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August 9, 2000
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How In-line Skates Got Rolling
| Wheels of Progress |
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Roller skates have come a long way since Joseph Merlin glided into a London party in 1760 to demonstrate his new invention and crashed into a mirror. (He hadn't worked out how to stop or turn!) How have roller skates improved over time? Modern in-line skates have evolved a great deal since the old-fashioned wooden and metal roller skates of yesteryear. Today's sleek and lightweight models feature wheels made of hard—and hardy—polyurethane. Over the years, new designs and safety features such as brakes have increased the performance levels people can achieve on in-line skates. In fact, competitive in-line skating may soon work its way into the Olympics.
The United States Olympic Committee is debating which of five sports should be included in the 2004
summer Olympics to be held in Athens, Greece. The contenders are roller skating, bowling, racquetball, squash, and water-skiing.
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| Olympics Bound? |
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There are three major categories of competitive in-line skating: speed skating, artistic skating, and roller hockey. In-line speed skating seems the likeliest to make it into the Olympics because it has an almost equal number of male and female participants. The sport is similar to speed skating on ice and typically takes place on a track or road. Sprinters can achieve speeds as fast as 50km/h (31 mph). Now imagine the same sport at a downhill slant. Downhill in-line speed skating is garnering wider recognition, thanks in part to the 2000 In-line Downhill World Championships that took place in Zell am See, Austria. The 2,200-meter (7,218-foot) course with 10 high-speed curves provided plenty of challenges for the athletes. The chart below shows the top downhill in-line skating speeds achieved over the past few years in a standard 2,200-meter race.
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| Thrills Take Skills |
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One of the most important skills is learning how to stop. Beginners must learn how to stop on all sorts of surfaces, ranging from flat ground to hills of all inclines. It is also important to learn how to stop suddenly. This skill comes in handy, especially if someone is skating in areas filled with cars, bikes, and crowds of people. As skaters progress, they can add more skills to make the sport more enjoyable. These skills include descending hills at a slow, controlled pace. Being able to "scissor" the feet (put one foot in front of the other, with most of the weight on the back foot) helps skaters roll over railroad tracks or changes in the pavement. Being able to maneuver well on in-line skates is essential. Say a person is walking slowly in front of an in-line skater. The skater needs to accurately judge the pace of approaching skaters or cyclists to know when it's safe to pass the pedestrian. Mastering all these safety techniques is not easy! In-line skaters should always don helmets, wristguards, elbow pads, and knee pads to keep the process as fun and as pain-free as possible. |
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Learning to skate takes time. Luckily, the way in-line skates are designed today, there's no reason to crash into any mirrors to stop one's progress!
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There are many scientific and mathematical principles at work in in-line skating. Explore these concepts in the following Middle School Gateways activities:
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