Roller Skating Associations and Competitions: USA Roller Sports, World Skate and Rinks

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A sports complex in Lincoln, Nebraska, in July: a three-year-old in a sparkly dress waits to skate her first dance pattern while, on the next floor, a seventy-year-old laces up for a speed race. Both are at the same national championships. In October, the world’s best skaters head to Asunción, Paraguay, for the World Skate Games. Roller skating is run by a handful of organizations, from a world federation founded in 1924 to the trade group of the rinks where most of us first learned. This guide to roller skating associations covers who’s who: USA Roller Sports and World Skate for artistic and speed skating, the Roller Skating Association for rinks, the jam skating scene, and how to find a club or a rink near you.

For the big picture on the sport, start at our roller skating hub. Looking for the WFTDA, MRDA or junior derby? Roller derby leagues are on our roller derby leagues and associations page.

USA Roller Sports (USARS)

USA Roller Sports is the national governing body for competitive roller sports in the United States, recognized by World Skate and the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee. It was established in 1937 as part of the Roller Skating Rink Operators Association and incorporated separately in 1973, and it’s based in Lincoln, Nebraska. Besides artistic and speed skating, it oversees rink and inline hockey, roller derby, freestyle, scootering and extreme roller sports, and it runs development programs such as the Star Skate Program.

• Artistic (figure) skating: figures, singles, pairs, solo dance, team dance, precision team and show team. USARS calls artistic skating the largest division of competitive roller skating in the US.
• Speed skating: on quads and inlines, with individual races from 100 m to 3,000 m plus two-person and four-person relays.
• Membership: every skater at a USARS-sanctioned event needs a current USARS membership card, which you get by registering on the USARS website.
• The season: the country is split into regions, and clubs in each region host meets during a season that runs roughly from December to the following July. Skaters move up from local inter-club meets and invitationals to regional championships and then nationals.
• All ages: USARS says coaches often start their own children skating as early as 3, and nearly 45% of competitors at its national championships are 25 or older.

The 2026 nationals. The National Indoor Speed and Artistic Championships ran at the Speedway Sports Complex in Lincoln in July and early August, with skaters from 3 to 70 years old, and the Outdoor National Championships and Team USA trials ran at Brian Piccolo Park in Hollywood, Florida, from August 25 to September 1. Team USA skaters then represent the country at world championships, the World Games and the Pan American Games. Speed skaters who also race on ice: see our speed skating associations page.

World Skate: the international federation

World Skate is the international federation for roller sports and skateboarding. It traces back to the Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports, founded in Montreux, Switzerland, in April 1924. It governs artistic skating, inline and quad speed skating, rink and inline hockey, roller derby, inline freestyle, downhill, roller freestyle, scootering and skateboarding, which is the only one on the Olympic program.

• Speed world championships are held every year, for juniors (15 to 18) and seniors, men and women, on the track and on the road, plus the marathon. The minimum age is 15. Masters categories run from 30 to 60 and over.
• Artistic world championships cover free skating, pairs, solo and couple dance, precision, show, figures and inline, judged mostly with the RollArt system.
• The rulebooks for each discipline (speed, artistic and the rest) come from World Skate’s technical commissions; national federations like USARS build on them. See our roller skating rules page.

The World Skate Games

World Skate’s showcase puts nearly every wheeled sport into one event. After Nanjing (2017), Barcelona (2019), Buenos Aires (2022) and Italy (2024, with 10,800 athletes and staff from 90 countries), the 2026 edition runs October 2–18 in Asunción, Paraguay: 12 sports plus an e-sport, 154 world titles, more than 10,000 accredited participants from over 100 nations, with venues across Asunción and in Paraguarí and Altos. The speed world championships run October 10–18, with track races at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee and the road races, 100 m sprint and marathon in the city’s downtown.

The Roller Skating Association International

The rinks have their own organization. The Roller Skating Rink Operators Association was set up in 1937 by a group of skating center owners to promote roller skating and good business practices, and it’s known today as the Roller Skating Association International. It’s a trade association of rink owners and operators, teachers, coaches and judges, and makers and suppliers of skating gear. For skaters, the part that matters is its Learn to Skate program and instructor training, the kind of class many rinks offer beginners. USARS itself began inside this group in 1937.

The jam skating scene

Jam and rhythm skating doesn’t have a governing body; it lives at rinks, skate nights and big skate parties. It became popular in the early 1970s, with roots in roller disco, breakdancing, artistic skating, gymnastics and modern dance, and regional styles such as Chicago’s JB skating, New York’s spins and circles, and fast backwards skating from Philadelphia, South Jersey and Delaware. There are jam skating competitions in several states, but no single federation or rulebook. The way in is simple: find the adult night at a rink with a strong jam crowd, watch, and ask.

Finding a rink or club

• Rinks run public sessions, adult nights and learn-to-skate classes; this is the easiest first step for any age.
• USARS clubs train artistic and speed skaters toward sanctioned competition, from local meets to nationals. Ask your rink whether a club practices there.
• Inline and road skating groups meet for group skates and distance training on trails and closed roads.
• Recreational groups meet for trail skates, park sessions and rhythm nights. No tryouts needed.

You don’t need fancy skates to start, but you’ll want your own protective gear soon: a certified helmet, wrist guards, and elbow and knee pads. The Impala Quad Skate is a common first pair, with aluminum trucks and plate, 58 mm 82A wheels and ABEC 7 bearings (about $96). See our roller skating gear page.

Your first competition

• Get your USARS card before entering a sanctioned meet.
• Know the rules for your event: the required elements for your artistic level, or the race format and equipment rules for speed.
• Check your gear the night before: helmet straps, wheels and axle nuts tight, toe stops or brakes in good shape.
• Pack food and water. Meet days are long; see our competition day page.
• Plan the day after: sleep, food and easy movement. Our recovery page has the routine, and the recovery tools guide covers foam rollers and massage guns.

After a meet weekend, many skaters reach for a foam roller such as the TriggerPoint GRID 1.0 (about $40) or a small massage gun like the Hypervolt Go 3 (about $149). They’re for comfort, not treatment.

Roller skating associations FAQs

Who governs roller skating in the US?

USA Roller Sports, based in Lincoln, Nebraska, is the national governing body for competitive roller sports, including artistic and speed skating, recognized by World Skate and the USOPC.

What is World Skate?

The international federation for roller sports and skateboarding, founded in 1924 as the Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports. It runs the world championships and the World Skate Games.

When and where are the 2026 World Skate Games?

October 2–18, 2026, in Asunción, Paraguay, with the speed world championships October 10–18.

Can adults compete in roller skating?

Yes. USARS says nearly 45% of competitors at its national championships are 25 or older, and World Skate’s speed rules have masters categories from 30 to 60 and over.

Is roller skating in the Olympics?

No. Artistic and roller speed skating compete at World Skate’s world championships and the World Skate Games; skateboarding is the only World Skate sport on the Olympic program.