockers or midgets. Since some skaters skate with only two wheels on each skate, some frames are designed to match this (a variant called a freestyle frame).
In the late 1990s, the Universal Frame System (UFS) was introduced by frame manufacturers to allow the user to easily customize their skates. This led to increased customization of skates within the sport by allowing the user interchangeability between different company's frames. Today, all major frame and skate manufacturers support UFS.
usually two high density polyurethane wheels with high hardness, replacing the inner two wheels.
Anti-rocker wheels enable skaters to grind obstacles with a relatively high diameter. These wheels, unlike normal wheels, give skaters a relatively large margin of balance error while grinding on a concrete curb or ledge. While normal wheels get stuck on concrete surfaces, the much harder anti-rocker wheels will simply slide because of the friction being less, allowing skaters to lean out of their center of balance without tripping.
Roman Abrate, Brian Aragon, Walt Austin, Julian Bah, Don Bambrick, John Bolino, Micheal Braud, Alex Broskow, Abdiel Colberg
, Jay Dick, Chris Edwards, Arlo Eisenberg
, Chris Farmer, Aaron Feinberg, Demetrios George, Robert Guerrero, Chris Haffey
, Brent Hicks, Stefan Horngacher, Jeph Howard, Mike "Murda" Johnson, Rachard Johnson, Jon Julio, Jacob Juul, Ramelle Knight, Dustin Latimer, Montre Livingston, Franky Morales, Connor O'Brien, Billy O'Neill, Dre Powell, JC Rowe, Erik "Ski" Perkett, Chaz Sands, Brian Shima
, Eric Shrihjn, Matthias Silhan, David Sizemore, Dominik Wagner, CJ Wellsmore, Demien Wilson, Mark Wodja, Nick Wood
, born June 18,1979 in São Paulo, Brazil, set the stage for female skaters to exhibit their talent in worldwide competitions. In 2000, the Aggressive Skaters Association created the “Fabiola Rule” which allowed females to compete in vert competitions that had previously been limited to male skaters. Since then, notable female aggressive inline skaters around the world include: (alphabetized)
Katie Brown, Jenna Dowling, Aarin Gates, Fallon Heffernan, Katie Kethum, Jenny Lougue, Kelly Matthews, CoCo Sanchez, Jodie Tyler, Chynna Weirstall
The video documentary entitled, "Barely Dead", was produced by Doug Urquhart of Misled Media, and tells the history of aggressive inline skating, shows professional skaters at work and contains interviews with people like Arlo Eisenberg, TJ Webber, B-Love, and Brian Shima. "Barely Dead" was awarded winner at the 2005 London Freesports Film Festival. Doug Urquhart is also known for "Hashassins", "Masters of Delusion", and "Black Market". These films feature professional skaters including: Brian Aragon, Julian Bah, Will Gordon, Brent Hicks, Dre Powell, Montre Livingston, and Walt Austin. "Black Market" chronicles a tour throughout Europe and the U.S.
The documentary film Jack Be Nimble was released in 2008 and chronicles the Roll Series and one group's travels through the country by RV to compete in various aggressive inline competitions.
In 2010, "Game Theory", was released, which was directed and edited by Helton "Brazilionaire" Siquiera, and executive produced by owner of Sunshine Distribution, Andy Wegener. “Game Theory” features segments from professional skaters: Roman Abrate, Brian Aragon, Julian Bah, Don Bambrick, Stefan Horngacher, Jeph Howard, Iain McLeod, Mike "Murda" Johnson, Max Jubin, Erik “Ski” Perkett, Matthias Silhan, and Edwin Wieringh.
2011 saw the release of "Valo4Life" Following two years of filming and travel across cities in the world, The Valo skate brand released its fourth full-length video, Valo4Life. 4Life—the fourth video from the Valo skate brand—features sections from pro skaters Alex Broskow, Erik Bailey, Brandon Smith, Victor Arias, Soichiro Kanashima, Cosimo Tassone, and Jon Julio. Filmed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Australia, Montreal, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and more. It was widely celebrated amogst the blading community a landmark video
Among the most widely read have been: Daily Bread, One, Be-Mag, and Rollernews.com. In 2011, a N.Y.C. based magazine, Art of Rolling, began publication.
Full scale warehouses such as Roller Warehouse, Aggressive Mall and Revolution Skate distribute magazines, DVD’s, the latest designs in skates, wheels, grindplates and related equipment, skater apparel and accessories through mail order as well as provide online stores and information through their websites.
