Roller Sports Canada

‘Canadian champion Kailah Macri competes at the Pan American Games. She placed 5th.‘- photo and caption from here

I’ve been a figure skater for 17 years, so when I learned that one of the sports competing at these Pan American Games was artistic roller skating — figure skating on wheels, I was told — I had to check it out.

(Apparently, Canadian and World champion Elvis Stojko was thinking the same thing. Stojko, who lives in a small village outside of Guadalajara, was in the stands today to watch the event.)

What can I say about this sport…

Athletically, it is impressive. But I can’t say I really understand why anyone living in a country with ice rinks would bother.

Read more: Some biased thoughts from a figure skater on artistic roller skating

GUADALAJARA, MEXICO—They look a lot like figure skaters. They’ve got the same sequined dresses, beige tights and slicked-back hair. And they perform many of the same technical elements — axels, Lutzes, camel spins.

But instead of a toe pick on their skates, there’s a rubber stopper; in the place of two blades, there are eight wheels; and in artistic roller skating, when a competitor falls down on a jump, she lands on concrete. Thud. There’s no ice to slide on.

Read more: The beauty of figure skating, minus the ice

Artistic roller skating is one of the handful of medal sports unique to the Pan Am Games, but for a few hours in October, it seemed like the world’s most popular sport. The competitors had assembled on the outdoor surface – sort of a giant green tennis court – for a little practice a few days before their short program.

Kailah Macri, the 20-yearold from Whitby, Ont., was among the dozen or so skaters and was, like all of them, in full uniform. The uniforms were form fitting, often sequined, and entirely captivating for the dozen or so maintenance workers who chose that precise time of day to take an extended coffee break.

Read more here: More than sports at Pan Am Games