Ice Skating
Ice skating is a popular pastime for people living in cooler climates all over the world. The act of ice skating involves moving across ice on skates. Skates today are manufactured just for skating and consist of blades mounted on special boots. Primitive skates were attached to regular footwear. Ice skating is primarily done for recreation, but it is also a key component in several winter sports. People can skate on frozen rivers or lakes or at indoor and outdoor skating rinks.
No one knows for sure when humans first began the practice of ice skating. Archaeologists do believe that the activity was very widespread, however. Evidence of early skates made from animal bones has been found across both Western and Eastern Europe. The oldest skates ever found were dated back to 3000 BC. The first written record of ice skating as a sport was made in London (England), by William Fitzstephen in 1180. The first modern skates with sharpened steel edges are thought to have been invented by the Dutch in the 13th or 14th century. In the 15th century, a Dutch painter, Johannes Brugman, first featured ice skates in a work of art.
The metal blades on the bottom of ice skates today allow skaters to glide with very little friction over the surface of the ice. Skaters can also dig the blade in the ice to increase friction and control momentum. Gravity also aids skaters in moving forward. The motion of leaning and pushing, a technique called "drawing", is what allows skaters to gracefully glide on the ice.
Ice skating can be dangerous and requires precautions. The first major danger associated with ice skating is falling on the ice. Serious injury resulting from a fall is rare, but the hard ice surface and the exposed skate blades can contribute to bodily harm. The second, and more serious danger, is the chance of falling through the ice into the freezing water beneath. This danger is only applicable when skating outdoors. Falling through the ice can lead to injury or death resulting from shock, hypothermia, or drowning.
Finally, there are several international sports that involve ice skating. The most popular of these are figure skating, ice hockey, and speed skating. The Winter Olympic Games feature these sports every four years. In fact, some of these sports, and skating for recreation, have become so popular that many places that do not experience cold enough winters for ice skating outdoors have installed indoor rinks.
No one knows for sure when humans first began the practice of ice skating. Archaeologists do believe that the activity was very widespread, however. Evidence of early skates made from animal bones has been found across both Western and Eastern Europe. The oldest skates ever found were dated back to 3000 BC. The first written record of ice skating as a sport was made in London (England), by William Fitzstephen in 1180. The first modern skates with sharpened steel edges are thought to have been invented by the Dutch in the 13th or 14th century. In the 15th century, a Dutch painter, Johannes Brugman, first featured ice skates in a work of art.
The metal blades on the bottom of ice skates today allow skaters to glide with very little friction over the surface of the ice. Skaters can also dig the blade in the ice to increase friction and control momentum. Gravity also aids skaters in moving forward. The motion of leaning and pushing, a technique called "drawing", is what allows skaters to gracefully glide on the ice.
Ice skating can be dangerous and requires precautions. The first major danger associated with ice skating is falling on the ice. Serious injury resulting from a fall is rare, but the hard ice surface and the exposed skate blades can contribute to bodily harm. The second, and more serious danger, is the chance of falling through the ice into the freezing water beneath. This danger is only applicable when skating outdoors. Falling through the ice can lead to injury or death resulting from shock, hypothermia, or drowning.
Finally, there are several international sports that involve ice skating. The most popular of these are figure skating, ice hockey, and speed skating. The Winter Olympic Games feature these sports every four years. In fact, some of these sports, and skating for recreation, have become so popular that many places that do not experience cold enough winters for ice skating outdoors have installed indoor rinks.
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