IV.1. A Brief History of Roller Skating

The first roller skates appeared in the 1700s on the model of ice skates. In the beginning, some roller skates were referred to as “rocking” skates. They did not have the shoe part and were equipped with one, three or four wheels made of wood, rubber or iron. Three wheels were arranged in one row, while four wheels in two. The wheels had a diameter of 2-3 cm. Roller skates were first introduced to the public by John Joseph Merlin at a masquerade party in 1760. In 1819, in Paris, Petitbled patented the first roller skate design, which had leather straps and three wheels. This was followed by a series of technical improvements. In 1823, the British R. S. Tyler created a roller skate with five wheels, which he named Rolito, and the question of turning was solved by James Plimpton in 1863 by setting the wheels in two side-by-side pairs. Ball bearings appeared in 1884 to help increase speed and enhance the experience of gliding. Roller skates equipped with adjustable straps were first produced in 1905, and, in 1910, Roller Skate Company launched the first three-wheeled skates with leather shoes to improve comfort (Béres, 2004).

Apart from technical developments, the conditions of roller skating also improved. In 1866, the first roller skating rink was opened in Iceland, and, in 1882, the first international roller skating race was organized in Daytona. In 1921, the European Confederation of Roller Skating (CERS) was set up with its headquarters in Rome. It had three disciplines: speed skating, artistic roller skating and roller hockey. Three years later, in 1924, the International Federation of Roller Sports (FIRS) was also established. The first speed skating race was held in 1937, the first artistic roller skating competition in 1939 and the first roller hockey championship in 1961, where, interestingly, they used skates with wheels arranged in two rows. The International Inline Skating Association (IISA) was formed in 1991. The Hungarian National Roller Skating Association was established in 1993 (Béres, 2004).

Due to technical improvements and appropriate conditions, roller skating and roller sports could also develop. In the 1970s, more and more people practiced roller skating as a part of their summer training. The hockey player Olsen brothers designed special inline skates and Rollerblade, Inc. was founded. In the summer months, inline skates were not only used by hockey players, but skiers as well. New trends also appeared using roller skates in aerobics and fitness. In 1993, new types of roller skates were brought to the market including aggressive inline skates, trail and downhill roller skates. In the 1990s, a new industry appeared manufacturing protective gear and accessories. These brought another boom in roller skating, as they helped reduce the number of injuries (Béres, 2004).