| In 1937 a group of roller-rink operators
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| | speed-skating championships were
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| determined to band together and make a
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| | combined, and an all-inclusive national
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| serious attempt to elevate the sport's
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| | championship meet was held at the
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| standards and management. Several amateur
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| | Cleveland Public Auditorium. The four-day
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| competitions were fostered. On April 3,
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| | meet catered to almost five hundred
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| 1937, seventeen operators met at Detroit
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| | amateur skaters participating in all the
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| and organized the Roller Skating Rink
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| | classes of the three branches of the
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| Operators Association (RSROA) of the
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| | sport.
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| United States. It set up as its main
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| | The meet was so successful that the
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| objective the advancement of amateur
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| | membership of the RSROA decided to hold
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| roller skating.
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| | the National Championships at the same
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| Perry Rawson, a retired New York broker
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| | auditorium in 1941, when for four days,
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| and amateur ice skater, who had
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| | once again, the big auditorium was filled
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| thoroughly studied International Style
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| | with amateur skaters. There were many
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| figure and dance skating, visited England
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| | more competitors than in the previous
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| in 1937 and saw for himself what had been
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| | year, and ages ranged from six to
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| accomplished on rollers in that country.
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| | thirty-six, all competing in dancing,
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| When he returned to America, Rawson
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| | figures, and racing for national titles.
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| brought back motion picture films showing
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| | At this time the RSROA founded an annual
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| that the International Style, which was
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| | professional school where the country's
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| prevalent on ice, was possible on
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| | leading instructors could get together in
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| rollers. The films showed British
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| | a group, exchange information, and agree
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| champions doing school figures, free
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| | on the standardization of skating and
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| style, and dancing on roller skates.
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| | teaching procedure. It established rules
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| The exhibition of these films in many
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| | and regulations for the game of roller
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| rinks throughout the United States
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| | hockey and for the organization of
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| aroused great enthusiasm. In October of
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| | amateur roller hockey teams and leagues.
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| 1938, James and Joan Lindstone, the
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| | It arranged a series of graded
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| British champions, came to the United
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| | proficiency tests for dance, figure and
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| States and toured the country, giving
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| | speed skating, for which bronze, silver,
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| exhibitions at many of the leading rinks.
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| | and gold medals were awarded.
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| Their spellbinding act greatly impressed
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| | Meanwhile, roller skating had been
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| American skaters, and from that point the
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| | publicized in three motion picture short
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| International Style came into its own in
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| | subjects, had been included in two
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| the United States.
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| | feature films, and had been the subject
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| The first national meet to be sanctioned
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| | of many magazine articles and at least
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| by the RSROA was the speed-skating
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| | one full-length novel. Books were
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| championships held at the Sefferino
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| | published, containing the various rules,
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| Rollerdrome at Cincinnati in 1938. In the
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| | regulations, tests, and amateur
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| following year, the RSROA held its first
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| | competitions for all branches of the
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| national figure- and dance-skating
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| | sport. The first regularly scheduled
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| championships, the figure-skating events
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| | newspaper column devoted exclusively to
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| being held at the Arena Gardens Rink in
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| | roller skating started in the New York
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| Detroit, and the skate-dancing
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| | Journal-American in 1940. The RSROA was
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| competitions at the Mineola Skating Rink,
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| | very effective at getting the general
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| Mineola, N.Y.
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| | public to accept and get excited about
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| In 1940, figure-, dance-, and
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| | roller skating.
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