Inline skating
Inline skating is a recreational sport practiced widely internationally. Inline skates typically have 2 to 5 polyurethane wheels, arranged in a single line. The in-line design allows for greater speed than roller skates and better maneuverability...
, performed on specially designed inline skates
Inline skates
In-line skates are a type of roller skate used for inline skating. Unlike quad skates, which have two front and two rear wheels, inline skates have two, three, four, or five wheels arranged in a single line...
with focus on sliding stances known as grinds with a focus on new tricks, stunts and personal style. Participants refer to the activity as "'rollerblading'", "blading", "skating" or "rolling". Vert
Vert (sport)
Vert is a term used in extreme sports to denote a competition held on a Vert ramp which allows the competitors to fly into the air and land back on the ramp. This time in the air allows the competitor to perform moves which would otherwise be extremely difficult...
or park
Skatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
is part of extreme sport
Extreme sport
An extreme sport is a popular term for certain activities perceived as having a high level of inherent danger...
s and street skating or freeskate in urban areas.
History
In 1980 a group of ice hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
players in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
were looking for a way to practice during the summer. Scott and Brennan Olson formed the company Rollerblade
Rollerblade
Rollerblade is a brand of inline skates owned by Nordica, part of the Tecnica Group of Trevignano, Treviso, Italy.The company was started by Scott Olsen and Brennan Olson in Minneapolis as Ole's Innovative Sports; when they sold the company, it became Rollerblade, Inc...
, Inc., to sell skates with four polyurethane wheels arranged in a straight line on the bottom of a padded boot. In 1988, Rollerblade introduced the first aggressive inline skate, the Rollerblade Lightning TRS. Aggressive inline skating finally developed as an organized sport in the early 1990s. The Aggressive Skaters Association (ASA) was formed by a number of aggressive inline skaters in 1994 as a forum to develop rules governing competitions and equipment. The sport was included in the first X-Games in 1995 and included vertical ramp and street event competitions. It reached its height in popularity in the late 90s, with mainstream movies like Disney's Brink!
Brink!
Brink! is a 1998 Disney Channel Original Movie set in the backdrop of casual inline skating.-Plot:Andy "Brink" Brinker and his in-line skating crew--Peter, Jordy, and Gabriella--who call themselves "Soul-Skaters" , clash with a group of sponsored skaters, Team X-Bladz--led by Val--with whom they...
and other films. Aggressive inline skating was removed from the ESPN X-Games in 2005 although it is still included in the Asian X Games, LG Action Sports Competitions, Montpellier Fise, and many other large competitions. Much of aggressive inline skating's progression has been documented through inline Skate videos, such as T-Bone Film's The Hoax and Videogroove
Videogroove
Videogroove is a video magazine created to cover the latest and greatest of inline skating. Videogroove has been around since the birth of aggressive skating and has evolved along with the sport into a staple of the rollerblading community....
series (both defunct). As of 2011, skate videos have in large part become distributed on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
through YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and Vimeo
Vimeo
Vimeo is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. It was founded by Zach Klein and Jake Lodwick in November 2004...
rather than by VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
or DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s sold through skate shops.
Description
Tricks in aggressive skating can be performed on street obstacles or on ramps. Street skaters perform more grinds and slides, where as ramp skaters have more air-time and therefore can perform other, often acrobatic tricks. Aggressive skaters can perform grinds by using the frames and plastic plates on the bottom of the skate. Grinds are usually done on rails and ledges although they can be performed on any obstacle which slides such as a curb or even chains. Similar to grinding, a cess slide involves sliding on the sides of the skate so the wheels aren't touching the ground, and can be performed on any surface that will allow for sliding.Street
In street skating, also known as freestyle skating, the skater performs tricks by utilizing features existing in a common, everyday environment. This involves skaters grinding hand rails and concrete ledges, jumping stairs, ramping off of embankments and generally turning anything on the regular street into an obstacle, ramp, or grind rail. Creativity is often seen as important aspect of street skating (similar to street skateboarding), since skaters are able to invent or link tricks specific to a unique environment, rather than performing more standard maneuvers on predefined obstacles as in park and vert skating.Park
Park skating refers to skating that occurs in various private and community skateparkSkatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
s. This style differs from street skating due to the specific nature of skate parks, which are designed for skaters to do tricks, e.g. on the top of the ramp (coping). Park skating often emphasizes the technical side of aggressive inline, focusing on the variety of tricks a skater can do and encouraging skaters to connect tricks. A series of tricks connected together in a fluid motion over different obstacles is known as a 'line'. Skate parks often feature quarter pipes and half-pipes, curved ramps and other features that are not usually found in a regular urban setting. A better quality skate park will have good lines—making it easier for skaters to perform tricks. Good skateparks have a flow to them.
