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Transcript 10

The radio programme discusses the history of roller skating, tracing its origins from ice-skating in the early 1700s in Holland. Key developments include John Merlin's introduction of roller skates to Britain in 1760 and James Plimpton's design improvements in the 1860s that made skating safer. The sport gained popularity through the establishment of rinks and events in the 20th century, culminating in the introduction of in-line skates in 1983.

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Transcript 10

The radio programme discusses the history of roller skating, tracing its origins from ice-skating in the early 1700s in Holland. Key developments include John Merlin's introduction of roller skates to Britain in 1760 and James Plimpton's design improvements in the 1860s that made skating safer. The sport gained popularity through the establishment of rinks and events in the 20th century, culminating in the introduction of in-line skates in 1983.

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claracaballeroflores8
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TRANSCRIPT 10

You will hear a radio programme about the history of roller skating. For questions 9-18,
complete the sentences.
In today's programme, I'm going to be talking about roller skating: how the sport started and
how it has developed over the years. So who was the first person to come up with the idea of
attaching wheels to the feet in order to get about more quickly and easily?
Well, roller skates are not a new invention. In fact, roller skating developed out of the much
older activity of ice-skating, which has existed in Scandinavia and other northern countries for
centuries. The actual inventor of the first roller skates is not known, but it's generally thought
that they originated in Holland in the early 1700s.
Roller skates first arrived in Britain in 1760 when the Belgian clockmaker John Merlin wore
some to a formal ball in London. Merlin was known as something of a mad inventor, but he
surprised everybody at the ball when he whizzed past them on wheels, playing the violin at the
same time. Unfortunately, Merlin did not manage to persuade people that roller skating was a
good idea. His skates had no brakes and he ended up crashing into a large mirror. Merlin was
quite seriously injured in the accident and, as a result, roller skating did not immediately
become popular in Britain.
In Germany, however, roller skates made a better impression. They were used in a ballet with
the name Winter Pleasures, which included a scene where the dancers skated on ice. Because
they couldn't produce the ice on stage, the organisers decided to use roller skates instead.
After this, the sport gradually became more popular, but it was only thanks to technical
advances that it became safer. In 1863, an American named James Plimpton solved the
problem of controlling direction when skating by fitting them with rubber springs. His design is
widely regarded as the origin of the modern roller skate, although rubber toe brakes, another
important safety feature didn't come in until the 1870s.
The late nineteenth century saw the beginnings of events such as speed contests, artistic
displays and roller dancing as well as the first team sport on roller skates, roller hockey.
During the first decades of the twentieth century, hundreds of indoor and outdoor roller
skating rinks opened, especially in the USA, and the sport became really established as a
popular pastime. The first roller skating championships were held in Detroit in 1937.
The real development of the modern roller skate only began in the second half of the
twentieth century. From the 1950s onwards, the use of plastics led to improvements in the
design and performance of roller skates, and roller disco movies of the 1970s and 1980s
increased the popularity of the sport, with roller discos opening in many parts of the world.
Meanwhile, the stage musical Starlight Express, which features roller skating, ran for
seventeen years and was seen by eight million people.
The sport of roller skating has also been gaining a more serious following, especially in
southern Europe and South America. The biggest modern change to roller skates came in 1983
with the introduction of in-line skates, also known as rollerblades. Then during the 1990s, new
materials, brakes and boot fastenings all combined to make skates both lighter and safer than
they had ever been in the past.
So why is roller skating so popular? I went to talk to some fans at a rink in Huddersfield ...

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