Interesting facts about figure skating. The history of ice skates

Figure skating is a spectacular sport and extremely popular. Its history goes back many years, and its popularity around the world is increasing every day. We present to your attention a selection of the most interesting facts from the most colorful winter sport.

· Figure skating is truly an extremely spectacular sport; a vibrant show is created not only by the most complex and spectacular elements, but also by beautiful, colorful costumes. Thus, short skirts among athletes appeared in the nineteenth century in England. The culprit for this was Princess Mary, who introduced a new costume into fashion. From now on, half-length long dresses were chosen for skating.

· Contrary to logic, the first skates were not found in Holland, but on the coast of the Southern Bug, near Odessa. The find, made from horse bone, dates back to a very distant period of the Bronze Age.

· Many people wonder why the main equipment of this sport is called skates? Everything is actually very simple: in ancient times, the blades of the skate, or rather their prototype, were decorated with a horse’s head.

· The first official rules for figure skating competitions were established in England. Mandatory figures were also identified here. Moreover, the first speed skating clubs appeared in Edinburgh already in the eighteenth century.

· But in Russia, skates appeared thanks to Peter I, who brought them from Europe. The Emperor came up with a special way of attaching it directly to boots.

· The beginning of Russian figure skating can be safely dated back to the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, when the first skating rink was opened in the Yusupov Garden. And ten years later, the first competitions were held on it.

· Great writers were also connoisseurs of ice skating. Thus, Goethe, in his conversations with poets, spoke about the advantages of poetry along with the advantages of the elements of figure skating. Another famous writer, Walter Scott, was also passionate about figure skating, which led him to initiate the first amateur competitions. Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, in his novel Anna Karenina, describes many scenes related to figure skaters at the skating rink. The writer was a frequent visitor to the skating rink, after which he projected his impressions on the pages of his work.

· Sofya Kovalevskaya, a great mathematician, was a master at skating. She started skating at an advanced age, which did not stop her from taking gliding lessons and mastering the technique at a high level.

· Elements in figure skating also have their own names and history of origin. So, the jump jump at the beginning had the name “flying three”. A number of some drawings, including the three, required interrupting the trace, which means jumping. This jump could also be called a waltz or “cadet”. But the rotations were called “knots” because they left a similar mark on the ice after they were performed. Thus, when performing a rotation, they said “tie the knots.” But the Oler jump owes its name to the Austrian figure skater Euler, who became the first performer of this element. The famous sheepskin jump, in its translation, has two roots meaning “toe” and “loop”, therefore this is the toe loop jump. There is also the Salchow jump, named after ten-time World Champion Ulrich Salchow.

· The first set of rules dates back to the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-two, when Lieutenant Jones from Great Britain published a “Treatise on Skating”, where he described all the famous figures.

· American Jackson Gaintz is rightfully considered the founder of modern figure skating. Touring skating rinks in Europe and Russia, he aroused admiration, giving an incentive to develop the sport in other countries.

· Few people know, but in addition to singles, pairs and ice dancing, there is a fourth type of discipline - fours skating. Representatives of pair skating, only four, participate in the competition. At this point in time, the leadership in this type of performance belongs to the Canadian and American teams.

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More than 500 years have passed since modern man first skated! Before putting on roller skates, people first learned to skate on ice.

The first devices with which people were able to move on ice were made from the bones of various animals. Similar “bone” skates have been found in Bavaria, Sweden, the Soviet Union, the Netherlands, Bohemia, Denmark, England and Norway. Skates are one of the oldest inventions of man; they made it possible to move quickly on icy ground. To do this, skates made of bones had to be firmly attached to the leg.

Not so long ago, in 1967, the oldest known skates were found. This happened on the banks of the Southern Bug near Odessa. According to archaeologists, these skates could have belonged to the Cimmerians (a nomadic people who lived about 3,200 years ago). It turns out that already during the Bronze Age, the Cimmerians mastered ice skates, which were made from the bones of domestic animals. On one side, the skates were ground down, and on the other, small holes were made in them for attaching to shoes.

Starting from the 14th century, people began to make wooden skates with a special metal strip on the sliding surface. Usually bronze or iron was used for these purposes, and later – steel. Over the past four centuries, the wooden base and runner of the ridge have changed only in their shape and length.

Since the second half of the 19th century, speed skating has been developing rapidly, which directly affects the course of the history of the development of speed skating. They are coming up with new designs for skates, and Canada, Russia, Sweden and America have been especially successful in this.

In the 50s of the 19th century, all-metal steel skates were made, which were attached to the leg using belts. In 1880, new tubular racing skates were designed. They were a revolution in speed skating. The back and front metal platforms were attached to the boot using 4 and 6 screws, respectively.

In 1887, A. Panshin made the prototype of modern racing skates. It was an all-metal elongated model, with a slightly curved toe and a narrow blade. A new stage in the development of speed running and in the history of skating occurred thanks to the invention of the Norwegian H. Hagen. He designed a running skate that consisted of a special steel tube into which a steel runner was inserted. This invention is used by all the world's fast walkers in our time. Another sensation in speed skating was the models produced by the Dutch companies Raps and Viking. In 1996 - 1997, some skaters started the season on these skates.

Earliest mention of the word "horse" can be found in Gemakh's English-Dutch Dictionary (1648). In international sports word "skates" came from the Russian language skates, runner skates, hunchbacked skates. The front part of the wooden skates was decorated with a horse's head - hence the affectionate name, a diminutive of the word "horse": skates.

