Inline skating

Inline skates typically have two to five polyurethane wheels depending on the style of practice, arranged in a single line by a metal or plastic frame on the underside of a boot.

Following this basic design principle, inline skates can be modified to varying degrees to accommodate niche disciplines.

[1] The German branch of SKF developed and produced inline skates in 1978 with wheels designed for hockey rinks and streets.

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.

[2] Life magazine published a photo of American skater Eric Heiden, training for the 1980 Olympics, using such skates on a Wisconsin road.

In 1996, Jason Lewis completed the first solo crossing of the United States on inline skates, part of Expedition 360, a successful attempt to circumnavigate the globe using only human power.

Because urban areas tend to have more hazards from traffic, many cities have organized social groups to make skating safer.

Fitness skates typically have faster bearings and larger wheels to generate speed and cover ground more efficiently.

Since its rise in the early 2010s, wizard skating has gained popularity worldwide, attracting skaters from various backgrounds, including aggressive, urban, and freestyle disciplines.

Its emphasis on edge control and fluid motion has made it a distinct and evolving art form within the broader inline skating community.

The purpose of vert skating is to ride higher than the coping (which is the metal pipe on top of the ramp) and perform spins or 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.

In competitions, skaters have limited time, often less than a minute, to impress the judges by landing numerous difficult tricks.