Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 20, 1990 TAG: 9006200009
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Since the Virginia CorEast State Games are being held in the middle of the summer, there isn't much chance of holding ice sports.
But those who love skating need not feel slighted. They can see a full array of events, including figure skating, speed skating and even hockey.
It's just that instead of skating on blades, the competitors will be skating on wheels.
Roller skating isn't yet a recognized Olympic sport, but it is almost as popular as ice skating - nationally and internationally.
During the State Games, there will be competition July 7-8 in artistic skating, speed skating and roller hockey. Artistic skating will be held at the Skate Center of the Roanoke Valley, and speed skating and roller hockey will be at the Star City Roller Skating Center.
"We [roller skaters] participate competitively on a world level," said Al McCaskill of Portsmouth, who is one of the roller skating coordinators for the State Games. "We have a world championship. We're in the Pan-American Games. We get the same benefits in sports funding and training facilities as every sport [sponsored by the United States Olympic Committee]."
American James Plimpton designed the first practical four-wheeled skates in 1863. Three years later he opened the first roller skating rink in Newport, R.I. With the introduction of the ball-bearing skate in 1884, roller skating began to sweep the world as a recreational activity.
The first world figure roller skating championships were held in 1947 in Oakland, Calif.
In both technique and execution, roller skating is similar to ice skating.
"It's identical to ice skating," said McCaskill, who skated competitively for 15 years and participated in the U.S. championships six times. "We skate the figures, do spins and jumps. We perform as well as ice [skaters] and, in my opinion, sometimes with better content."
McCaskill, who coaches artistic skating out of his center in Portsmouth, said Virginia is one of the country's top areas for artistic skaters.
Several skaters who have won titles or placed at the national championships will be at the State Games. They include 11-year-old John Jacobson, a five-time national champion from Virginia Beach, and 11-year-old national champion Melissa Spruill. Jacobson and Spruill also won the 1989 dance title.
"Virginia has a lot of good, young figure and freestyle skaters," McCaskill said. "The state is doing really well at the national level. If roller skating is added as an Olympic sport in the next few years, we think Virginia will be well-represented because by then these kids will be at the prime age for competition. The artistic events will be well worth watching. Some of these kids are potential national-placement kids."
Roller skating also will feature the youngest competitor in the State Games - 3-year old Mandi Lynnann Howard from Midlothian.
Roller hockey may not be familiar to most Americans, but it has been around for more than a century. The rules of the game are almost identical to those of ice hockey.
Roller hockey will be a demonstration sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
"This is good news for us," McCaskill said. "We've been trying to get our sport into the Olympics for years. It's very difficult for a new sport to get in the Olympics. We're hoping by getting roller hockey in as a demonstration, artistic and speed skating will come in on its coattails."
The State Games handball competition will be held July 6-8 at the Roanoke Central YMCA.
One of the favorites is Lexington's De Worrell, who won the state championship in December in Roanoke. But according to event coordinator Dennis Wickes, some of the top competitors will come from Northern Virginia.
There will be several levels of competition ranging from the Open division to the Super-Golden division for competitors 60 and older.
Soap Box Derby, or gravity racing, has been a fixture in American culture since the first Derby was run in 1934 in Dayton, Ohio.
The Soap Box Derby competition during the State Games actually is the 38th Roanoke Area All-American Soap Box Derby. The race will be July 6 on Buck Mountain Road, and the junior and senior champions will qualify for the National Soap Box Derby Championships later this year in Akron, Ohio.
by CNB