Skate Nation facts for kids

Skate Nation was a cool British TV show for kids, shown on BBC Two in 2009. It was hosted by Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes. The show was all about roller skating! Fourteen teams of roller skaters, each with three kids (aged 7-13) and one adult, competed to win an amazing trip to the World Games in Taiwan.

What was Skate Nation?

Skate Nation was an exciting competition series with eleven episodes. Teams showed off their amazing roller skating skills. They wanted to win a trip to the World Games, which is a big international sports event.

The teams first competed in special "heats" to get into the top ten. These ten teams then went to a "skate camp" to improve their skills. From there, eight teams moved on to the main studio shows.

In the studio shows, teams performed every week. A panel of judges, including Kevin Adams, Camilla Dallerup, and Asha Kirkby, scored their routines. The audience also helped decide who stayed. Each week, one team was eliminated. The two teams with the lowest scores had to do a "skate showdown" to see who would be saved.

The very last episode, shown in January 2010, celebrated the winners. It also featured the Skate Nation "Oscars" for special achievements.

Meet the Teams

Fourteen different teams took part in Skate Nation. They came from many different types of roller skating. This made the competition very exciting!

Here are the different styles of skating and some of the teams:

• Artistic Roller Skating: This is like ice skating, but on roller skates! Skaters do spins, jumps, and dance moves.
  • Teams: Three Blondes And A Baldy, Wheeled Wonders, Roller Rockets, Angels, Fab Four, Blue Sherbert.
• Roller Hockey: This is a fast-paced team sport, like ice hockey, but on skates.
  • Teams: Pirates (using quad skates) and Slap Shots (using inline skates).
• Speed Skating: Skaters race around a track as fast as they can.
  • Teams: Rapid Rollers and Hypa Stry.k.
• Aggressive Inline Skating: Skaters do tricks and stunts on ramps, rails, and obstacles.
  • Team: Blades Of Glory.
• Jam Skating: This style mixes dance, gymnastics, and breakdancing moves on skates.
  • Teams: Essence and Toe Jammers.
• Freestyle Slalom Skating: Skaters weave and dance around a line of small cones.
  • Team: Coast Bladers.

The Competition Journey

The Skate Nation competition had many stages, testing the teams' skills and teamwork.

Early Rounds and Skate Camp

The first two episodes were about the initial heats.

• In Episode 1 (July 18, 2009), seven teams competed for five spots in Skate Camp. Toe Jammers and Wheeled Wonders were eliminated.
• In Episode 2 (July 25, 2009), another seven teams competed for five more spots. Hyper Stry.k and Blue Sherbert left the show.

The ten remaining teams then went to Skate Camp (Episode 3, August 1, 2009). Here, they learned new skills like stops, glides, jumps, and spins. They also had a roller disco! At the end of camp, they performed a short routine. The Pirates team was eliminated.

Next, the nine teams went to Pro Skate Camp (Episode 4, August 8, 2009). They learned even harder moves like the barrel roll and moon walk. They also tried roller hockey, which the Coast Bladers won. Three Blondes and a Baldy were eliminated.

Studio Shows and Finals

The competition moved to the studio for live shows, where teams performed new routines each week.

• The first stadium show (Episode 5, August 15, 2009) saw the Fab Four eliminated after a skate showdown.
• In the second stadium show (Episode 6, August 22, 2009), the Angels had to leave due to an injury, and Slap Shots were eliminated.
• The third stadium show (Episode 7, August 29, 2009) had a fun circus theme! Blades of Glory were eliminated.
• The quarter-final (Episode 8, September 5, 2009) featured routines based on films like Harry Potter and Star Wars. Rapid Rollers were eliminated.
• The semi-final (Episode 9, September 12, 2009) had the last three teams perform routines based on different countries. Roller Rockets were eliminated, leaving two teams for the Grand Final.

The Grand Final

The Grand Final (Episode 10, September 19, 2009) was between Essence and Coast Bladers. They performed two routines each. The teams also faced a climbing wall challenge, which Coast Bladers won. Even Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes performed on skates!

After all the scores were added up, Essence and Coast Bladers were tied! So, their scores from all the stadium shows were added together. The Coast Bladers were crowned the winners of Skate Nation!

Winners Show

The final episode (Episode 11, January 2, 2010) was a special show. It followed the winners, Coast Bladers, on their amazing trip to Taiwan for the 2009 World Games. The show also featured the Skate Nation "Oscars," celebrating memorable moments and performances from the series.