The History Of Ice Skating

Although ice skating has a long history it is pretty much impossible to know exactly when and where it was born. It is known that the sport began in Europe and then the Americans adapted figure skating just before the civil war.

At this time a dancing and skating craze was sweeping America and all anyone wanted to do was put their ice skates on and have fun. It was Jackson Haines who revolutionised figure skating in America because what was once a stiff and rigid style had now become daring and exciting with his combination of skating and dancing.

Local skating clubs had been formed and competitions had been held since the middle of the 19th Century but it was a long time before figure skating became a recognised sport. However, more and more people were putting their ice skates on and the sport was becoming so popular that the United States Figure Skating Association was formed in 1921.

The sport has come a long way since the 1920s however. At that time there were only seven charter member clubs of U.S figure skating whereas there are now more than 600 member clubs across the country. As well as this, in the 20s there were no standards for skating, anyone could put on their ice skates and if they felt that they were good enough to qualify then they would. This is dramatically different from the sport today as candidates now have to undergo a series of tests and challenges in order to compete.

Perhaps one of the reasons why figure skating has progressed so much is because ice skates themselves have developed and become a lot easier to use. Ice skates were traditionally made from animal bones which would not have been very ideal for figure skaters who need to be able to move around a lot so they can do turns, jumps and acrobatics. Ice skates became a lot better for figure skaters in 1848 when the first all steel clamp was invented. This was shortly followed by the introduction of the two plate all metal blade. The blade was attached directly to the boots which made dance moves, jumps and spins possible. In the 1870s the first toe picks were added to ice skates which made toe pick jumps possible for the first time.

It is undeniable that ice skates and the sport they belong to have come a long way over recent years and have become a very enjoyable activity to watch.