Rollerskating is a sport that’s been around for several hundred years, going all the way back to 1743 when a stage play in London, England,, was said to be the first recorded public appearance of these devices. However, no one knows exactly who invented the first pair of roller skates. And, over the years, many people have come up with many different variations of this concept. But, the prototype for the style of rollerskates that exist today was first patented in France by a man named M. Petitbled in 1819. However, his skates more resembled inline skates. It was James Leonard Plimpton who managed to improve on previous designs in 1863 with his four-wheeled turning roller skate design. This design is also known as the “rocking skate” or “quad-skate.” Plimpton’s designed allowed folks to maneuver their skates better, giving them the ability to turn and even stop.
Since the 1880s, when skates started being mass-produced, the sport has had several periods in which it was popular amongst the general public. However, most folks would tell you that sport’s heyday took place between 1937 and 1959, during what is often called skating’s “Golden Age.” In this video, we see a performance by a Swedish precision roller skating team at the 2013 International Tattoo in Sweden.
Image via YouTube
These ladies put on quite a show, displaying unbelievable coordination along with excellent skate control and timing. Anyone who has ever strapped on a pair of skates can understand just how amazing these ladies are!
Image via YouTube
You can watch their performance in the video below.
