Freeline skates

Freeline skaters resting in Seoul.
Detail of the Freeline skates.

Freeline skates are a pair of skates designed to give the feeling of skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, and inline skates all in one. They consist of two separate metal or wooden plates with two wheels attached by a form of “truck” designed specifically for the skates. The technique used to skate with Freelines is unique to the skates, and is a challenging wave-like motion. The individual skates, when ridden together, produce speed, agility, and natural self-propulsion, allowing for uphill motion.

History

Freeline skates were developed in 2003 in San Francisco, California when Ryan Farrelly was attempting to design a better way for downhill skating. His prototype for the skates was a row of four wheels in the center of a wooden board. After test runs and adaptations, Farrelly realized he could simply stand on each set of wheels and not bother with a board. The skates combine elements of both skateboarding and in-line skating, and can be ridden on flat land as well as downhill or uphill. Out of this idea, Freeline skates were born.[1] In 2012 the founder of Freeline Sports Inc., Ryan Farrelly left the company. [2] By the end of 2015 rumors of Freeline Sports Inc. closure began circulating on internet forums[3] and a group of former team members left to form a new skate company to continue were Freeline left off (JMKRide).[4] There are also other companies that exist to support the skating community. Professional skaters in Japan call the sport free skates and in Taiwan prefer drift skates after Freeline skates departure from the scene.[5] [6] (see also Street Skurfing)

Models

There are currently three different models of Freeline skates:[7]

See other companies

References

  1. ↑ http://www.surfshot.com/Product+News/Freeline+Skates-152367.html
  2. ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-farrelly-b589401a
  3. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/freeline/
  4. ↑ http://jmkride.com/
  5. ↑ http://ameblo.jp/fls-shiga/entry-12052503210.html
  6. ↑ http://www.gtank.com.tw/
  7. ↑ http://www.freelineskates.com/store/c-1-skates.aspx

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, April 06, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.