The slalom style of rollerblading is a competitive form of skating which involves competitors weaving between cones in a long lineup. The cones are evenly spaced, and depending on the difficulty of the competition, are spaced at either 120cm, 80cm or 50cm. For those as clumsy as I am, the idea of rollerblading on a surface any narrower than the sidewalk you skate on can seem like a near impossible task.
For Russian junior competitor Sofia Bogdanova however, it’s just like skipping through a meadow.
Taking the first place in the PSWC Classic Slalom Junior Women’s division, she seems to skate as easily as breathing.
She could probably save a fair amount of money too with all those unnecessary wheels on her feet! She is so confident and skilful that she easily weaves in and out between these cones on just the very tips, on one single wheel. If unicycling seems hard, imagine doing it on a wheel no bigger than a cookie!
Her concentration is fierce!
Not only is she able to weave between the line of cones as she travels down them, but she spins in circles, forward AND backward through the line of cones not once doing so much as brushing one. The blue lines on the far left are the furthest apart, then the white cones, then the red cones to the right of those are the closest together. Don’t worry…Sofia’s getting to those…
She might look like she’s sitting down on the job…
…but this is the kind of balance and skill that you need to get that 1st place prize. It may also surprise you to find out that yes she is skating…on one foot…on one wheel…in a crouch…but would you believe me if I told you she was going BACKWARDS? Well, best believe it, but you may need to watch the video yourself to do so.
And she can twirl not only forwards, but backwards too.
Like a ballerina in a music box she twirls like it’s what she was built to do. This is one seriously talented competitor. More than just talent though, it’s clear that Sofia has been training her toes off for this competition and I shudder to think how many hours of practice she has put in during her lifetime. These manoeuvres are all made even more complex by the fact that she’s flawlessly dodging the red cones, the closest together.
I didn’t even know that was possible with rollerblades!
I’d love to see the scene in Sofia’s biopic where she get’s challenged to a trick-off in a skate park by a bunch of punks only to leave their jaws on the floor when she whips out these moves. Can we please get that movie made!?
I mean, I don’t even know what to call this…
Maybe witchcraft? Is it bad taste to accuse someone of achieving this unimaginable level of skill without invoking the forces of magic? While she crosses her legs, she holds them so perfectly in line that she travels effortlessly straight that with her leading toe she dips in and out of the cones at the same time. Wow, just wow. That’s how you get first place!
Watch the full video below to enjoy Sofia’s incredible routine!
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