Artistic roller skating (sometimes called roller figure skating) is a group of roller skating events similar to figure skating on ice. The events are:
- Figures (similar to the compulsory or "school" figures on ice, and skated on painted circles on the skating surface)
- Dance (solo and team)
- Freestyle (single and pairs)
- Precision (team skating, similar to synchronised skating on ice)
Skaters may use either quad or inline skates, although quad and inline are separate events, and do not compete together. Artistic skating on inline skates is quite rare, as quads are better able to hold edges and perform tight spins.
The sport is very similar to ice figure skating, and there is some crossover between the two sports; ice skaters such as Tara Lipinski and Marina Kielmann competed in both. However, roller figure skating is often considered to be more difficult because the ice allows the skater to draw a deep, solid edge to push off from when jumping, for example, before performing a triple lutz. On roller skates it is not possible to use a deep edge in that context, as it will confuse in the rotation and the skater will not be able to land properly.
Furthermore, artistic roller skating traditionally encourages spins that are uncommon on ice, such as the inverted spin in which the skater leans backward with the free leg extended high in front, and spins that would be impossible to do on blades, such as the broken ankle spin, which rotates on a deep edge on the inside wheels, and the heel camel spin, which is only rotated on the back, or heel, wheels of the skates.
There are also the triple, double, and single jumps known from the ice skating scene, such as axels, loops, and salchows. Some elements have different names in roller skating than they do in ice skating; for example, the Mapes jump on wheels is equivalent to the toe loop on ice.
