July 13 - 14 Rome, Italy

I was sitting in a cobblestoned courtyard, eating Italian gelato and trying to translate six syllable Italian words into English. All around me, the speakers were playing a familiar song, something I recognized but couldn't quite place. Was it Pavarotti, his deep operatic chords adjusted to more of a pop rhythm? Or maybe it was something by Sinatra, that famous Italian immigrant crooner who grew into a sensation in the 50's. No. It came to me. The sound of surf off the Italian Riviera almost drowned it out, but just at the moment when the Testarossa cut its engine, I picked it up. It was Britney Spears. Oops, I Did It Again.

Rollerfest got crazy after 10:00pm each night.

Rome hosted the ASA Rollerfest. We were at the Olympic Stadium, minutes away from the most famous Roman buildings: the Forum and the Pantheon, the Coliseum, where Romans gathered in ancient times to watch classic battles of athletic fortitude. This weekend though, the games were strictly about rollerblading. There were no pesky lions, no belligerent Christians and best of all, no damn skateboarders. For the most part, the competitors came from around Europe.

The Yasutokos were there and Jaren Grob bounced between the street course and the vert ramp, but during this event, the Europeans got a chance to step up, take charge and get noticed. Somebody would qualify for the X Games here and the Gravity Games too. On vert, Takeshi Yasutoko unveiled a host of new ticks and took the gold. Rene Hulgreen, the new Roces team manager, competed to show everyone that he may subscribe to a corporate identity now, but he hasn't gotten soft. In fourth place, Nel Martín qualified for the X Games and Gustavo Monsalve qualified for Gravity.

Taïg Khris skated to third place, but ended up ranked number one after this event.

The street course was small and laid out on rough concrete. After finishing second in the first of his prelim runs, Wilfried Rossignol decided to go back to the hotel. "The street course is shit," he said. "I try to qualify next week in Barcelona." Richard Taylor, the English version of the Energizer bunny, became the judges' favorite but finished in third place.

Beni Huber came alive at this event finishing first and qualifying for this summer's X Games and Gravity Games.

The real surprise however was Beni Huber who stepped into the limelight. His street skating was explosive, his style unprecedented. He flew around the course, launched into flat spins and effortless grinds, and easily won the gold medal. Previously unqualified, he picked up an invitation to the X Games and the Gravity Games.

The awards ceremony at 1:15 in the morning was off the hook.

The whole event was held beside a festival, a huge salsa party packed with drunk underage Italian girls. By day, the competitors skated the ramps. By night, they sweated their aggressions out on the dance floor. I finished my gelato and put down the menu, walked until I could no longer hear Britney over the sound system. The Romans may not have invented sport, but they sure know how to organize a sporting event.