History of skates
The first devices for moving on ice, which we know about from archaeological excavations and from literature, were made from animal bones. Such skate bones have been found in the Netherlands, Denmark, Bavaria, Bohemia, Switzerland, England, Norway, Sweden and the Soviet Union. Skates are one of the oldest inventions of mankind. Carved from wood or carved from animal bones and attached to a boot, skates made it possible to quickly move across ice-covered ground. In Siberia they rode on walrus tusks, in China - on bamboo trunks. And the skates found by archaeologists in Kazakhstan near Borovoe Lake were made from the shin bone of a horse. A similar skate is kept in the London Museum - a long, sharpened bone with a slot for a lace. This skate was found in Moorefield in 1839. The British Museum displays bone skates that were used to skate almost two thousand years ago. These skates were found in the last century. And more recently, in 1967, on the banks of the Southern Bug and a dry estuary near Odessa, archaeologists discovered the most ancient skates ever found; these skates belonged to the Cimmerians, a nomadic tribe that lived 3,200 years ago in the Northern Black Sea region. The Chimerians skied on ice skates already during the Bronze Age. These devices were made from the bones of domestic animals. The bone was ground down on one side, and special holes were made at its ends for attaching to shoes.

The first skates were actually a prototype of skis and did not have pointed ribs. Repulsion had to be done using sticks. But still, movement on the ice-covered surface was much faster and more confident. Similar bone skates existed in ancient times, and archaeologists attribute some of them to the Stone Age. In age, they are superior to the “equipment” of the ancient Dutch and Danes in Scandinavia; skates appeared only in the Viking Age. Bone skates appeared in Russia almost 3 thousand years ago. During excavations in settlements and cities of ancient Rus' - Staraya Ladoga, Novgorod, Pskov - skates were found made from the bones of the front legs of horses. These skates had three holes - two for attaching the skate to the toe of the shoe and one for holding the skate at the heel. In the Netherlands, initially the role of a skate, along with animal bones, was played by a wooden shoe. Then metal runners began to be attached to such shoes.
In England during Shakespeare's time (until the beginning of the 16th century), people still skated on bone skates, not to mention Norway and Iceland, where they were held in high esteem until the end of the 19th century. But already in the 14th century, they learned how to make wooden skates with a metal strip on the sliding surface.
From the 13th to the mid-18th centuries, skates served as a means of transportation for people on frozen rivers, lakes and canals in the northern countries; the skate was made from a wooden base, to which a runner made of bronze or iron was first attached, and later from steel. The first to rivete skates to shoes was the Russian Emperor Peter I, who, while building ships in Holland, became interested in skates. He immediately realized that skates and shoes should form a single whole. Wooden skates with an iron blade For four centuries, the wooden base of the skate, as well as the runner, changed mainly only in their length and shape. The second half of the 19th century is characterized by the rapid development of speed skating throughout the world. In America, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Russia and other countries, skates of new designs are beginning to appear. Ice skating has become a favorite winter pastime, and therefore skating clubs began to open everywhere. In Russia, the first such club was opened in St. Petersburg in 1864 by the world-famous speed skater, the first unofficial world champion, Russian speed skater and figure skater A. Panshin. Simultaneously with the wide spread of skating and running, their improvement also took place. Until 1883, figure skaters and speed skaters skated on all-metal short, heavy skates with a curved blade. Such skates, made by Tula craftsmen, were found during the construction of the Moscow metro.
Norwegian speed skaters A. Paulsen and K. Werner designed tubular racing skates in 1880. Tubular racing skates Front and back metal plates The forms were screwed to the sole of the boot with six and four screws, respectively.
In 1892, the Norwegian H. Hagen proposed another innovation - a running skate consisting of a steel tube and a steel runner inserted into it. These skates made it possible to take a colossal step forward in the development of speed running; All the world's speed skaters still use these skates to this day. The appearance of a new model of skates made by the Dutch companies Viking and Raps became a sensation. In 1996-1997 Some Dutch speed skaters began the competitive season on new model skates. Belgian Bart VELDKAMP, winner of the 1997 World Championships in the 10,000 m race, said: “Blindskate is the future of speed skating.”

Gaines' hobby
The prototype of the modern figure skate is D. Gaines's skate. This model has essentially remained unchanged to this day under the name “snow maiden”. The toe of this skate with a thick blade is sharply curved upward and has no teeth, thanks to which it can be skated not only on ice, but also on hard-packed, icy snow. This is where, in all likelihood, the Russian name for this common model came from. Snowflakes are very convenient for initial learning to skate. The absence of teeth on the toe teaches a novice skater to use exclusively the ribs of the skate for movement, while the significant curvature of its runner makes it easier to control the skate and encourages skating in steep arcs.
Model U. Salkova retains all the main features of the Gaines skate, but has a fundamentally new detail - teeth made on the toe of the skate. The appearance of teeth reflected the increased complexity of the execution of figures, the need to demonstrate various stops, jumps, pirouettes on the toe, toe pushes, compasses, stepping from toe to toe, etc. The appearance of a skate with three racks ( model N. Panin) was caused by technical considerations, namely, an increase in the strength of the skate. A modern skate does not contain any new parts, design or operational innovations. Only the shape of the skate, the thickness of the blade and the configuration of the teeth have undergone some changes. The skater's skate is 3-4 millimeters thick and is sharpened so that the side and bottom surfaces of the blade form two sharp edges. The runner of the skate is rounded, and therefore any tilt of the body to the side causes sliding in an arc.

