A Brief Biography of William John Cavendish-Bentinck-Scott, 5th Duke of Portland (1800-1879) - keen horseman and 'peculiar to many - but certainly not mad' owner of Welbeck Abbey.
posted by tellurian on Jan 14, 2008 - 4 comments

The US Figure Skating championships are this week, but though the ice skaters in Spokane and elsewhere get all the press, another group of skaters toil in near-obscurity. Roller figure skaters (also called artistic roller skaters) skate on quad (or sometimes inline) skates, do all the moves that ice skaters do (and even more -- notice the "heel" and "broken ankle" spins in this program, spins that are not possible on ice), and compete, as they have for decades, in local, national, and international events. In 1978, skating was at a peak of popularity and Time magazine wrote "skaters are hoping to be included in the 1988 Olympics"; nearly 30 years later, roller figure skating still hasn't reached the Olympics, some roller skaters like Tara Lipinski have switched to ice to get famous, and the number of clubs and participants in the US have declined precipitously, but dedicated roller figure skaters still spend many hours practicing school figures (on circles painted on the floor), dance, and free skating, for the love of their sport. Want to see more? Skating videos from RollerSportsTV.
posted by litlnemo on Jan 23, 2007 - 33 comments

In the roller-skating comedy-musical ATL, rapper T I channels Olivia Newton-John, strapping on the skates and shaking it in an 80's styled roller-rink. Directed by noted video director Chris Robinson and with a screenplay by Tina Chism (Drumline), the self-appointed King of the South shakes his felon image and plays a teenager who leads a skate crew in this coming-of-age saga set in Atlanta. This closes the circle started by the teeny-bopper band Sugar Hill Gang with "Rapper's Delight" in 1979.
posted by mischief on Mar 18, 2006 - 18 comments