Zipping Along in Asphalt

By DAVID M. GROSS

Liberation. Exhilaration. The feeling of euphoria -- and a hint of danger. For enthusiasts like Rafael Roig, 29, a New York City writer, a sleek new breed of roller skates can inspire rhapsodies. The wheeled wonders are called Rollerblades, and sales are hot. Unlike conventional skates, with their side- by-side wheel configuration, "in-line" blades have a single row of polyurethane rollers. More like ice skates than the clunky wheels of roller rinks past, the blades are faster and more maneuverable. Says writer Roig: "At certain moments, I do have the feeling of ecstasy."

John Sundet, chief executive of Roller-blade Inc., shares the feeling. His Minnesota-based company, which pioneered the skates and controls more than 70% of the $60 million in-line market, has seen its product quickly become synonymous with the sport. "From a marketing standpoint," says Sundet, "it's a dream to have your product so closely identified with the activity." The company's sales have zoomed from $3 million in 1987 to a projected $40 million this year. Close to 700,000 Americans have bought blades. Other manufacturers cashing in on the phenomenon include Vermont-based Canstar, which markets the Bauer brand, and Minnesota's First Team Sports, the maker of Ultra Wheels.

First developed in the Netherlands for racing on land, the Rollerblade idea was adapted for summer hockey training in the U.S. by Scott and Brennan Olson, both former high school players from Minneapolis. Their company, which started in a garage in 1980 and ultimately became Rollerblade Inc., initially sold in- line rollers to hockey players who attached them to their ice skates in the off-season. In 1987 Rollerblade decided to market the skates as a fitness product for exercise buffs. Rollerblades were slimmed down and painted a fashionable neon. The company also launched a secret marketing strategy. Realizing that trends start and spread quickly in California, the Midwestern company gave away hundreds of Rollerblades to skate-rental shops along the beach in Los Angeles. Says Sundet slyly: "So what if the Californians think they invented it?"

The gamble paid off. Rollerblade now does almost one-fourth of its business in California. In New York, where the company sponsors races, the market is smaller but growing fast. And the trend has come full circle, returning to the heartland. "The whole lakefront in Chicago is covered with Rollerbladers," says Rosa Hallowell, 26, a law student at the University of Chicago. "Every weekend it's a battle between the cyclists and the bladers."

In an industry that has seen the tennis boom bottom out, the ski trend sag and the jogging craze slow down, blading is the bright new hope for future growth in sporting-goods sales. Industry experts believe that blades will rival the $350 million alpine-ski-boot market in the next decade. Says Thomas Doyle, research director for the National Sporting Goods Association: "It's a natural fitness activity, and the price is right." The cost ranges from $100 for basic in-line skates to $330 for pumped-up Racerblades, which have five wheels instead of the usual four.

Unlike such male-dominated wheeled activities as bicycle racing and skateboarding, blading is popular among women. One-third of in-line skaters are female. Says Lisa Hannah, 28, a textile consultant in St. Louis: "I love + them because they tone my lower body -- and that's just where I need it!" Retailers like Scott Narins, co-owner of New York's Blades West, sees many selling points. "It's the most social thing since running," he says, "and there are fewer injuries because there is much less pounding."

But the sport does have its hazards. Gliding along on a pair of molded thermoplastic blades equipped with high-performance ball bearings, skaters can reach speeds of 30 m.p.h. or more, which means stopping is no easy feat. Learning to slow down smoothly -- one method is to lean back on the skates' rear-mounted brakes -- takes lots of practice and usually a few spills. Novices should wear hand and knee guards and probably helmets as well. The most common injury: broken wrists from pitching forward onto the pavement.

A whole subculture, complete with a new slang vocabulary, is fast emerging around the sport. Bladers hang out with rollerbuddies (friends) who prowl the asphalt in an eternal quest for greased turf (smooth pavement) and try to avoid rollerblood (injuries) at all costs. But remember: in rollerblade lingo, cobblestone is a dirty word.