There are three types of skates used in figure skating:
A. Skates for the compulsory program;
B. Skates for performing a free program in both singles and pairs skating.
C. Skates for sports ice dancing.
A figure skating skate consists of three parts: runner, soles and heel.
Blade The ridge is made of high-quality carbon or alloy, most often chrome-vanadium steel. Hardening, or cementation, is carried out in such a way that the skate runner and the lower part of the side surfaces of the blade have the greatest hardness, while the rest remains “raw”, that is, not so hard. Thanks to this, the skate, despite the high hardness of the working part, retains the necessary elasticity and does not break when jumping. The blade of the skate is welded to two plates called the sole and heel of the skate. The latter have holes through which the skate is attached to the boot with special screws. In recent years, skates with replaceable blades have appeared. The blades may vary depending on the nature of the figures being performed and the condition of the ice.
Configuration is critical runner skate. In the front part the curvature is greatest, in the rear part it is somewhat less, and the flattest part of the runner is the middle one. The curvature of the ridge runner changes smoothly from one part to another, so that when the sliding section changes, the trail does not have a break. The height of the skate blade is approximately 40-50 millimeters. This height, on the one hand, provides sufficient stability, and on the other hand, allows you to perform figures with a large inclination of the body without the sole of the boot touching the ice. To ensure the correct location of the center of gravity of the body above the skate, the height of its front part is 2-4 millimeters less than the back. Until the 1950s, figure skaters performed all exercises on one type of skate. Currently, the level of development of figure skating has increased so much that athletes need slightly different skates for different types of skating. Now single skaters use two pairs of skates - one for compulsory figures, others for free skating, and pair skaters use only one for free skating. Each type of skate reflects the specific features of the compulsory program, free skating, and ice dancing. The length of the skate blade depends on its purpose. For compulsory figures it is the largest, for free skating it is usually somewhat less, and the smallest for ice dancing, so that during turns the dancers do not touch each other with their skates.
The ridge runner is machined in such a way that the lower surface is slightly concave, forming a so-called groove, or groove. The presence of a groove makes the ridges of the skate sharper, thereby facilitating the execution of figures at a long speed and with an inclination. The diameter of the groove depends on the type of skate. The deepest is in free skating skates, where high gliding speeds are used, spins and jumps are performed that require strong pressure from the skate on the ice. Modern skates have slightly thinner blades than those used at the beginning of the century. If the blades of the skates of D. Gaines, U. Salkov and N. Panin were up to 6 millimeters thick, then modern skates for compulsory figures and free skating are about 3-4 millimeters, and dance skates are even thinner - 2-3 millimeters. The location and configuration of the teeth are essential. In “school” skates, the lower tooth is sharpened from the sides and therefore has the shape of a sharp wedge. Thanks to this, when sliding backwards, the tooth touching the ice does not cause significant scraping, which is completely unacceptable in compulsory figures. The lower tooth of “school” skates, compared to other types of skates, is slightly moved forward and raised, which allows you to slide on the front of the skate without the tooth touching the ice.

Skate point. It is better to make the point on a machine in which the sharpening stone rotates along the blade of the skate, since in this case the final grinding of the surface of the runner is greatly simplified. Pedagogical observations and special studies conducted with figure skaters of various sports qualifications made it possible to establish that many skates of domestic brands are poorly suited for performing compulsory figures. Very often, errors in the microgeometry of the figure’s footprint are not the fault of the athlete, but as a result of the lack of a special skate for “school”.
Skates for compulsory exercises must meet the following requirements:
Ensure optimal gliding in large circles in loopless figures and in small circles in a loop.”
Create the possibility of stable sliding on the middle part of the skate runner.
Ensure body stability when performing loop turns.
Make short-term swings of the skate with a large amplitude from its middle back and forth and vice versa when performing triples, brackets, hooks and hooks.
Boots. Initially, skates were attached to ordinary boots in one way or another only for the duration of skating. The idea of ​​tightly attaching skates to boots, according to legend, belongs to Peter the Great. In a book published in Dutch in 1848, there is a mention that the Russian emperor, while building ships in Holland, became interested in skates, and the idea came to him that it was more convenient to have skates permanently attached to his boots. As a result of this innovation, shoes attached to skates lost their everyday functions, and gradually boots specially adapted for skating began to appear. Modern figure skating boots are made exactly to fit your feet from thick leather. A characteristic feature is the high tops, designed to prevent the foot from “breaking” when the body bends strongly to the side. The stiffness of boots depends on their purpose. Most Hard boots are made for free skating. The boot tops of male athletes performing in pair skating should be especially strong, since when performing lifts the load on the boots exceeds the total weight of the partners. To ensure the required rigidity, the toe and heel are reinforced from the inside with hard leather. The boots, so that they do not lose the ability to fit tightly to the leg and have sufficient strength, are made of two layers of leather, between which there is a layer of canvas.
Due to the significant load when performing jumps, in free skating boots the heel is usually strengthened with a thin tube passed from top to bottom through its center. Boots should also be equipped with a wide tongue, into which a thick (0.5 centimeter) layer of porous rubber or foam rubber is sewn, and the upper part of the lacing - with hooks to make it easier to put on the boots.
Gluing skates to boots. A large number of failures among beginner skaters are caused by improper installation of skates. A sign of this is chronic breaking of the feet, scraping of ice when performing simple arches, as well as curvature of the boot tops. For beginners and young skaters, we can recommend the position of the skate relative to the sole of the boot such that the back of the blade coincides with the middle of the sole of the boot, and the front is shifted inward by approximately half the thickness of the blade. When attaching your skates, keep in mind that for skaters with X-shaped legs, the skates should be moved inward, and for those with O-shaped legs, the skates should be moved outward from their normal position. Master skaters require individual fitting of skates to boots. Most skate models have special mounting holes in the heel and sole that allow some movement of the skate relative to the boot. By successive tests, the position of the skate is determined separately for each leg. And only after that they are finally attached to all sheepskin coats. The skates should be screwed to the sole using copper or other stainless steel screws. It is recommended to pre-pierce the holes with a sharp awl and screw in the screws, lubricating them with soap. The screws must not be allowed to turn: in this case, the fastening may become unstable, and this creates considerable danger for the rider.

Historical facts about ice skating
- The first mention of skates in literature was by the Canterbury monk Stephanius, who in 1174 created the “Chronicle of the Noble City of London.” This is how he described winter fun: “When the large swamp, washing the city rampart at Moorfield from the north, freezes, whole groups of young people go there to play sports on ice. Some, walking as wide as possible, glide quickly. Others, more experienced in playing on ice, tie the shin bones of animals to their legs and, holding sticks with sharp tips in their hands, at times push off from the ice with them and rush as fast as a bird in the air or a spear launched from a ballista...” Beautiful wrote the monk, but, like many journalists, he apparently liked to make things up: is it really possible to run on skates at the speed of a spear? But let’s forgive the ancient recluse’s exaggeration. Let us be grateful to him for his work.
- The British Museum displays bone skates that were used almost two thousand years ago. These skates were found in the last century.
- And in 1967, on the banks of the Southern Bug and a dry estuary near Odessa, archaeologists discovered the most ancient skates ever found. These skates belonged to the Chimerians, a nomadic tribe that lived 3,200 years ago in the Northern Black Sea region. The Chimerians were already skating during the Bronze Age. In age, they are superior to the “equipment” of the ancient Dutch and Danes in Scandinavia; skates appeared only in the Viking Age.
- Over time, both the skates themselves and the method of movement on them improved. Animal bones were replaced with wooden blocks. First, their surface was polished, then metal strips began to be attached to it.
- In the 13th century, skates with an iron runner curved in front and inserted into a wooden block appeared in Holland and Iceland. They were tied to their shoes with belts. And Russian craftsmen carved the curved toe of the skate in the form of a horse’s head, hence the name “skates”.
- Steel skates, tightly screwed to the shoes, were made at the Tula Arms Factory by order of Peter I. And in 1908, the first figure skating champion Nikolai Panin appeared in Russia. He also became the only winner of an Olympic gold medal in pre-revolutionary Russia and a five-time champion of our country in this sport. Since then, we have firmly held the world championship in figure skating, and the Russian school is rightfully considered the strongest.
- The first skating club opened in 1604 in the Scottish city of Edinburgh. In 1763, the athletes of Foggy Albion held the first international friendly meeting with American fast walkers.
- More than three hundred years ago, the English diplomat Carlyle, who visited Moscow, wrote: “The favorite winter pastime of Muscovites is ice skating.” And in the works of A.S. Pushkina, L.N. Tolstoy, A.I. Kuprin mentions this more than once.

The oldest reference to the term "horse" is found in the English-Dutch Dictionary. The word “skates” came into international sports from the Russian language. Usually, the front of the runners was decorated with a wooden horse's head. That's what they called it - “skates”.

But of course, skates are not the first device for moving on ice. Through archaeological excavations and ancient literature, scientists have discovered that the first such devices were made from animal bones. By the way, skates are one of the most ancient inventions of man. When there was ice on the ground, ancient people carved skates from wood or bone and attached them to their boots. Residents of Siberia rode on ice on walrus tusks, and the Chinese rode on bamboo trunks. The British Museum displays bone skates that were used for skating almost two thousand years ago. And they were found only in the last century. Only in 1967, on the banks of the Southern Bug River near Odessa, archaeologists unearthed the oldest skates ever found. They belonged to the Cimmerians, who lived in the Northern Black Sea region 3200 years ago.

Ancient skates

The emergence of figure skating

Scientists are delving into the very distant past to search for the first facts of the emergence of figure skating. Most historians believe that the birthplace of figure skating is Holland. After all, it was in this country that the first iron ice skates were created in the 13th - 14th centuries. In the Dutch book “The Life of Lidvina” you can even see what a horse with an iron blade was like. In the engraving depicting a group of skaters near the city wall, we see skates of that time.

"St. Lidvina, who fell on the ice" (1498)

Many people do not agree with the primacy of Holland and believe that it is difficult to name a pioneer, because skating began in different countries at approximately the same time. The creation of a new type of skates made it possible for the development of figure skating as a whole. But at that time it was different from the sport that we know today.

Initially, figure skating was the ability to draw various intricate figures and patterns on the ice, and at the same time try to maintain a beautiful pose. This is what attracted many people in the arts. In particular, the great German writer J. W. Goethe was a passionate fan of skates. Even paintings have been preserved that depict the poet on ice, gliding in an elegant pose. In general, not a single sport that exists to this day is devoted to so many paintings, engravings, drawings and even caricatures as speed skating and figure skating.

Fun on the ice in front of the gates of Saint-Geri in Antwerp (Halle, 1553)

The first rules for skating were first published in England in 1772. English artillery lieutenant Robert Jones wrote a “Treatise on Skating,” which described all the basic patterns known at that time. Since all the required figures were described in Great Britain, it was in this country that the first skating clubs were created and the first rules for competitions in this sport were drawn up

Ice skating in New York's Central Park in winter, in a painting from 1862

Development of figure skating

In 1882, the first international competition in Europe was held in Vienna.

Austrian figure skaters, representatives of the Norwegian school, as well as Swedish, German, English and American schools contributed to the development of figure skating as a sport.