Vert
VertVert (sport)
Vert is a term used in extreme sports to denote a competition held on a Vert ramp which allows the competitors to fly into the air and land back on the ramp. This time in the air allows the competitor to perform moves which would otherwise be extremely difficult...
, short for vertical, skating is a style of skating performed within a half-pipe
Half-pipe
A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, and inline skating. The structure is wood, concrete, metal, earth, or snow. It resembles a cross section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ramps , topped by copings and...
. It focuses on complicated aerial maneuvers, such as spins and flips. The intent of the skater is to build speed until they are of sufficient height above the edge of the ramp to perform various aerial acrobatics. They may also grind the lip of the half-pipe sliding their skates from one point of the lip to another. In competitions skaters have limited time, often less than a minute, to impress the judges by landing numerous and difficult tricks.
Skate description
| Part | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cuff | an ankle support cuff with a buckle or Velcro |
| Shell | a boot made of high-impact plastic that surrounds and protects the feet |
| Liner | a soft inner boot |
| Soul plate | a flat, hard plastic plate on the sole of the boot |
| Negative Soul plate | a flat, hard plastic plate on the inner sole of the boot |
| Frame | a hard plastic chassis for the wheels |
| Backslide plate | a grinding area flush with the soul plate, near the middle of the boot, used for grinding on the boot |
| Wheels | two to four polyurethane wheels with bearings |
| Anti-rocker wheels | usually two high density polyurethane wheels with high hardness, replacing the inner two wheels |
Typically each part is replaceable, and certain manufacturers provided parts that have been divided into individual sections, so a skater can replace specific worn areas.
Frames
The chassis of the skate, called the frame, bolts to the bottom of the skate. Skaters grind on the frames, which are designed for this purpose.There are several different variations on frame design. Originally a skate had four wheels on each skate, with a gap between the middle wheel where a plastic insert called an H-block was used for grinding. During the mid 1990s a plastic plate, known as the 'grind plate' was attached to the inside of the frame between the middle two wheels to extend the life of the H-block. As frame manufacturers began making removable h-blocks, the grind plate has fallen out of favor. As the sport evolved, skate companies started manufacturing wheels that were intentionally undersized, in order to facilitate grinding. The undersized wheels are called anti-rockers or midgets. Since some skaters skate with only two wheels on each skate, some frames are designed to match this (a variant called a freestyle frame).
In the late 1990s, the Universal Frame System (UFS) was introduced by frame manufacturers to allow the user to easily customize their skates. This led to increased customization of skates within the sport by allowing the user interchangeability between different company's frames. Today, all major frame and skate manufacturers support UFS.
Wheels
Modern skate wheels have undergone many years of development and iteration. The development of the main material, polyurethane, has been dependent on advancements in the polymer industry. The balance between hardness and grip is the key to an optimum skate wheel. Aggressive skate wheels are usually between 50 and 60mm, while anti-rocker wheels are between 35 and 47mm.usually two high density polyurethane wheels with high hardness, replacing the inner two wheels.
Anti-rocker wheels
Two high density polyurethane wheels with high hardness, replacing the inner two wheels. Some skaters prefer replacing only one of the inner wheels with anti-rockers.Anti-rocker wheels enable skaters to grind obstacles with a relatively high diameter. These wheels, unlike normal wheels, give skaters a relatively large margin of balance error while grinding on a concrete curb or ledge. While normal wheels get stuck on concrete surfaces, the much harder anti-rocker wheels will simply slide because of the friction being less, allowing skaters to lean out of their center of balance without tripping.
Popular Male Pro Skaters
(alphabetized)Roman Abrate, Brian Aragon, Walt Austin, Julian Bah, Don Bambrick, John Bolino, Micheal Braud, Alex Broskow, Abdiel Colberg
Abdiel Colberg (rollerblader)
Abdiel Colberg , is the only Hispanic professional rollerblader to have his own pro-skate brand.-Early years:Colberg was born and raised in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. There he received his primary and secondary education. According to Colberg his parents were instrumental in developing...
, Jay Dick, Chris Edwards, Arlo Eisenberg
Arlo Eisenberg
Arlo Eisenberg is an aggressive inline skater who pioneered street skating. He is considered by many to be an important innovator of the aggressive skating industry.-Biography:...
, Chris Farmer, Aaron Feinberg, Demetrios George, Robert Guerrero, Chris Haffey
Chris Haffey
Chris Haffey is an American aggressive inline skater, generally recognized as one of the best in the world.-Biography:...
