Ryan Allen Carrillo has captured the eye of the world with his brilliant artistic skating abilities. While inline skating was not always a popular sport, it is now vying for a place as an Olympic event, due in part to Ryan’s inspiration.
Inline and artistic roller skating are a lot like ice skating in the way the skater moves. Many of the jumps and tricks are the same. However, because of the restrictions of inline skates, artistic skating has a higher degree of difficulty. For example, an ice skater can create figure eights and other feats on the ice by starting with a blank canvas and creating the pattern. Inline skaters must perform at the same level of perfection but are required to follow a designated pattern already painted on the floor or ground. Also, when performing a stunt such as a double axle or flip, an ice skater can dig deep into the ice to get leverage and gain height while an inline skater cannot. Instead, the inline skater must take off from a flat, solid surface, gaining power through the push off.
(Video Description: Artistic inline skating by Nathalie Biedermann on PIC Skates by Skatetrix - Nathalie skates in Zurich train mainstation. A historical building from the 19th century.)
Everyone knows that the legs and ankles of any skater must be strong. The inline skater has another challenge in this area. In addition to showcasing difficult and rigorous maneuvers, the artistic skater must be flexible enough to be able to bend both ankle and leg to conform to the curves of any course. As with all skaters, inline and quad skaters wear special boots, usually made of leather, to reinforce the ankle to prevent injury. An additional feature offered in the artistic skater’s is a sole plate specially designed for a high level of stability and shock absorption. Typical inline skates often seen in competition are also designed so that one side of the baseline is higher than the other, allowing the skate to conform to the curve without placing additional strain on the ankle. While the design of the skates will help with this maneuver, it still remains difficult and can require many years of practice to perfect.
There is great hope that artistic skating will soon become eligible for the Olympics. Skaters are optimistic since there are many similarities between artistic skating and traditional ice and figure skating. As with figure skating, there are three major categories in an artistic skating competition. They include figure skating, which includes many compulsory moves; various areas of dance including compulsory moves; and free skating. Because free skating allows for more personality, it is a preferred form among many skaters. It may also be the category that shows the most skill since the skater may choreograph his own routine and include a wide range of tricks and moves that would not be acceptable in the compulsory categories.
There are many organizations that sponsor artistic skaters and their events. One of the more prestigious events, The “Open International de Paris 2008″ took place in Paris in January. This international competition is currently the only one dedicated solely to inline skating and promises to be the model for many competitions to come. For information on upcoming events, visit SkateLog.
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