Roller Jam Skates

Jam skating (or Jamskating) is a combination of dance, gymnastics, and skating, performed on roller skates. The style of skating has its roots in traditional roller disco, but has been influenced by breakdancing, artistic skating, gymnastics, and modern dance. Successful jamskaters are well practiced in these different forms and must have the ability to translate these movements while on skates.Jamskating is neither aggressive nor speed skating. This form of freestyle skating is referred to by many different names: toe-dancing, spot-skating, shuffle skating, hexing, rexxing, trucking, shadow skating, crazy leg, boogie bouncing, and disco skating. These names strictly describe the style of skating, not the moves.The term “Jam Skating” is derived from the Jamskate Association which originated in Orlando, Florida in 1997. The Jamskate Association was introduced as an effort to combine several roller skating clubs in Florida who shared a common style of skating. The term “Jamskate” was coined by Chris Gehret, founder of the Jamskate Association. Several combinations of words were considered when thinking of a common name to describe exactly what it was we do on skates. Rollerjam and Skatejam were runners up, but in the end Jamskate seemed to fit the best.