The popularity of figure skating in Europe and Russia, according to historians, became possible thanks to a figure skater from America. American Jackson Haynes (in another transcription Heinz; 1840-1875), a dancer and speed skater, combined both of his skills and got his own style of skating: riding to music, dance movements and “spinning tops” on ice. Skates, attached with straps to shoes, were not could withstand such loads, then Haynes was one of the first to screw them tightly to the boots. However, this style was not accepted in Puritan America, and in the 60s of the 19th century the artist went on tour to Europe.

Jackson Haynes

When the artist toured European skating rinks, he aroused the admiration of skating fans. Historians call him the founder of the modern style of figure skating.

February 1890 was marked by the 25th anniversary of the St. Petersburg Yusupov skating rink and a sports competition was organized. Skaters from Europe and America were invited to this competition. Considering the scale and composition of the participants, this could actually be called the first unofficial world championship. For three days, 8 participants competed to determine the best of them, and in all types of skating the winner was Alexey Pavlovich Lebedev, a talented Russian figure skater.

The success of the completed competition in St. Petersburg accelerated the organization of the first European and world championships, and also greatly contributed to the creation of the International Skating Union (ISU) in 1892

In 1896, for the first time, the International Skating Union announced its intention to hold a world championship. To honor Russia's achievements in this sport, the first official international championship was held in St. Petersburg. Only 4 participants skated their programs on the ice: Austrian G. Hugel, German G. Fuchs and 2 Russian skaters G. Sanders and N. Poduskov. The German won that competition.

Participants of the First World Championship in St. Petersburg, 1896.

At the dawn of the twentieth century, famous and talented skaters tried to invent their own unique and beautiful jumps on ice. Masters such as Salchow, Lutz, Rittberger, Axel Paulsen came up with their own original jumping techniques, which to this day bear names derived from their names and surnames.

In the 1960s - after a half-century break - Russia reappeared on the world stage. Lyudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov were the first to write their names in the annals of history. However, Soviet books preferred to remain silent about their merits - in 1979 they became “defectors”. Irina Rodnina (with two different partners) became a 10-time world champion and 3-time Olympic champion.

The end of the 20th century passed under the complete dominance of the USSR and Russia in figure skating. In pairs skating, Russia was generally out of competition, receiving gold in all Olympic Games from 1964 to 2006. However, having a huge advantage over the rest in pairs and dance skating and strong men, the USSR never won a single gold medal in women's skating . Kira Ivanova came closest to the coveted title (silver at the World Championships, bronze at the Olympic Games). Already in post-Soviet Russia, the women's world championship was won by Maria Butyrskaya and Irina Slutskaya.

And among men, Alexey Urmanov, Alexey Yagudin and Evgeni Plushenko became Olympic champions, world and European champions.

History of speed skating

Speed ​​skating has a very ancient history. Information about the first Dutch skating races on the frozen canals of the country dates back to the 13th century.

In the middle of the 16th century, ice skating competitions began to be held in the Scandinavian countries.

As a sport, speed skating developed in the second half of the 19th century. In 1867, the first official speed skating competitions were held in Norway, organized by the Christiania Skate Club. This sport became widespread in various European countries; in the 70s of the 19th century, national championships began to be held.

Norwegian speed skaters A. PAULSEN and K. WERNER designed tubular racing skates in 1880. The front and rear metal platforms were screwed to the sole of the boot with six and four screws, respectively. This was a revolution in speed skating.

A great contribution to the development of the shape of skates was made by the Russian speed walker, an employee of the Nikolaev Railway, Alexander Nikitovich Panshin (1863-1904). In 1887, he made elongated skates based on his own model - all-metal, long skates with a narrow blade and a slightly curved toe - the prototype of today's running skates. For many decades, the model of tubular racing skates has not undergone fundamental changes.

Alexander Nikitovich Panshin

In 1889, the first (unofficial) World Speed ​​Skating Championships took place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its winner was A.N. Panshin.

In 1892, the International Skating Union ISU was formed. It declared the competitions held in 1889 in Amsterdam professional and held the first official world championship in Amsterdam in 1893, which was won by Jaap Eden from the Netherlands.

Dutch speed skater Jaap Eden on the ice. 1890-1900.

Even in those days, the program of such competitions included four distances that became classics in this sport for many years - 500, 1500, 5000 and 10,000 m. However, the conditions for winning the title of world champion then differed from the rules of classical all-around that were adopted later. Until 1908, in order to receive the title of world champion, you had to win competitions in at least three out of four distances. Due to such rules, no winners of the world championships were identified in 1894, 1902, 1903, 1906 and 1907.

Speed ​​skating competitions were, and are now, held on a closed track consisting of two straight lines and two turns. The classic length of such a track is 400 m. Skaters participating in the competition run in pairs.

Dutch athletes Lijkle Poepjes and B. van derZee at the start of a speed race in Leeuwarden (Netherlands)

Among the strongest in this sport in the first and second decades of the 20th century, the Norwegian Oscar Mathiesen achieved the greatest success. He won the world championships five times - in 1908, 1909, 1912, 1913 and 1914. Twice - in 1910 and 1911 - the Russian speed skater Nikolai Strunnikov became the world champion.

Strunnikov Nikolai Vasiliskovich (1886-1940)

Since 1926, a system was introduced according to which the champion and the holders of all subsequent places were determined by the sum of all-around points awarded to each skater at each of the four distances, depending on the results shown by him.

Since 1936, the world speed skating championships began to be held not only among men, but also among women. Their all-around championship was determined by the sum of points scored by each athlete in competitions at four distances - 500, 1000, 1500 and 3000 m. The first world champion was US speed skater Kitty Klein. Then the Norwegian Laila Shaw-Nielsen, in 1937 and 1938, and the Finnish athlete Verne Lesche, in 1939 and 1947, won the women's world championships.

