Inline skaters hope to roll into 2016 Olympics

Gilles Attipoe isn't bashful about disclosing his lofty goals to strangers - he longs for a chance to compete in the Olympics, and he wants a gold medal around his neck.

When the 16-year-old tells them he's an inline speedskater living on a Florida beach, they stare in confusion, knowing Apolo Anton Ohno doesn't enjoy too much fun in the sun.

"Then I explain it's on wheels," Attipoe said.

He hopes his passion soon no longer requires an explanation, with the International Olympic Committee considering inline speedskating, a replica of the ice sport dominated by Ohno, for the 2016 Summer Games.

The most practiced of the four roller sports disciplines, inline speedskating - currently in the Pan American Games, Asian Games and World Games - failed in a 2005 bid for 2012 Olympic inclusion, hampered by limited worldwide participation, minimal revenues from sponsorships and a lack of media coverage.

Since then, the International Federation of Roller Sports (FIRS) has expanded to include 117 national federations - 32 more than in 2005 - with an estimated 50 million members. And it has caught the attention of many IOC members by heavily lobbying them at IOC meetings, streaming events on its Web site and executing a global advertising campaign.

In addition to inline speedskating, baseball, golf, karate, rugby, softball and squash are in contention to join 26 sports on the Olympic program. The 15-person IOC executive board will recommend two sports Aug. 13-14 in Berlin, and the 107-person IOC will decide their fate Oct. 9 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"It has always been a dream for us," Attipoe said Monday during the USA Roller Sports Outdoor National Inline Speed Skating Championships, which run through Wednesday at the 7-Eleven Velodrome in Memorial Park and shift to Doherty High School on Friday and Saturday. "We've come a long way. We're ready to be in the Olympics."

Trying to keep costs for Olympic host cities in check, FIRS didn't make figure skating, hardball hockey or inline hockey part of its proposal. It recommended 10 medal races (five for men and five for women) featuring 100 competitors, including 26 Americans, who would cover sprint and marathon distances in a three-day span.

Side-by-side racing would be common, with 40 skaters on a 200-meter banked track and 70 skaters on a 26.2-mile road course.

Speeds reached 37 mph among 550 skaters from 57 nations at the 2008 world championships, and several Olympic gold medalists - Ohno, Joey Cheek, Chad Hedrick and Derek Parra - often went even faster before switching to ice.

Nationals competitor Michael Cheek, 28, maintains inline speedskating garners attention because "people grow up on skates, and the first thing you do when you put skates on is see if you can go faster than someone. ... As soon as they see how hard we work and how fast we're going, usually we get respect."

"Your whole body has to be fit for it," added Kevin Carroll, a 16-year-old nationals skater. "It's not just one dimension. Everything has to be right - your technique, your power, your mental strategy. It's an all-around sport, which makes it even harder."