Ice Skating Guide: History, Types, and Sports | PDF

Handout - Ice Skating ​ ​ Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including​ - recreation (fun)​ - exercise​ - competitive spor...

Handout - Ice Skating ​ ​ Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including​ - recreation (fun)​ - exercise​ - competitive sports​ - and commuting. ​ Ice skating may be performed on naturally frozen bodies of water, such as ponds, lakes, canals, and rivers, and on human-made ice surfaces both indoors and outdoors.​ Natural ice surfaces used by skaters can accommodate a variety of winter sports which generally require an enclosed area, but are also used by skaters who need ice tracks and trails for distance skating and speed skating. Man-made ice surfaces include ice rinks, ice hockey rinks, bandy fields, ice tracks required for the sport of ice cross downhill, and arenas. Various formal sports involving ice skating have emerged since the 19th century. ​ Team Sports on ice:​ - Ice hockey, bandy, rinkball, and ringette, are team sports played with, respectively, a flat sliding puck, a ball, and a rubber ring. ​ Individual Sports on ice:​ Figure skating, ice cross downhill, speed skating, and barrel jumping (a discipline of speed skating), are among the sporting disciplines for individuals.​ ​ Early history of ice skating Skating fun by 17th century Dutch painter Hendrick Avercamp Research suggests that the earliest ice skating happened in southern Finland more than 4,000 years ago. This was done to save energy during winter journeys. True skating emerged when a steel blade with sharpened edges was used. Skates now cut into the ice instead of gliding on top of it. The Dutch added edges to ice skates in the 13th or 14th century. These ice skates were made of steel, with sharpened edges on the bottom to aid movement. The fundamental construction of modern ice skates has stayed largely the same since then, although differing greatly in the details, particularly in the method of binding and the shape and construction of the steel blades. In the Netherlands, ice skating was considered proper for all classes of people, as shown in many pictures from Dutch Golden Age painters. ​ Adam van Breen, Skating on the Frozen Amstel River, 1611, National Gallery of Art​ ​ Types of ice skates There are five main types of ice skates: the figure skate, the ice hockey skate, the bandy skate, the racing skate, and the touring skate. Figure skates Figure skate Figure skates are used in the sport of figure skating. Unlike hockey skates, they have toe picks on the front of the blade, which are usually made out of stainless steel or aluminum with a steel runner. The toe pick has a variety of uses, but is most commonly used for certain jumps in figure skating or starting a backspin. Figure skating boots are typically made of several layers of leather and the leather is very stiff to provide ankle support. In addition, the figure skate's blade is curved, allowing for minute adjustments in balance and weight distribution. The base of the figure-skate blade is slightly concave, or "hollow ground". The hollow, which runs the length of the blade, creates two edges, which come in contact with the ice. The forward part of the blade, the toe-rake, is saw-toothed and is used for jumps and spins on the toes. Ice hockey skates Ice hockey skates Ice hockey skates are used for playing the games of ice hockey and ringette but are occasionally used for recreational ice skating alone. Each individual skate consists of a boot, laces, blade, and a blade holder. The boot is generally made of molded plastic, leather (often synthetic), ballistic nylon, or a thermoformed composite material.Each skate blade has two edges. Skates used in competitive ice hockey and ringette rarely use molded plastic for the upper boot, as this results in limited mobility. Ice hockey goalie skates  Ice hockey goaltender skate The skates used by goaltenders are cut lower in the ankle than a normal hockey skate and the boot sits closer to the ice for a lower center of gravity. The boot itself is encased in hardened plastic, called a "cowling", protecting the toe, ankle and heel from the force of the shot puck. The blade is usually longer and has less rocker (curvature to the blade) to make it easier for the goalie to move side to side in the crease. Goalie skates lack a tendon guard. Unlike regular hockey skates, goalie skates are usually protected by a synthetic material covering the toe-part of the skate. This is to prevent damage from the puck. The blade of the goalie skate is not as useful in turning as regular hockey skates, because the blade is rockered less, thus making turns slightly inconvenient. The material used to make the boot of the goalie skate historically was a harder synthetic material than regular hockey boots. Hockey skate being sharpened Sharpening ice hockey skates plays a key factor in a player's ability to skate and players will sharpen their skates hundreds of times throughout their career. Similar to figure skates, the blade is hollow ground in cross section, creating two edges that contact and cut into the ice, allowing increased maneuverability. Bandy skates  Charles Goodman Tebbutt doing a speed skating pose in 1889. He published the first set of rules for bandy Bandy skates are used for playing the sports of bandy, rink bandy (bandy variant), and rinkball. The boot is generally made of leather (often synthetic) and often excludes tendon guards. The boot style for bandy skates is lower than the ice hockey version and often doesn't cover the