, Brent Hicks, Stefan Horngacher, Jeph Howard, Mike "Murda" Johnson, Rachard Johnson, Jon Julio, Jacob Juul, Ramelle Knight, Dustin Latimer, Montre Livingston, Franky Morales, Connor O'Brien, Billy O'Neill, Dre Powell, JC Rowe, Erik "Ski" Perkett, Chaz Sands, Brian Shima
Brian Shima
Brian Matthew Isoa Shima is a professional inline skater.Came to fame in the early rollerblading community because of his unique style on skates and winning many competitions. He also holds the record for the most pro skates held by any person...
, Eric Shrihjn, Matthias Silhan, David Sizemore, Dominik Wagner, CJ Wellsmore, Demien Wilson, Mark Wodja, Nick Wood
Popular Female Pro Skaters
Once considered a sport primarily for males, Fabiola da SilvaFabiola da Silva
Fabiola da Silva , nicknamed Fabby, is a Brazilian inline skater who competes on the LG Action Sports World Tour. She has received over fifty medals in the LG Action Sports World Tour events. She has received seven X Games gold medals and one silver, making her the most decorated female athlete in...
, born June 18,1979 in São Paulo, Brazil, set the stage for female skaters to exhibit their talent in worldwide competitions. In 2000, the Aggressive Skaters Association created the “Fabiola Rule” which allowed females to compete in vert competitions that had previously been limited to male skaters. Since then, notable female aggressive inline skaters around the world include: (alphabetized)
Katie Brown, Jenna Dowling, Aarin Gates, Fallon Heffernan, Katie Kethum, Jenny Lougue, Kelly Matthews, CoCo Sanchez, Jodie Tyler, Chynna Weirstall
Films
As with most action sports, the film is an important part of marketing and exposure. Some of the most important early films are Hoax and Hoax 2. KFC's, "Straight Jacket", and Chris Majette’s ,"Choose Your Genre", are also well known for their profiles of skaters and their lifestyles.The video documentary entitled, "Barely Dead", was produced by Doug Urquhart of Misled Media, and tells the history of aggressive inline skating, shows professional skaters at work and contains interviews with people like Arlo Eisenberg, TJ Webber, B-Love, and Brian Shima. "Barely Dead" was awarded winner at the 2005 London Freesports Film Festival. Doug Urquhart is also known for "Hashassins", "Masters of Delusion", and "Black Market". These films feature professional skaters including: Brian Aragon, Julian Bah, Will Gordon, Brent Hicks, Dre Powell, Montre Livingston, and Walt Austin. "Black Market" chronicles a tour throughout Europe and the U.S.
The documentary film Jack Be Nimble was released in 2008 and chronicles the Roll Series and one group's travels through the country by RV to compete in various aggressive inline competitions.
In 2010, "Game Theory", was released, which was directed and edited by Helton "Brazilionaire" Siquiera, and executive produced by owner of Sunshine Distribution, Andy Wegener. “Game Theory” features segments from professional skaters: Roman Abrate, Brian Aragon, Julian Bah, Don Bambrick, Stefan Horngacher, Jeph Howard, Iain McLeod, Mike "Murda" Johnson, Max Jubin, Erik “Ski” Perkett, Matthias Silhan, and Edwin Wieringh.
2011 saw the release of "Valo4Life" Following two years of filming and travel across cities in the world, The Valo skate brand released its fourth full-length video, Valo4Life. 4Life—the fourth video from the Valo skate brand—features sections from pro skaters Alex Broskow, Erik Bailey, Brandon Smith, Victor Arias, Soichiro Kanashima, Cosimo Tassone, and Jon Julio. Filmed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Australia, Montreal, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and more. It was widely celebrated amogst the blading community a landmark video
News Magazines and Skate Shops
Several print and on-line magazines have been created over the years to provide newsworthy information for and about skaters, events, new products, and the industry.Among the most widely read have been: Daily Bread, One, Be-Mag, and Rollernews.com. In 2011, a N.Y.C. based magazine, Art of Rolling, began publication.
Full scale warehouses such as Roller Warehouse, Aggressive Mall and Revolution Skate distribute magazines, DVD’s, the latest designs in skates, wheels, grindplates and related equipment, skater apparel and accessories through mail order as well as provide online stores and information through their websites.
External links
- TrueMiszou.com/Rollerpedia: A wiki for Aggressive skating.
- www.rollerblade.com/
- www.rollingvideos.com/
- Rolling Film Archive
- PatinsBlog