Artistic Roller Skating 101 - Florida Skating Academy

2023 FSA Classic – Artistic Roller Skating Competition @ SpinNations
February 13, 2023

Artistic Roller Skating 101

What Is Artistic Roller Skating Exactly? We’re here to go through every twist and turn with you!

Artistic roller skating is an athletic sport that is very similar to figure skating on ice, but where competitors wear roller skates. There are some unique differences between roller and ice skating, however many athletes have once competed in both. Many famous ice skating champions once competed on roller skates (Brian Boitano, Tara Lipinski, Marina Kielmann). Artistic roller skating has been proven to be more difficult to master since ice allows the skater to press a deep edge which is used to push off when performing jumps. Roller skates however are a bit heavier, making jumping more difficult.

There are many different artistic roller skating disciplines, are as follows:

Figures & Loops

In figure and loop skating, the skater traces circles that you will find in most roller skating rinks across the country. Figures on wheels are different than figures on ice (known as compulsory figures) who draw their own figure circles. Figure circles are usually painted in sets of 3.

Figures are considered essential when developing skills in a beginner skater. In competition, skaters are judged by how well they trace the figure circle, steadiness, clean takeoffs and correct and timely transitions. Posture and form is also a very important component of their score.