ankles. The bandy skate is designed with the intention of preventing them from causing injury to an opponent due to its long, and relatively sharp angled blades. The blade is generally an inch longer than the hockey skates, allowing for higher speeds on the large bandy field (also called a "bandy rink).Bandy blades are sharpened differently than those on ice hockey skates with the bottom part of the bandy blade which touches the ice surface being flatter and generally excluding a hollow. Ice hockey blades are sharpened in a manner that creates two side edges which make contact with the ice. As a result, and by comparison, sharp cornering and "tight turns" which are maneuvers that can be achieved using the design of an ice hockey skate are not achievable on bandy skates. While the design of the modern ice hockey skate allows for sharper and faster maneuverability, modern bandy skates allow for more distance to be covered at a higher speed. Racing skates  Modern "Comfort" speed skates Racing clap skates Short track speed skates Racing skates, also known as speed skates, have long blades and are used for speed skating. A clap skate (or clapper skate) is a type of skate where the shoe is connected to the blade using a hinge. Short track racing skates have a longer overall height to the blade to allow for deep edge turns without the boot contacting the ice. Racing skates have a completely flat bottom.There is no hollow, only a squared off bottom with two edges. This improves glide time, by not cutting into the ice. Touring skates​ Touring skates (or Nordic skates) are long blades that can be attached, via bindings, to hiking or cross-country ski boots and are used for long distance tour skating on natural ice. The blades are approximately 50 cm (20 in) long with a radius of curvature (or rocker) of about 25 m (82 ft). The length and long radius of the blades makes touring skates more stable on uneven natural ice than skates with shorter, more rockered blades. Since tour skating often involves walking (kluning) between lakes or around sections not suitable for skating, the removable blades are an asset. Thus, these skates are often called kluunschaats in the Netherlands. Main article: Tour skating Modern Dutch tour skates Fixed heel binding and "duckbill boot" Touring skate with Multiskate binding for hiking boots Touring skate for ski boots and free-heel binding on ice Double runner Also known as twin blade skates, cheese cutters, bob skates, or bobby skates, these skates are worn by young children who are learning. The double blades increase stability and help the child to balance. They can be attached with the straps to the child’s own winter boots. Olympic Ice Skating sports​ - Figure skating, for people looking for a more artistic sport - Ice Hockey, for a team sport​ - Speed skating, for those looking to push their physical performance​ ​ Despite happening in the same ice rink, these sports are radically different, even in their equipment: Types of ice skates​ ​ Figure Skating​ Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. From intermediate through senior-level competition, skaters generally perform two programs (the short program and the free skate), which, depending on the discipline, may include spins, jumps, moves in the field, lifts, throw jumps, death spirals, and other elements or moves.​ ​ Figure skating - single (Men & Women) ​ Introduction -​ Skaters perform 2 programs to music which combine complex footwork, spirals (sustained one-foot slides on a single edge), spins and jumps. The tricks are performed along the length of the ice or in a circle. They demonstrate agility, dexterity and speed. ​ What is needed to practice - ​ Ice skates with the 'artistic style' blade which is longer than the dance blade at the back.​ In competition, you also need a costume that does not block artistic movements and acrobatic figures. ​ Origin - ​ After being a means of transportation and then a leisure activity on ponds, dance movements were added in 1863 by Jackson Haines who tried to spread this new style of skating.​ Figure skating - pairs Marcus Cyron, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 / CC BY-SA ​ Introduction -​ Similar to Single figure skating - skaters do side by side jumps and pirouettes but also combined elements with spirals, above the head lifts and figures where the man throws the woman into a jump. ​ What is needed to practice - ​ Same as single ​ Origin - ​ The history of pair figure skating developed with the single sport. Ice Dance  ​ Introduction -​ Although being part of figure skating, ice dancing is a different sport. It has no jumps or lifts above the head. Technical footstep and artistic interpretation play a bigger role in the the programs.​ You can see the difference with pair figure skating in this article. ​ What is needed to practice - ​ Ice dancing skates (shorter blade) and costumes for competition. ​ Origin - ​ Haynes arrived in Europe from the US with his ballroom moves and ice dancing became popular by the early 1900s. But it remained recreational.​ The first national competitions occurred in the 1930s.​ In 1952, ice dancing was added to the World Championships. Ice Hockey  ​ Introduction -​ Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hockey sticks to control, advance and shoot a closed, vulcanized, rubber disc called a "puck" into the other team's goal. Each goal is worth one point. The team which scores the most goals is declared the winner. In a formal game, each team has six skaters on the ice at a time, barring any penalties, one of whom is the goaltender. Ice hockey is a full contact sport, and is considered to be one of the more physically demanding sports. ​ What is needed to practice - ​ Ice hockey skates (different from figure skates), a helmet, gloves and a stick ​ Origin - ​ Mentions of games with sticks and some sort of puck date back to the 18th century and developed during the 19th century.