Skate Nation
Encyclopedia
Skate Nation is a British
children's television programme presented by Sam Nixon
and Mark Rhodes
broadcast by CBBC
on BBC Two
in 2009. It was an eleven-part series in which fourteen teams of roller skaters
competed for a trip to the World Games
in Taiwan
. Each team consisted of three children aged 7 – 13 and an adult.
The teams competed in one of two heats to reach the final ten, who attended a skate camp. From there eight team progressed to the studio shows, where each week one team was eliminated. Their performances in the stadium were judged by a panel consisting of Kevin Adams, Camilla Dallerup
, and Asha Kirkby, as well as the studio audience. The two lowest-placed teams had to take part in the skate showdown, after which the judges voted to save one team.
The eleventh show showed the series winners in Taiwan and also the Skate Nation "Oscars". This was broadcast some time after the original series in January 2010.
.
There were six artistic roller skating
teams: Three Blondes And A Baldy, Wheeled Wonders, Roller Rockets, Angels, Fab Four, and Blue Sherbert.
There were two roller hockey
teams: Pirates (quads) and Slap Shots (inlines).
There were two speed skating
teams: Rapid Rollers and Hypa Stry.k.
There was one aggressive skating
team: Blades Of Glory.
There were two jam skating
teams: Essence and Toe Jammers.
There was one freestyle
team: Coast Bladers
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
children's television programme presented by Sam Nixon
Sam Nixon
Sam Nixon is an English singer and television presenter. He came third on the Pop Idol television series in 2003 and is now one half of the duo Sam & Mark, with the other being Mark Rhodes.-Early life:...
and Mark Rhodes
Mark Rhodes
Mark Thomas Rhodes is an English singer and television presenter.-Career:...
broadcast by CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in 2009. It was an eleven-part series in which fourteen teams of roller skaters
Roller skating
Roller skating is the traveling on smooth surfaces with roller skates. It is a form of recreation as well as a sport, and can also be a form of transportation. Skates generally come in two basic varieties: quad roller skates and inline skates or blades, though some have experimented with a...
competed for a trip to the World Games
World Games
The World Games, first held in 1981, are an international multi-sport event, meant for sports, or disciplines or events within a sport, that are not contested in the Olympic Games...
in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. Each team consisted of three children aged 7 – 13 and an adult.
The teams competed in one of two heats to reach the final ten, who attended a skate camp. From there eight team progressed to the studio shows, where each week one team was eliminated. Their performances in the stadium were judged by a panel consisting of Kevin Adams, Camilla Dallerup
Camilla Dallerup
Camilla Dallerup is a British-based Danish ballroom dancer, dance teacher and model.-Dance career:Dallerup started dancing at the age of two and a half when her mother took her to her first class in Aalborg. She won the Danish Junior Championships at the age of 12...
, and Asha Kirkby, as well as the studio audience. The two lowest-placed teams had to take part in the skate showdown, after which the judges voted to save one team.
The eleventh show showed the series winners in Taiwan and also the Skate Nation "Oscars". This was broadcast some time after the original series in January 2010.
The teams
Fourteen teams took part. The teams were made of skaters from many different disciplines and styles of roller skatingRoller skating
Roller skating is the traveling on smooth surfaces with roller skates. It is a form of recreation as well as a sport, and can also be a form of transportation. Skates generally come in two basic varieties: quad roller skates and inline skates or blades, though some have experimented with a...
.
There were six artistic roller skating
Artistic roller skating
Artistic roller skating is a sport similar to figure skating but where constestants run on roller skates instead of ice skates. Within artistic roller skating there are several disciplines:* figures...
teams: Three Blondes And A Baldy, Wheeled Wonders, Roller Rockets, Angels, Fab Four, and Blue Sherbert.
There were two roller hockey
Roller hockey
Roller Hockey is a form of hockey played on a dry surface using skates with wheels. The term "Roller Hockey" is often used interchangeably to refer to two variant forms chiefly differentiated by the type of skate used. There is traditional "Roller Hockey," played with quad roller skates, and...
teams: Pirates (quads) and Slap Shots (inlines).
There were two speed skating
Inline speed skating
Inline speed skating is the sport of racing on inline skates It is often called inline racing by participants. Although it primarily evolved from racing on traditional roller skates, the sport is similar enough to ice speed skating that many competitors are now known to switch between inline and...
teams: Rapid Rollers and Hypa Stry.k.
There was one aggressive skating
Aggressive inline skating
Aggressive inline skating is a form of inline skating, performed on specially designed inline skates with focus on sliding stances known as grinds with a focus on new tricks, stunts and personal style. Participants refer to the activity as "'rollerblading'", "blading", "skating" or "rolling"...
team: Blades Of Glory.
There were two jam skating
Jam skating
Jam skating is a combination of dance, gymnastics, and skating, performed on roller skates. The style of skating has its roots in traditional roller disco, but has been influenced by breakdancing, artistic skating, gymnastics, and modern dance...
teams: Essence and Toe Jammers.
There was one freestyle
Freestyle slalom skating
Freestyle slalom skating is a highly technical field of skating that involves performing tricks around a straight line of equally spaced cones. The most common spacing used in competitions is 80cm, with larger competitions also featuring lines spaced at 50cm and 120cm.-Equipment:Most freestyle...
team: Coast Bladers
Episode list
| Episode # | Description | Air date | Left the show |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The first seven teams (Pirates, Rapid Rollers, Essence, Toe Jammers, Coast Bladers, Three Blondes And A Baldy, and Wheeled Wonders) compete for five places in Skate Camp. | 18 July 2009 | Toe Jammers, Wheeled Wonders |
| 2 | The second set of teams (Slap Shots, Blades Of Glory, Hypa Stry.k, Roller Rockets, Angels, Fab Four, and Blue Sherbert) compete for five places in Skate Camp. | 25 July 2009 | Hyper Stry.k, Blue Sherbert |
| 3 | The ten remaining teams go to Skate Camp where they practice skills such as stops, glides, jumps, and spins. On the second evening, there is a roller disco at which the adult team members perform a routine to Mamma Mia Mamma Mia (song) "Mamma Mia" is a song from ABBA's 3rd album, ABBA, written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus & Stig Anderson, with the lead vocals shared by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The song "Mamma Mia" is a common song used in bands or orchestras... . At the end of the three days, each team must show their skills and perform a short routine. |
1 August 2009 | Pirates |
| 4 | The nine teams go to Pro Skate Camp where they have to learn more new skills, including the barrel roll, the moon walk, the side surf, and the New York Shuffle. Each team is also given a new routine to learn, which they will perform in next week's stadium show, if they get past the judges. The teams also try their hand at roller hockey, which the Coast Bladers win. There is a last minute crisis as Michaela from the Roller Rockets twists her ankle, meaning her team have to perform as a threesome. | 8 August 2009 | Three Blondes and a Baldy |
| 5 | First stadium show. The eight teams compete in the first stadium show being judged by the audience as well as the series judges. In the skate showdown: Fab Four and Blades of Glory | 15 August 2009 | Fab Four |
| 6 | Second stadium Show. There is a shock withdrawal by the Angels due to an injury to Olivia. The other teams perform their second stadium routine. In the skate showdown: Essence and Slap Shots | 22 August 2009 | Angels (withdrew), Slap Shots |
| 7 | Third stadium show with a circus theme. Blades of Glory did a lion-taming routine, Essence were clowns, Rapid Rollers were jugglers, Coast Bladers were strong men and Roller Rockets were acrobats. The teams were also shown taking part in a raft-building and racing activity, with Roller Rockets winning the race. In the skate showdown: Rapid Rollers and Blades of Glory | 29 August 2009 | Blades of Glory |
| 8 | Quarter-final. The teams do routines based on films. Rapid Roller did a rountine based on Harry Potter Harry Potter Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... , Essence did Hairspray, Roller Rockets' routine was based on Star Wars Star Wars Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year... , and Coast Bladers did Shrek Shrek Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!... . Also they get judged on a slalom battle. The teams also got to try another style of skating: Essence tried speed skating Speed skating Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating... , Rapid Rollers tried jam skating Jam skating Jam skating is a combination of dance, gymnastics, and skating, performed on roller skates. The style of skating has its roots in traditional roller disco, but has been influenced by breakdancing, artistic skating, gymnastics, and modern dance... , Roller Rockets tried aggressive skating Aggressive inline skating Aggressive inline skating is a form of inline skating, performed on specially designed inline skates with focus on sliding stances known as grinds with a focus on new tricks, stunts and personal style. Participants refer to the activity as "'rollerblading'", "blading", "skating" or "rolling"... at a skate park and Coast Bladers tried artistic roller skating Artistic roller skating Artistic roller skating is a sport similar to figure skating but where constestants run on roller skates instead of ice skates. Within artistic roller skating there are several disciplines:* figures... . In the skate showdown: Rapid Rollers and Roller Rockets |
5 September 2009 | Rapid Rollers |
| 9 | Semi-final. The last three teams do routines based on countries: Coast Bladers had Spain, Roller Rockets did a USA-themed routine and Essence a Bollywood routine. The show also had a routine by British Champion roller-dancers Darren Dyke and Kirsty Chick, who represented Great Britain at the 2009 World Games World Games 2009 The World Games of 2009 took place in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, from July 16, 2009 to July 26, 2009. The games featured sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games.... . In the skate showdown: Roller Rockets and Essence. |
12 September 2009 | Roller Rockets |
| 10 | The Grand Final. Essence and Coast Bladers perform two routines: a new one summing up their time on Skate Nation and their routine from week 7, with the circus theme. Both teams also set a climbing wall challenge, which is won by Coast Bladers. Mark Rhodes and Sam Nixon perform on skates. The other eight teams who made it to the stadium shows make a brief appearance. After the judges' scores and audience vote have been added together Essence and Coast Bladers are tied, so their scores from the judges and audience from all stadium shows are added and Coast Bladers are confirmed as the winners. | 19 September 2009 | Essence |
| 11 | Winners show and Skate Nation "Oscars". | 2 January 2010 |