In 1956, Soviet speed skaters took to the start line of the VII Winter Olympics for the first time and won 7 medals. The first Soviet world champion was Maria Isakova, she won the world championship three times in a row and won three Olympic medals.

Maria Isakova

In 1957, at the XV Women's World Championships, held in Imatra (Finland), Soviet athletes won 13 prizes out of a possible 15.

In the capital of the 1964 Olympics, Innsbruck, Lidia Skoblikova won all four distances, setting world records in three of them, and as of 2010 she is the only 6-time Olympic champion in the history of speed skating.

Lidia Skoblikova

In the mid-1980s, the first fully indoor speed skating rinks appeared.

In 1997, a new type of skates began to be used en masse - clap skates, which made it possible to increase running speeds.

Clap skates

Variants of this type of skate have been known since 1900. In modern competitions, it has been used periodically by various athletes since 1984, but without much success, and was perceived with skepticism, until in the 1996/1997 season the Dutch women's team, competing in this model, beat everyone like a stand-up. Starting next year, all athletes gradually began to switch to “klap” skates. Today, all athletes in all top-level competitions compete only in klap skates. The classic model with a fixed blade is used for running by beginner athletes and at sprint distances.

History of ice hockey

The history of ice hockey is one of the most contested of all sports. Traditionally, Montreal is considered the birthplace of hockey, although more recent studies point to the primacy of Kingston (Ontario) or Windsor (Nova Scotia).

There is evidence that games reminiscent of hockey (more precisely, field hockey) have existed since ancient times. Some believe that such a game originated in Persia, where polo once appeared. According to other sources, the ancient Greeks also had a game reminiscent of hockey, which was even included in the program of the Olympic Games. She was called "Freyninda". In Athens, the bas-reliefs of the famous Wall of Themistocles, which is more than 2,400 years old, depict young men playing what closely resembles modern field hockey. A similar game was played in the 16th-17th centuries in England and France. In the 16th century, a game with a ball on ice, “bandy,” appeared in Holland.

Scene on Ice (Henrik Averkamp, ​​early 17th century)

Then, similar games appeared in Scandinavia, where they later transformed into ice hockey in the 19th century. They also knew such a game in China, five and a half centuries ago. The ancient Indians were also fond of hockey matches. Evidence of this is the frescoes exhibited at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. They depict athletes playing a small ball with curved sticks. Some sources claim that the birth of ice hockey is associated with the life of the Indians of the far north of America, who competed on ice in a game with sticks.

And if you resort to the help of linguists, you can find out that the word “hockey” is of French origin. "Hoke" is the French name for a shepherd's crook with a curved handle.

But despite this, Canada is still considered the birthplace of modern ice hockey.

There are many versions of the origins of hockey in Canada. One of them is that field hockey appeared in Europe first. When Great Britain conquered Canada from France in 1763, English riflemen brought it to Halifax, whose residents became interested in the new game. Since Canadian winters are very harsh and long, winter sports have always been welcomed in this area. By attaching cheese cutters to their boots, English- and French-speaking Canadians played the game on frozen rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. At first they played not with a puck, but with a heavy ball, and the number of teams reached 50 or more players on each side. In Nova Scotia and Virginia, there are old paintings of people playing hockey.

The first formal game was played in 1855 in Kingston, Ontario, by teams drawn from the Royal Canadian Fusiliers of the Imperial Army. And the first official match took place on March 3, 1875 in Montreal at the Victoria skating rink, information about which was recorded in the Montreal newspaper "Montreal Gazette". Each team consisted of nine people. They played with a wooden puck, and their protective equipment was borrowed from baseball. For the first time, hockey goals were installed on the ice.

1st McGill University Hockey Team

In the 1870s. Ice hockey in Canada was a mandatory game for all sports events. In 1877, several students at Montreal's McGill University invented the first seven rules of hockey. In 1879, a rubber washer was proposed for the game. After some time, the game became so popular that in 1883 it was presented at the annual Montreal Winter Carnival. In 1885, the Amateur Hockey Association was founded in Montreal.

Hockey at the McGill University rink, 1884.

The first official rules of the game of ice hockey were published in 1886, which have been preserved as much as possible to this day. According to them, the number of field players was reduced from nine to seven, on the ice there was a goalkeeper, front and back defenders, a center and two forwards, and in front across the entire width of the field there was a rover - the strongest hockey player who was the best at throwing pucks. The team played the entire match with the same lineup, and by the end of the game the athletes were literally crawling on the ice from fatigue, because only the player who was injured was allowed to be replaced (and then in the last period and only with the consent of the opponents). The author of the new code of rules was Canadian R. Smith. In 1886, the first international meeting was held between Canadian and English teams.

In 1890, the province of Ontario held a championship for four teams. Indoor skating rinks with natural ice soon appeared. To prevent it from melting, narrow slits were cut in the walls and roofs to allow cold air to enter. In 1899, the world's first indoor hockey stadium with an artificial ice rink was built in Montreal, designed for an unprecedented number of spectators - 10,000 people. In the same year, the Canadian Amateur Hockey League was founded.

Montreal team won the Stanley Cup in 1894

The game of hockey became so popular that in 1893, the Governor General of Canada, Lord Frederick Arthur Stanley, purchased a cup, similar to an inverted pyramid of silver rings, for 10 guineas to present to the national champion. This is how the legendary trophy appeared - the Stanley Cup. At first, amateurs fought for it, and since 1910, professionals too.