​ The contemporary organized sport of ice hockey originated in Montreal, Canada. In 1875 a game was played between 2 teams of 9 players.​ Professional hockey developed from the beginning of the 20th century.​ NHL is the league.Discover the whole collection Speed skating disciplines Long Track speed skating (often called speed skating)  ​ Introduction -​ Speed skating is a race over a certain distance on skates. What is commonly known as speed skating is long track speed skating.​. Skaters race on a two-lane oval rink similar in dimension to an outdoor athletics track. Indeed, an athletics track covered with ice can function as a speed skating track, such as on Bislett stadion in Oslo up to the 1980s. According to the rules of the International Skating Union, a standard track should be either 400 m or 333⅓ m long; 400 m is the standard used for all major competitions. Tracks of other, non-standard lengths, such 200 or 250 m, are also in use in some places for training and/or smaller local competitions.​ Men and women both compete in the 500m (1 ¼ laps), 1000m (2 ½ laps), 1500m (3 ¾ laps) and 5000m (12 ½ laps). The women also have a 3000m (7 ½ laps) race while the men have a 10,000m (25 laps) race. In the men's and women's mass start, skaters cover 16 laps of the oval. ​ What is needed to practice - ​ Special speed skates, helmet for some of the events ​ Origin - ​ It seems that the first official race took place in 1763 in England.​ It started developing in North America during the second half of the 19th century.​ The federation was founded in 1892. Short-Track speed skating ​ Introduction -​ Short-track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters (typically between four and six) skate on an oval ice track with a length of 111.111 metres (364.54 ft). The rink itself is 60 metres (196.85 ft) long by 30 metres (98.43 ft) wide, which is the same size as an Olympic-sized figure skating rink and an international-sized ice hockey rink. The goal is not necessarily to manage the best time. The goal is to finish in the top two of each heat to progress to the next round. The events are the same for both men and women: 500 meters, 1000 meters, 1500 meters, plus the relay event (5000 meters for men, 3000 meters for women). ​ What is needed to practice - ​ Special speed skates, helmet ​ Origin - ​ Some European and Japanese leaders expressed the wish of mass-start races. They started in 1967 with international competitions from 1976. Non-Olympic Sports Using Ice Skates Discover the whole collection The new extreme ice skating sports Ice Cross downhill Red Bull Canada at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA In recent years, a new extreme sport has developed: competitive downhill skating on a walled track featuring sharp turns and high vertical drops. The world tour is called Crashed Ice. A men's world championship has been established since 2010 and a women's version since 2015. Freestyle ice skating​ ​ Since around 2010, Freestyle ice skating has been developing as a new phenomenon, using hockey skates. It is an extreme sport where you try to create the craziest figures with long jumps, ramps and other pieces of equipment.​ ​ Other ice sports without skates There are a few other "ice sports" which happen on ice but without skates, some in the rink, others on a track. Below is a brief introduction to them. Bobsleigh (or Bobsled) It is a timed run down a narrow and twisting ice track inside a gravity-powered sleigh. A 4-person team pushes and maneuvers the sleigh to get the best aggregated time over several runs. Luge Luge is a race down a narrow and twisting ice track by a single person without protection. The feet are stretched in front of them and speed can reach 140km/h. There are also pair events. Skeleton  Skeleton is also a single race down a narrow and twisting ice track without protection. But in this case, the racer goes down head first. Curling Curling is a team sport played on the rink but without skates. Two teams of 4 players play 16 shots each to bring the stone curls to a target by preparing the ice with a broom. ​ ​ Resources;​ https://iceskatingpassion.com/types-ice-skating-sports/​ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_skate#:~:text=There%20are%20five%20main%20types,skate%2C%20and%20the%20touring%20s kate.​ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_skating#:~:text=Ice%20skating%20is%20the%20self,%2C%20competitive%20sports%2C%20and% 20commuting.​ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-track_speed_skating​ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-track_speed_skating​ https://www.google.com/search?q=events+in+long+track+speed+skating&sxsrf=AJOqlzXM2qa6MUQn9PvT3CC6IVgVW0vMbg%3A 1674168181391&ei=dcfJY-rJF7iVxc8P4dGckAI&ved=0ahUKEwiq2Pu92tT8AhW4SvEDHeEoByIQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=events+in +long+track+speed+skating&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIICCEQoAEQwwQ6CggAEEcQ1gQQsAM6BwgjELACECc6CgghE KABEMMEEApKBAhBGABKBAhGGABQmg1YzipgwDBoAnABeACAAX2IAacJkgEDNy41mAEAoAEByAEIwAEB&sclient=gws-wiz- serp​ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_hockey​ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_skating