TIME: Almanac 1993/TIME Almanac 1993.iso/time/081390/0813205.000

Text File | 1992-08-28 | 4.8 KB | 108 lines

                                                                                BUSINESS, Page 56

Zipping Along in Asphalt Heaven


An upstart Minnesota company, Rollerblade, streaks to success

By DAVID M. GROSS


    Liberation. Exhilaration. The feeling of euphoria -- and a
hint of danger. For enthusiasts like Rafael Roig, 29, a New
York City writer, a sleek new breed of roller skates can
inspire rhapsodies. The wheeled wonders are called
Rollerblades, and sales are hot. Unlike conventional skates,
with their side-by-side wheel configuration, "in-line" blades
have a single row of polyurethane rollers. More like ice skates
than the clunky wheels of roller rinks past, the blades are
faster and more maneuverable. Says writer Roig: "At certain
moments, I do have the feeling of ecstasy."

    John Sundet, chief executive of Roller-blade Inc., shares
the feeling. His Minnesota-based company, which pioneered the
skates and controls more than 70% of the $60 million in-line
market, has seen its product quickly become synonymous with the
sport. "From a marketing standpoint," says Sundet, "it's a
dream to have your product so closely identified with the
activity." The company's sales have zoomed from $3 million in
1987 to a projected $40 million this year. Close to 700,000
Americans have bought blades. Other manufacturers cashing in
on the phenomenon include Vermont-based Canstar, which markets
the Bauer brand, and Minnesota's First Team Sports, the maker
of Ultra Wheels.

    First developed in the Netherlands for racing on land, the
Rollerblade idea was adapted for summer hockey training in the
U.S. by Scott and Brennan Olson, both former high school
players from Minneapolis. Their company, which started in a
garage in 1980 and ultimately became Rollerblade Inc.,
initially sold in-line rollers to hockey players who attached
them to their ice skates in the off-season. In 1987 Rollerblade
decided to market the skates as a fitness product for exercise
buffs. Rollerblades were slimmed down and painted a fashionable
neon. The company also launched a secret marketing strategy.
Realizing that trends start and spread quickly in California,
the Midwestern company gave away hundreds of Rollerblades to
skate-rental shops along the beach in Los Angeles. Says Sundet
slyly: "So what if the Californians think they invented it?"

    The gamble paid off. Rollerblade now does almost one-fourth
of its business in California. In New York, where the company
sponsors races, the market is smaller but growing fast. And the
trend has come full circle, returning to the heartland. "The
whole lakefront in Chicago is covered with Rollerbladers," says
Rosa Hallowell, 26, a law student at the University of Chicago.
"Every weekend it's a battle between the cyclists and the
bladers."

    In an industry that has seen the tennis boom bottom out, the
ski trend sag and the jogging craze slow down, blading is the
bright new hope for future growth in sporting-goods sales.
Industry experts believe that blades will rival the $350
million alpine-ski-boot market in the next decade. Says Thomas
Doyle, research director for the National Sporting Goods
Association: "It's a natural fitness activity, and the price
is right." The cost ranges from $100 for basic in-line skates
to $330 for pumped-up Racerblades, which have five wheels
instead of the usual four.

    Unlike such male-dominated wheeled activities as bicycle
racing and skateboarding, blading is popular among women.
One-third of in-line skaters are female. Says Lisa Hannah, 28,
a textile consultant in St. Louis: "I love them because they
tone my lower body -- and that's just where I need it!"
Retailers like Scott Narins, co-owner of New York's Blades
West, sees many selling points. "It's the most social thing
since running," he says, "and there are fewer injuries because
there is much less pounding."

    But the sport does have its hazards. Gliding along on a pair
of molded thermoplastic blades equipped with high-performance
ball bearings, skaters can reach speeds of 30 m.p.h. or more,
which means stopping is no easy feat. Learning to slow down
smoothly -- one method is to lean back on the skates'
rear-mounted brakes -- takes lots of practice and usually a few
spills. Novices should wear hand and knee guards and probably
helmets as well. The most common injury: broken wrists from
pitching forward onto the pavement.

    A whole subculture, complete with a new slang vocabulary,
is fast emerging around the sport. Bladers hang out with
rollerbuddies (friends) who prowl the asphalt in an eternal
quest for greased turf (smooth pavement) and try to avoid
rollerblood (injuries) at all costs. But remember: in
rollerblade lingo, cobblestone is a dirty word.