Disciplines of artistic roller skating

Within artistic roller skating there are several disciplines: 

• Pairs: (a subset of freestyle with two people performing jumps, spins, and lifts) 

• Freestyle: Artistic freestyle skating incorporates figure skating jumps, spins, and footwork into a program set to music.

• Show teams: There are two groups: 16-30 skaters and other small group for 6-12 skaters

 

• Precision: (team skating, similar to synchronized skating on ice). Precision Roller Skating is a large and fast-growing, yet little recognized discipline, consisting of 12-24 athletes skating on the floor at one time moving as one flowing unit at high speeds. This discipline of Precision Skating is named because of the emphasis on maintaining precise formations and timing of the group.

Types of roller skates

There are three types of roller skates:

Ice skate: Are boots with blades attached to the bottom, used to propel the bearer across a sheet of ice.

Artistic skates: are used in many different skating disciplines, but the easiest comparison is to that of a figure skate used on ice. Artistic roller skates are composed of a leather boot, very strong sole plate, and a jump bar that adds additional reinforcement.

Inline skates: 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.

A little bit about Roller Skating

Roller skating is the traveling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a form of recreational activity as well as a sport, and can also be a form of transportation.
Roller skates are devices worn on the feet to enable the wearer to roll along on wheels. The first roller skate was effectively an ice skate with wheels where the blade goes.

History:

The first patented roller skate was introduced in 1760 by Belgian inventor John Joseph Merlin.
Eventually, roller skating evolved from just a pastime to a competitive sport; speed skating, racing on skates, and figure skating, very similar to what you see in the Olympics on ice.
Rest of the 19th century: inventors continued to work on improving skate design.

An advert for an early 20th model which fit over ordinary shoes