WHEELED WONDERS PRECISION-SKATING TEAM IS ON A ROLL.

Byline: EUGENE TONG Staff Writer

GLENDALE -- The skaters rolled with the grace of migrating birds -- gliding, then darting in unison across the hardwood rink to form a series of geometric patterns to the visual delight of spectators.

But for the senior precision-skating team based at Glendale's Moonlight Rollerway on San Fernando Road, only one thing mattered: nailing its five-minute routine for the World Roller Skating Championship, being held Friday to Sunday in Murcia, Spain.

The 16 skaters earned the right to compete among the world's best after beating their cross-country rivals from Brookpark, Ohio, with a high-energy routine packed with chill-inducing splices and pinwheels.

``Bring it on,'' Tammy Gantz Patino, one of the team's two coaches, said at a recent practice. ``The idea behind precision skating is everybody skates as one. There are no step-outs or solos. They're all supposed to be watching each other and moving as one.''

``You see all the ice skaters on TV at the Olympics,'' said Allyson Terry, 15, of Chatsworth, a skater for six years. ``I know people who can do that on roller skates. It's just really cool.''

And move they do. Skaters glide arm-in-arm like a chorus line, then split into groups to form circles and squares before reuniting as one.

``Obviously you can't do this if you're a beginner skater,'' said Pantino, a former professional skater turned choreographer. ``It's like roller derby then. ... You become the one that gets knocked over.

``But it's kind of exciting when they fall. They're so close and going so fast.''

Roller skating, like disco and bell-bottoms, has faded from popular culture since its heyday in the 1970s while ice skating took the spotlight.

But the sport has survived among the faithful and has a huge following in Europe, where professionals compete on television.

Skaters from the self-funded Glendale team range in age from 13 to 52 and hail from Fresno to Orange County. Despite their varied backgrounds, they have dedicated their lives to a sport demanding as much athleticism and grace as anything on ice.

``Everyone has a passion in life,'' said Patrick Ames, 32, of Fresno, who began skating at age 6. ``It's such an underground sport and not everybody knows about it, that's why I strive to get the word out.''

Midway through the program, the team attempts a ``suicide splice'' -- two groups of skaters rolling inches apart converge, then split while traveling at more than 20 mph.

``Splicing through, it feels like you're moving in slow motion,'' said James Johnson, 14, of Buena Park, who first strapped on skates when he was a year old. ``But seeing it on the tape, you're going 50 to 40 miles per hour it seems.

``You have to rely on everybody to be in their spot, and also be preoccupied about you being in your spot. You have to have faith in the whole team.''

At the world championships in Rome last year, the Glendale team finished 11th. They're hoping to crack the top 10 this year, said David Allen, their practice coach and a former professional skater.

``You have to face your fears,'' he said. ``There is a lot of adrenaline that goes into this contest because the competition is more fierce. ... You have to be prepared mentally as well as physically.''

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(1 -- 2 -- color) Above, the Glendale Senior Precision Skating Team performs its routine at the Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale. Below, team members stretch. The team recently won the U.S. National title and is heading to Spain for the World Championships.

(3) James Johnson, of Glendale's senior precision-skating team, stretches as a Monday night practice gets under way recently at the Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer