Poll any number of Americans and chances are the majority has at one time or another tried roller-skating. Everyone has at least heard of it. Now take the prefix roller and change it to break or jam and peoples response would be quite different. Jam/Break skating is a new twist on an old American past time. However, it’s a sport that is not as widely recognized us as skaters wish it was.

Done on a modernized version of old school quad skates, jam skating has introduced teen skaters to old school “jam” music. Normally done in a line formation, jam skating is basically synchronized dance steps done on roller skates. Movements are strictly timed to the beat of the music and an experienced jam line is always right in step.

A new twist to jam skating is called break skating. This a combination of break dancing and jam skating all done as a well choreographed routine. The movements are more challenging and include flips and stunts all done on skates.

MTV has recently brought break skating into the public eye on its new series Americas Best Dance Crew. A team named Breaksk8 have been competing against other “dance” groups to bring home the title of Americas best dance crew. At this time they seem to be the crowd favorite. The uniqueness of their routines each week makes them stand out among the rest.