Video Metni

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  Back to the Future.
  

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  Sometimes, the road to the future leads through the past.
  

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  Such was the case for Americans Scott and Brennan Olson,...
  

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  ...who used an old idea to launch a hot new trend in sports, in-line roller skating.
  

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  In 1979, these siblings found a pair of antique roller skates...
  

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  ...while checking out bargains at a used sporting-goods store.
  

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  The skates they found had four wheels in a single row...
  

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  ...instead of the traditional parallel pairs of wheels in front and back.
  

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  This single row of wheels intrigued the Olsons.
  

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  They were avid hockey players and they immediately noticed the similarity between the in-line wheels,...
  

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  ...and the long, single blade found on the bottom of ice skates.
  

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  Could these unusual skates somehow be used to practice hockey off the ice?
  

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  The Olsons set about trying to modify the design of the antique skates that they had found.
  

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  First, they tested out the antique skates to see how well they worked.
  

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  From those tests, they tried to come up with ways to improve the old design.
  

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  One improvement involved using special materials to make the skates stronger and easier to steer.
  

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  The Olsons also added reliable brakes to their in-line skates.
  

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  In 1980, the Olsons founded a company called "Rollerblade" to make and sell their new invention.
  

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  Sales skyrocketed and soon, millions of people worldwide were rollerblading,...
  

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  ...as in-line skating was mistakenly called.
  

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  At first, in-line skating was recreational.
  

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  People enjoyed skating in parks and on streets, and some even danced on skates at giant roller discos.
  

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  Today, inline group skates are popular all over the world.
  

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  In cities such as San Francisco, Paris, and Berlin...
  

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  ...as many as 20,000 skaters might meet on a free day and skate together through the streets.
  

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  Many people see in-line skating as a great way to exercise and socialize.
  

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  By the mid-1990s, in-line skating had become more than just a recreational sport.
  

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  It had developed into several competitive sports.
  

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  One of the most popular, even today, is aggressive skating.
  

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  This involves performing tricks and jumping over objects such as boxes, ramps, and rails.
  

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  Other kinds of competitive skating include speed skating, artistic skating, downhill racing, and skating marathons.
  

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  So, what about hockey?
  

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  Well, the Olsons achieved their goal.
  

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  Inline hockey leagues sprang up almost immediately.
  

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  Then in 1999, inline hockey joined the lineup at the Pan-American Games.
  

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  There are rumors that in-line skating may even become part of the Summer Olympics someday.