Best Aggressive Inline Skaters
The last time we gave love to aggressive inline skaters was July 17, 2011. This special group of Adrenalists who prefer eight wheels to a skateboard’s four will show anyone who believes skating’s old news how wrong they are. As the months of skater-friendly fall wane and cold weather creeps around the corner, we thought now would be the perfect time to redirect our attention to aggressive inlining and celebrate an incredible extreme sport worthy of some serious front and center press. We definitely don’t want to spoil the surprise but, let us say this: The tricks in these videos are among the most awesome (and harrowing) we’ve seen. If you’re not an aggressive inline fan now, you will be by the time you finish checking out this feature.
Also you should know that just because you may have owned a pair of blades in the 90′s doesn’t mean you should attempt any of the things you see in this video, even if said blades are still in your possession. These guys aren’t casually skating around the park, they’re going hard and without any kind of protective gear. It’s time for the big boys. Sorry to burst bubbles.
Here are five of today’s best aggressive inline skaters.
Chris Haffey
Chris Haffey, now recognized as one of the most skilled inline skaters in the world, made the jump from rollerskates to blades at age 11. Before long, Chris was sponsored, winning skate titles (he snagged his first in 2002) and reinvigorating the extreme sports community’s appreciation of and interest in inline skating. Known for his unparalleled arsenal of tricks, Haffey won gold at the XGames Shanghai in 2009 and 2011 and holds the world record for completing the longest ever jump on inline skates: 30 meters.
Erik Bailey
A Boise, Idaho native, Bailey began skating in 1993 — during the period in which rollerblading was most popular. According to his biography posted on the World Roller Series (WRS) site, the first pair of blades he ever owned were stolen from his friend’s sister. Soon after that theft, Bailey snagged a sponsorship deal with a local Idaho skate shop. When he turned 18, he moved to Reno, Nevada and made his first big skate video debut in “Them Apples“. In addition to consistently placing in the top competitors in skate competitions around the world, Bailey helped found aggressive skate company, Valo.
Romain Godenaire
Romain Godenaire is the first international addition to our list. He hails from France and though he’s only been on the pro circuit since 2009, the dude has already amassed an insane number of titles, including many at 5-star events like Fise Pro and Barcelona Extreme. Still on the young side, Godenaire is a member of the new vanguard of aggressive inliners and is definitely a name to know. If you’re not a French speaker, you may not be able to understand what he’s saying in his video, but his moves speak for themselves. Expression through motion.
Roman Abrate
At just 25, French-born Abrate (not to be confused with Romaine, above…though they’re both French and young and really talented), has been awarded a coveted spot on the Razors pro team, and has already enjoyed various first place finishes in the three years he’s been competing professionally. In fact, Abrate’s coming off three consecutive first place finishes in 2012 and has been featured in Razors’ Game Theory showcase DVD — one of the decade’s most highly anticipated compilations. What else can we say about Abrate? Oh, yeah. 1:42. Yeah, 1:42. That pretty much sums it up.
Brian Aragon
Know who else appeared in Razors’ Game Theory? Brian Aragon. This Colorado native has been tearing up the pro circuit since 2009. Nicknamed “The Prince,” he spends a lot of his time in Denver Skatepark and lists the “topacid” as his trick of choice. We could kind of tell that from checking out his video. He definitely has it down. If Aragon keeps releasing segments like this one, it might not be long before “The Prince” becomes “The King”. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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