Information » Sport & Leisure » Outdoor Sports » Roller Sports
- Roller sports may include roller hockey, roller skating, skateboarding, roller soccer or speed skating
Skateboarding
- Skateboarding in the road can be extremely dangerous and is often against the law
- Make sure you wear protection - especially on your head - when skating, and not only when you're a beginner - the better you become at skateboarding, the worse the falls get!
- Skateboarding is a fun activity which is both a hobby and a competitive sport
- Skateboarding is rolling on or interacting with a skateboard
- Someone who skateboards is called a 'skater'
- Skateboarding is both an extreme sport and an art form, because of its creative aspects - skaters learn to do 'tricks' on their skateboards
- The vast majority of skateboarders in the world are under 18 - it is generally a sport for young people
- Skateboarding has grown rapidly in popularity in Wales, particularly in South Wales
- The best skate spots in Wales are usually in and around Cardiff, Caerphilly and Newport, and the best skate parks are in Cardiff, Porth, Aberbargoed and Newport, such as Skate X and Skateside in Cardiff, and Skate Extreme in Newport. Skate Extreme is a particularly famous skatepark in Wales - you may have to queue for ramps
- A good skateboard, trucks, wheels and bearings cost around £120. The deck usually needs to be replaced every six weeks - depending on how often you skate - wheels and bearings every two to three months and trucks every year
- Skate trainers may cost between £40 and £90 - using the wrong trainers can damage your feet. Skate shoes need to be replaced if you skate regularly
- As it is quite expensive, if you are just trying skate boarding out, it is advisable to buy a cheaper board and shoes from a local skate shop in case you don't like it
Roller skating
- Roller skating (or roller blading) is moving on smooth surfaces on roller skates - it is done for recreation or as a sport
- It can also be done as a form of transportation
- There are two types of skates: quad skates and inline skates
- Quad skates have four wheels - these may be used, for example, for recreational roller skating ie, in the park, or for quad hockey (see hockey)
- Inline skates have three, four or five wheels arranged in a single line and also can be used either for recreational skating or competitively
Speed skating
- Inline speed skating is a fast, popular and competitive kind of roller skating
- It may take place on an indoor rink or on roads
- There are different events in competitive speed skating, including distance speed skating (the marathon for example), sprints and individual and team time trials
- To get involved in competitive skating, see the links below
Artistic roller skating
- Artistic roller skating is a series of roller skating events in which participants make figures, dance or free skate as part of a skating performance in front of judges, either in teams or solo
- Skaters use either quad or inline skates, but these two types of skaters usually compete in different events
- For affiliated clubs, see the link below for the Federation of Artistic Roller Skating