Montreal Victoria team 1896

In 1900, a net appeared on the goal, made for the first time from a fishing net; it made it possible to accurately determine whether a goal had been scored against a team. After this, disputes about scoring a puck, which sometimes led to team fights, stopped, and it became much more convenient for referees and hockey players to monitor goals being scored. Then they began to hang a metal net on the gate. It was durable, but after being hit the puck would fly back and sometimes injure the goalie or a player near the goal. This deficiency was corrected by using a second rope net stretched inside the gate to soften the blow. Today's network combines these two networks. The referee's metal whistle, which stuck to his lips from the cold, was replaced with a bell, and soon, with a plastic whistle. At the same time, a puck throw-in was introduced (previously, the referee used to move the opponents’ sticks towards the puck lying on the ice with his hands and, having blown the whistle, moved to the side so as not to get hit with the stick).

The first professional hockey team was created in Canada in 1904. In the same year, hockey players switched to a new system of play - “six on six”. The standard size of the site was established - 56 x 26 m, which has remained almost unchanged since then. After four seasons, there was a complete division into professionals and amateurs. For the latter, the Allan Cup was established, which has been played since 1908. Its owners subsequently represented Canada at the World Championships.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Europeans became interested in Canadian hockey. The First Congress, held on May 15-16, 1908 in Paris, founded the International Ice Hockey Federation (LIHG), which initially united four countries - France, Great Britain, Switzerland and Belgium. From the birth of the game, until 1903, Europeans played on natural ice. The first artificial ice appeared in London, after which the improvement of skating rinks and the construction of new ones began. And soon Great Britain was able to develop hockey to a professional level, but not for long... The war on hockey, like all other sports, had a great negative impact...

To increase the entertainment and speed of the game, the replacement of athletes was allowed in 1910. In the same year, the National Hockey Association (NHA) arose, the successor of which was the famous National Hockey League (NHL), which appeared in 1917

Hockey match, 1922

In 1911, the LIHG officially adopted the Canadian rules of hockey.

In 1920, the first meeting took place in an official tournament - at the Olympic Games, which were also considered the world championships - between teams from the Old and New Worlds. The Canadians confirmed their fame as the strongest hockey power in the world. Canadians also won at the 1924 and 1928 Olympic tournaments. In 1936, Great Britain won the Olympic title from the Canadians, who had held it for 16 years.
Many innovations belong to the hockey players brothers Patrick - Frank and Lester (the latter became a famous hockey figure). On their initiative, each player was assigned a number, points began to be awarded not only for goals, but also for assists (the “goal + pass” system), hockey players were allowed to pass the puck forward, and goalkeepers were allowed to take their skates off the ice. The game has since started to last three periods of 20 minutes each.

Goalkeepers did not wear masks until 1929, when Clint Benedict, who played for the Canadian club Montreal Maroons, first went on the ice wearing one, but it was not officially approved immediately. In 1934, the free throw - shootout - was legalized. In 1945, multi-colored lights were installed behind the goal to more accurately count goals scored (“red” means a goal, “green” means no goal was scored). In the same year, triple refereeing was introduced: a chief referee and two assistants (linesmen). In 1946, a system of referee gestures for specific violations of the rules was legalized.

In 1952, the USSR was accepted as a member of the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) and from that moment until 1991, the USSR national hockey team was the strongest in the world. She took part in 30 world championships, winning 19 of them. She took part in 9 Winter Olympic hockey tournaments, winning 7 of them. It is the only team in the world that has never returned from the World Championships and Olympic Games without a set of medals.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian national team took over the baton from the USSR national team, which did not have such success as its predecessor. Having performed at 5 Olympic tournaments, the team only once became a silver and bronze medalist, never winning the tournament. Participating in 21 World Championships, they won 4 championship titles and the team was a medalist 4 more times. But in recent years, Russian hockey players have been reviving the glory of Soviet hockey, becoming world champions 3 times over the past 5 years.

Figure skating is a popular and beautiful sport common in Russia. There is a lot of snow and ice in this country, so there is nothing surprising in the victories of the Russian team. It is probably impossible to tell everything about figure skating and its origins. It has a long, eventful history. This art has gone through many changes.

There are many interesting facts about figure skating. The sport begins its history in the Bronze Age. During archaeological excavations, prototypes of modern skates were found. They were made from animal bones.

More familiar to contemporaries, art appeared in the 12th-14th centuries in Holland. Then, blades for skates began to be made of metal. The sport quickly found followers and eventually spread to the United States, Britain, Canada, and then throughout the world.

The first society of fans of this sport was formed in the middle of the 18th century in Edinburgh (Britain). This society first created the first rules for holding competitions.

At the end of the 19th century, figure skating was recognized as a sports discipline. A few years later, the first sports competition was held.

At the beginning of the 20th century, this art became part of the Olympic Games. The difference in time between the first and second competitions during the games was 12 years. Both times it was summer games. Only in 1924 this art was included in the program of the winter games.

At first, competitions were held exclusively among men, but after 10 years they began to be held among women.

History of origin in Russia

The sports discipline was introduced in Russia by Peter I. He delivered the first prototypes of modern skates.

At the end of the 19th century, the famous skating rink in Yusupov Park was opened for public use. From this moment, figure skating ceases to be just entertainment, and a sports discipline begins to take shape.

A moment significant for the history of sports discipline took place at this skating rink. Previously, the competitions were amateur, but the high level of training of athletes, the complication of the elements performed, led to the fact that the discipline began to acquire a professional character.

Russian athletes are the favorites in figure skating. Many victories were achieved during the existence of the USSR. A Russian figure skating school was formed.

Types of figure skating

During the time that this discipline has existed, numerous changes have occurred in it. She grew and developed. Schools were being formed. Thus, modern types of figure skating were formed. Now, they are part of competition programs, championships, and Olympic Games.

