Ice Skating

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3

Ice Dancing

Ice dancing developed from ballroom dancing, particularly the waltz, and was very popular in the early 1900s. It requires well-disciplined, precise footwork; conformity with each other’s steps; and a keen sense of timing and rhythm. Ice dancing differs from pairs skating in that ice dancers are restricted to lifts no higher than the man’s shoulders, and there are no jumps. One skate must be on the ice at all times.

Ice dancing competitions consist of three principal parts: compulsories, original dance, and free dance. In compulsories, partners must perform two dances selected by the ISU, for example, waltz, tango, or polka. Compulsories involve set patterns in which dancers execute and repeat steps at certain points around the arena. Although the steps are predetermined, dancers are encouraged to interpret them for artistic appeal. Each compulsory dance counts for 10 percent of a pair’s final score.

The original dance, formerly known as the original set pattern dance, requires skaters to choreograph their own routine to their choice of music, set to a tempo and rhythm previously announced by the ISU. It counts for 30 percent of the final score, and skaters receive marks for composition and presentation. In the free dance, the partners perform a dance to music of their choice. They are given marks for presentation and style as well as for technical merit. This dance counts for 50 percent of the final score.

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Precision Skating

Precision skating consists of teams of skaters, numbering from 16 to 24 members, who perform movements, single jumps, and footwork in unison and in precise formations. In 1994 precision skating won ISU recognition as an official sport, but it has not yet been included in the Olympics.

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Two programs are skated in a competition. The short program, also called the technical program, involves five required elements: straight line, wheel, intersecting maneuver (one line of skaters crossing through a second line), circle, and block (four to six lines moving in a formation, such as a square or a pyramid). The short program lasts 2 minutes 40 seconds. Marks are given for composition and presentation. The long program, or free program, has no required elements, except for the inclusion of three changes in the rhythm and speed of the skaters. The free program lasts 4 minutes 30 seconds. To view the team and its maneuvers, the judges sit slightly above the ice (for other figure skating events, judges sit at the skaters’ level). In both programs, judges look for accuracy of footwork, synchronized arm positions, orderly formations, spacing, and speed. In the long program, judges also reward originality, musical interpretation, intricacy of maneuvers, and, most important, synchronicity.

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Speed Skating

Speed skating is performed on an oval ice track. Ranking is based on the clock, so the goal is to achieve the best time of any participant. Races take place on either a long track or a short track.

The long track measures 400 m (1,312 ft) in circumference and is usually outdoors. The track is divided into two lanes, with two skaters competing at the same time, one in each lane. Because the outer lane is longer than the inner lane, skaters switch lanes once in every lap. Race distances range from sprints of 500 meters and 1,000 meters to distances as great as 10,000 meters. Speeds can approach 50 km/h (30 mph) during sprints. Pack-style races typically consist of six to eight skaters who compete at the same time in a single lane. In these races, competitors may take advantage of wind drafting—following directly behind the leader to reduce wind resistance and conserve energy.

Short-track racing is gaining in popularity compared to long-track competition. Individual, pack, and relay events take place on an oval track 111 m (364 ft) in circumference. A feature of the short track is the peloton race, in which four to six skaters compete simultaneously in each elimination heat. A variety of strategies are essential for passing other skaters, a move that can be quite dangerous. Short-track skaters wear protective clothing and equipment, including knee pads, shin pads, helmets, and thick gloves. Typical short-track races include the 500, 1,000, and 1,500 meters. Distance relays—3,000 meters for women and 5,000 meters for men—consist of four-member teams.

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History

Skeletal remains with animal bone blades tied to the feet testify to skating’s existence as early as 10,000 bc. These remains were found in peat bogs in The Netherlands. Scandinavia is called the mother of skating because of the sport’s popularity there, beginning around ad 1000. Ice skating was primarily a means of transportation at first, although documents from The Netherlands indicate that speed races were held in towns as early as the 15th century.

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Early Pioneers

American athlete Jackson Haines is known as the father of modern figure skating. Haines was born in 1840 in New York City. After studying dance and ballet, he became a dancing master and applied his dancing techniques to figure skating. He performed around the world and became well known for his imaginative and artistic techniques. Haines’s style was enthusiastically received in Europe and eventually became accepted internationally.

The formation of national and international skating organizations began during the 1890s. In 1892 the International Skating Union (ISU) was established. Today the ISU defines the rules and sets performance standards for speed skating, figure skating, and ice dancing competitions. Also in the late 1800s the National Amateur Skating Association of the United States and the International Skating Union of America were founded. In 1921 national standards were set down for skating, and the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) was formed to govern the sport in the United States, superseding the earlier organizations. Speed skating in the United States is governed by the United States International Speed Skating Association and the Amateur Speedskating Union of the United States, both of which are affiliated with the ISU.

The first official men’s world speed skating championships were held in 1893. Women’s world championship speed skating events first took place in 1947. The first men’s world figure skating championships were held in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1896, and in 1906 the first women’s championships were held in Davos, Switzerland. Figure skating was included in the Summer Olympics of 1908 and 1920 and at the first Winter Olympics in 1924, where men’s speed skating events were also held. Women’s speed skating made its Olympic debut in the 1960 Olympic Games. Ice dancing was added to Olympic competition in 1976, and short-track speed skating was first included in the 1988 Games.

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