The Face of Aggressive Inline Skating

I assume most of the other inline skaters out there are much like me, and we wonder why aggressive inline skating is not as mainstream as similar sports like skateboarding. Some of that may be because of the tension between us and the other extreme sports, but for now, lets pretend the world is a peaceful place and everyone gets along. What are we missing that other more popular sports have? Well, I think the biggest thing we are lacking is simply someone to represent us. Someone to be the face of aggressive inline skating to the world. Someone who can be a good role model and draw new people to the sport. We need a Brett Favre or a Michael Jordan or a Tony Hawk or a Mat Hoffman. Someone everyone thinks of when they think of inline skating.


Way back in the early to mid 90's when the sport was just getting started, we had a couple skaters who could have easily been that person. One person being Chris Edwards. Chris is probably the closest match I could find to someone within inline skating that compares to Tony Hawk. He has done stunts and acted in movies (Mighty Ducks, Airborne and Prayer of the Rollerboys), he has been a major pioneer of the sport and correct me if I am wrong, but I believe he was even the first blader to have a pair of skates named after him: the Rollerblade Tarmac CE (for Chris Edwards). Chris is known for going big with huge airs on the half pipe and was willing to try anything. Unfortunately when jumping over a railing to about a 10 foot drop, he clipped his feet and fell and broke both arms. Since then, he has not been very active in the sport and I have not seen much of him at all.



Another old schooler, whom I thought for sure would be our Tony Hawk, was Arlo Eisenberg. He had a unique style and a very strong passion for the sport that others at that time did not seem to. He was one of the founding members of Senate which, as far as companies go, did a lot to shape the sport as we know it today. His parents even built a 30,000 square foot skatepark in his name: Eisenbergs. But then all of a sudden he kinda disappeared and withdrew himself to behind the scenes. He now has a Valo skate with his name and art on it. The last I have seen of him was an interview in 2009 of him talking about his new company Gost. Who knows though, he may still surprise me and step up to this role, but I am not holding my breath.



The best candidate I can see who is currently skating in the spotlight is Brian Aragon who is arguably the best in the sport today. He impressed me with his views on the sport saying it is OK to be well spoken and clean cut. Brian seems to have enough of an edge to be likable by the skaters and is clean cut enough to be likable by parents and other adults. If he were willing, I think he could be the best person for the job.



Another may be Chris Haffey. Like Aragon, he is currently one of the top skaters and is definitely in a position where he could take on that role. I have not heard him speak much, but he seems intelligent and can present himself well when he wants.



I had also considered Alex Broskow or Chris Farmer, but to me I feel like they are still trying to figure out who they are. They have changed their styles quite drastically (80's rocker style ... seriously!?!). Maybe that is a joke or something they came up with, but it just gives me the impression they still have to find themselves. Both are amazing skaters, don't get me wrong, but are they ready to represent the industry to the world? I don't think so.

There are some who are trying to fill this role now. Jenna Downing is doing a lot for aggressive inline in Europe. Jenna is an ambassador for our sport and is very involved with charities and such (thank you Jenna, we need so much more of this). Plus, she is out there showing the girls that guys aren't the only ones who can be great at rolling. She recently had to have ACL surgery, so I hope she is back skating and representing us soon.



Chaz Sands is also is doing a lot with the Chaz Sands Invitational contest, which has been aired to millions of homes across the world and now is part of the World Rolling Series. Most of his work is helping us in European countries, so I am hoping that it can start spilling over here to the US.

On the flip-side, some will say they don't want the sport to be bigger. They want it to stay small and underground. I can understand the appeal of that too. The appeal of being different and not being "mainstream" or doing what everyone else thinks is cool, but personally want to see our sport grow and become something bigger and more respected and supported and I'd really like to see us back in the X-Games.

I see things slowly moving in the right direction. We are becoming more organized and there are some top skaters that are showing they can be mature and positive role models, but we have a long way to go. Until we find someone who is willing and able to get out there and represent us to the world, we can all do our part by continuing to push the limits of our sport and being respectful of other sports. I believe we can grow this sport and earn it the respect it deserves.

What do you think?