What is Precision Skating? Precision Roller Skating is a large and fast-growing, yet little recognized discipline, consisting of 12-24 athletes skating on the floor at one time moving as one flowing unit at high speeds. This discipline of Roller Skating is named because of the emphasis on maintaining precise formations and timing of the group. For a precision team to flow in unison, individual skaters must be competent at a variety of skating skills, including speed, footwork and presentation. The team performs a program set to music, with required formations including circles, lines, blocks, wheels, and intersections. The teams are required to perform difficult step sequences involving a number of complicated turns. There are international synchronized skating competitions at the Senior level, and the Federation Internationale de Roller Sports (FIRS) held the first World Championship in Precision Roller Skating in 2000. Teams may consist of men and women with Senior Teams having 12-24 team members and Junior Teams having 8-16 team members. Two scores are given, one for composition and one for presentation. Precision Roller Skating owes it's origin to Synchronized Skating on ice. The first synchronized ice skating team was formed by Dr. Richard Porter, who became known as the 'father of synchronized skating'. The 'Hockettes' skated out of Ann Arbor, Michigan and entertained spectators during the intermissions of the University of Michigan Men's Hockey Team. In the early days, precision skating resembled a drill team routine, or a precision dance company such as The Rockettes. During the 1970's, the interest for this new sport spawned tremendous growth and development. As each season passed, more and more teams were developing more creative and innovative routines incorporating stronger basic skating skills, new maneuvers and more sophisticated transitions with greater speed, style and agility. Due to the enormous interest in the sport in North America, other countries took notice with the World Championships starting over ten years ago. With the internationalization of the sport, it has evolved rapidly, with increasing emphasis on speed and skating skills. Although not currently an Olympic sport, fans and participants of this fast-growing discipline have begun to strive for recognition by the rest of the skating and athletic world. Precision Roller Skating has been covered by Roller Skating and the USARS magazine since the sport's inception. It is a varsity sport at several colleges, and is being reviewed for Olympic eligibility. At the Senior level, the best team in the United States is Team In Sync. Watch their winning routine from the 2005 US National Championships here. - LOOK AT PHOTOS OF THE NATIONAL WINNING ROUTINE... - MEET THE TEAM BEHIND TEAM IN SYNC... COMMON QUESTIONS - What is Precision Roller Skating? - Is this part of the Olumpics? - Are there many teams in the US? - How good a skater do have to be? - How is it judged? - How big are the teams? - Is it only for girls? HAVE A QUESTION? - Email us for an answer...