Adventures in skating historiography
Freestyle slalom skating is interesting because it preserves some moves that have been lost in modern figure skating, like grapevines and the full range of pivots, and because it doesn't try to be like ice skating. Instead, it takes advantage of the architecture of inline skates. It's also still developing. USA Roller Sports has set… Continue reading Freestyle slalom moves and levels
The grapevine is a move that goes back to the middle of the nineteenth century but has mostly been forgotten by figure skaters today. It still survives outside of figure skating.
Among the skills learned by today's figure skaters are pivots, two-foot moves where the skater sticks the toe (or occasionally heel) of one blade into the ice while the other foot circles around it. Four different types are known today, but there used to be six!
In this ice-free time, it seems appropriate to post about ways to keep skating off the ice. Skating on wheels---both quad and inline---has evolved in new directions that take advantage of the unique properties of these skates. I'm particularly interested in old skating moves that have survived on wheels, but not on ice.