In the sport of ice skating, skaters glide across ice on ice skates; special boots attached to steel runners. Ice skating may be performed in indoor or outdoor rinks, and on frozen lakes, ponds, rivers, or streams. The sport is most prevalent in countries with long, cold winters, although the indoor rinks have made ice skating popular in warmer areas as well. Competitive ice skating is comprised of figure skating and speed skating.
Figure skating involves athleticism and artistry. It involves complex jumps, such as the axel, salchow, lutz, and loop jump. The axel was invented by a Norwegian speed skater named Axel Paulson. It involves launching a jump from the left forward outside edge of the skate, making one full rotation in the air and landing traveling backward on the right backward outside edge of the skate. Double and triple axels involve two and three rotations, respectively. The salchow was named after Swedish skater Ulrich Salchow. To perform this maneuver, the skater takes off from the back inside edge of the skate while traveling backward, makes a rotation, and lands on the back outside edge of the second skate. Double and triple salchows are extremely advanced moves. The lutz was invented by an Austrian skater named Alois Lutz. It is similar to the salchow, except the skater travels on the outside edge and uses the toe of the opposite foot to launch the jump. Double and triple lutzes are also used in competition. Loop jumps are started on the right back outside edge and finish on the same edge.
Spins are figure skating maneuvers which are centered on a single spot. The upright spin, the sit spin, and the camel spin are basic competition spins. When the skater stands and rotates, it is referred to as an upright spin. A sit spin involves spinning in a sitting position with one leg extended in front. Camel spins involve the skater extending one leg behind and extending the arms forward.
skating boots are made of leather extending above the ankle and have 1.5 inch heels. The blades are steel, a few millimeters wide, and slightly curved on the bottom. They have toe picks to assist in jumps and spins.
Speed skating events may be short sprints or longer distances. Skaters use their arms to propel them in a sprint. In a distance event, the arms are kept behind the body to conserve energy. In mid-distance events, skaters alternate between these techniques.
Speed skates are lightweight and utilize thin flat blades, ensuring smooth continuous motion across the ice. The leather boots are short with no ankle support. Speed skaters wear tight body suits to cut down on wind resistance.
