World-class roller skating in Lynnwood

From the ankle up, roller skater Kylee Berger looks like she could be on ice: flesh-colored tights, black Lycra skating dress, a lean frame. She excels at whipping herself into tight spins and recently nailed a triple flip.

But Berger pushes off a rubber toe stop to get airborne. Her green-and-white wheels land with an inevitable clunk. In her practice space, disco balls glitter overhead, and there's a bowling alley next door.

Berger is an elite artistic roller skater who trains at Lynnwood Bowl & Skate. The 20-year-old is the two-time national silver medalist and the only U.S. female skater now landing triple jumps in competition.

She competes this week at the World Roller Figure Skating Championships in Freiberg, Germany. She hopes to finish in the top five.

Berger rolls with other elite skaters at the modest rink in Lynnwood, including her brother-in-law Josh Rhoads, the reigning national men's champion, and her coach, Anna Carrier, a five-time world champion.

How did Lynnwood become the unlikely hub for premiere artistic roller skaters? A combination of coincidence and kismet. Carrier has taught in the Seattle area since 1989 and coached Berger since she was 8. Rhoads met Berger's sister, now his wife, at a skating competition. He moved here in 2005 and started working with Carrier.

"I always feel fortunate," Carrier said. "As a coach, you work your whole lifetime and you might get a skater or two at the world level."

But at Lynnwood Bowl & Skate, world-class roller-skating advice can be had for a $10 class. Rhoads, 29, who said he can't remember how many times he has won nationals in 13 years, is a manager there and teaches beginning skate classes on Saturday along with Berger, Carrier and other skaters from the local artistic roller-skating club Lynnwood Expressions. The club practices there five times a week under Carrier.

Vicky Mehta's two daughters joined the club six months ago. Her neighbor recommended Lynnwood, and it took Mehta, of Redmond, a couple of months to figure out her 10-year-old Alicia and 8-year-old Natasha Kacharia were skating with the roller world's best.

"Nobody was exactly talking about how good or great these guys were," she said.

Skates are heavy

At a recent afternoon practice, the concession and rental lights stayed dim in the rink's lobby, the arcade area was quiet, and the electronic board on the wall advertising "fast skate," "couples only" and "ladies choice" was off.

The skaters, mostly girls wearing practice dresses and tights, each balanced on one skate and traced circles on the wood floor, framed by a blue-and-white mural of Seattle and Mount Rainier. Then they moved on to toe loops, flips and axels. Rhoads' little brother Clayton worked on triple jumps.

If artistic roller skating sounds like a less chilly version of ice skating, that's because it is. The skaters do similar jumps and spins, though roller skaters also spin on their rear two wheels. But with a wide, heavy base, they land jumps with a loud thunk.

Berger says roller is harder because the skates are heavier.

"It's clunkier," Carrier acknowledged.

And it hasn't caught on in the United States, where roller has not escaped the '70s-era disco association and roller derby has more cachet. In Italy, an artistic event can draw 10,000 people and is televised, Carrier said.

Olympic status also has eluded roller reach, although some Olympic athletes have roller pasts, including beloved local speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, who was an inline skater, and gold-medalist skater Tara Lipinski. She won the national roller title for her age group when she was 9.

Switching to ice might seem obvious, but by the time Rhoads and Berger excelled at roller, they didn't want to. But the lower profile means less money. Both skaters are sponsored by skate companies, which provide skates and wheels, but they must raise money to cover travel costs. (Work prevented Rhoads from competing this year at worlds.)

As in ice skating, grace and artistry win roller championships. Berger is working on connecting more to her music, which for worlds includes the soundtrack to movies "The Eye" and "The Matrix." She also needs more mental strength in competition, Carrier said.

Her brother-in-law, famous for his graceful jumps, choreographed her routines.

Dynamo on the floor

But Berger, in her second year qualifying for the women's competition, is a dynamo on the floor. Known for her speed and jumps, she loves to spin.

"There's no one really in her bracket in the U.S.," Rhoads said. "Her level of skating is what you see in Europe, more girls who can jump like Kylee."

Skating did not come naturally to Berger, she said, but she will practice a jump 300 times in one day if needed. She wants to win worlds.

"I might be struggling now, but I have to struggle now to be world champion," she said.

Mehta said her daughters look up to Berger, but she sets a high bar. Her girls are learning hard work, dedication, focus and how to perform, Mehta said.

In the artistic club, "you're dancing on wheels in a way," she said.

Nicole Tsong: 206-464-2150 or ntsong@seattletimes.com