Don’t Look Now, but Here Come the Bladerunners

Whether stunting on the streets, gliding off to work or lining up for the orthopedist, nowadays in-line skates are the way to go

A 24-hour roller skating endurance competition in Paris, held in 1911
A 24-hour roller skating endurance competition in Paris, held in 1911 Wikimedia Commons

It's hot and getting hotter all the time: rollerblading. Whether we're skimming off to work, or lining up at the orthopedist's, it's America's fastest growing sport. Almost 20 million Americans have taken it up since a Minneapolis hockey player, Scott Olson, cobbled together some skates he dubbed rollerblades in his parents' basement in 1979.

Writer Kevin Krajick, who takes you to the sport's epicenter New York's Central Park gives you a skater's-eye view of life on wheels. He also chronicles the controversies surrounding blading as more and more towns and cities are trying to impose restrictions. But the growing number of skaters are fighting back to make the sidewalks free for rollerbladers.

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