Each type is regulated. The competition takes place in 2 stages. For each type there is a clear list of required elements. The criteria for evaluating athletes are different; only the quality of execution of movements remains the same.

Men's and women's singles skating

One participant. It shows sports elements. The degree of complexity, cleanliness and technique of performing the element are assessed. There are other criteria. The judges evaluate the performer's artistry, aesthetics, flexibility, and completeness of the performance. The more complex and high-quality the performance, the more points the athlete receives.

On the first day of competition, a short program is demonstrated. It must fulfill 7 mandatory elements. The second day is creative. The free program is shown. It should include jumps, steps, and rotations.

Pairs figure skating

In this type of skating, two people take part: a woman and a man. When assessing the performance of participants, the synchronization of the elements is assessed. Athletes must feel each other and move in unison.

There are a number of elements characteristic of this species. Their execution is the main feature. The competition takes place exactly the same as for singles, in 2 stages. The requirements are similar.

Dance Sport

There are two participants. More attention is paid to the artistry and entertainment of the performance.

There are a large number of dance steps and positions. The choreographer plans the dance in such a way that the athletes spend as much time together as possible during the performance.

The competition consists of 2 dances: a short dance and a free dance.

During the short dance, one or two of the required elements must be completed. During the free program, attention is paid to the purity of the movements performed, the literacy of dance positions, the coherence of the work of partners, and artistry.

This is the only type of competition in which a vocal musical composition can be used.

Synchronized figure skating

A team of 16-20 people performs. Everyone can participate in this type of skating, regardless of gender.

The performers behave as a single organism while performing the program. Group figure skating has specific elements that are characteristic only of synchronized skating. But there are also restrictions on the execution of elements: you cannot perform any type of support, intersections in the form of a spiral, jumps of more than 1 revolution.

The performance includes 2 types of performances: a short program and a demonstration performance.

Rules and equipment

170 seconds are allocated for the speech. During this time, the speaker must show the program. It must comply with the standard and contain certain movements. The complexity of these elements is determined by coaches, choreographers and the athletes themselves.

Much attention is paid to the skating rink. The ice must be clean and smooth. High quality ice is achieved through the use of special equipment. The unevenness above the ice surface should not exceed 5 mm.

The standard area of ​​the skating rink is 30x60m. The sides are plastic, movable.

Sports equipment is very important. Skates are the main part of the costume, on which most of the performance depends. Skaters spend many hours a day in them.

Often, skates are made to order. Individual measurements of athletes' feet are taken to ensure that the shoes produced are comfortable to wear. The boots are made of thick durable leather and have a tongue. The lacing of the boots is high.

Carbon steel is used to make blades. The blade consists of two parts:

• there are teeth on the nose - necessary for pushing and performing certain elements;
• concave beard - needed for maximum gliding on ice.

The athletes' costumes are bright. With their help, the spirit of the performance is conveyed and helps to reveal the idea of ​​the program. Suits are made to order. Elastic fabric is used that stretches well. Dresses are sewn with a short skirt, trousers are quite narrow - to avoid accidental injury during performance.
Basic elements of figure skating

In figure skating there are certain elements of performance. They have developed historically, and their implementation is mandatory in short speeches. They have varying degrees of difficulty.

Steps

This is the main element of skating and represents a push.

Steps are used as a transition from one element to another, linking them into a single whole. Used to gain speed before jumping.

There are many types of steps known. They are divided into 4 groups:

• steps without changing legs, direction or edge;
• without changing legs;
• with a change of leg;
• with a change of foot and direction.

When steps follow each other, this is called a “step path.” It is required for a short speech.

There are combinations of steps. The steps are followed in the exact order. The combinations have names. Popular: “Waltz Troika”, “Jackson”, “Rittberger Troika”.

Spirals

It is a position in which the athlete stands on the ice with one foot and the other above hip level. It is counted if the execution time is more than 7 seconds. The most popular execution is “swallow”. Has 4 levels of difficulty.

Rotations

One of the most spectacular elements. It consists of the athlete rotating around its axis. Skaters perform rotation from different positions: standing, sitting, from a “swallow” spiral.

The element has many types. Typically, rotation is done counterclockwise. In this case, rely on your left leg. When rotating clockwise, support is placed on the right leg.

Jumping

A colorful and spectacular element. Completion is mandatory for all disciplines except ice dancing.

The most common types of steps are:

1. Costal - the push is made from the edge of the skate of the supporting leg: Salchow, Axel, Ritteberger.
2. Cog - support when jumping on a cog: lutz, sheepskin coat, flip.

The complexity of performing the element is constantly increasing. Strong athletes perform jumps with 4 revolutions. Performing a difficult element gives you an advantage over your opponents.

The most difficult jump to perform is the Axel.

How to protect yourself from injury

The risk of injury while riding is high. Falls cannot be avoided. First of all, you need to decide for what purpose you are going to skate. When teaching a child, you need to decide for what purpose he is going to the section: for general development or to study professionally.

Professional sports have a strong impact on overall health: the body experiences increased physical stress.

For amateurs, it is enough to adhere to safety precautions. Inexperienced people and those just starting to ride can use protective equipment: knee pads, elbow and wrist guards.

You need to pay close attention to your skates. Products must be sharpened and have no traces of rust on the blades. Before going out on the ice, shoelaces must be tied tightly.

A sharp blade is dangerous. There is no need to perform or learn skating elements in a crowd, near other people.

Figure skating is an exciting, spectacular sport. This is a good way to spend your time profitably and perform the physical activities your body needs. The main thing is to enjoy both the training and watching the competition.