What is the sport of figure skating?

Answer 1

Figure skating requires wearing boots that go above the ankle and lace up, with steel blades screwed into and running the length of the bottom. The blades are hollowed out so each has an inside and an outside edge. They also have toe picks which allow certain types of jumps to be made. The name figure skating derives from the former "school," or compulsory figures, all variations on the figure 8. Over the years the number of figures was reduced, and they began to account for less and less of the total score. School figures were discontinued altogether in 1990, and skaters in all disciplines currently skate a short and a long program.

Figure skating results are not measured solely by the clock, and because it is a judged sport like gymnastics or diving, or the halfpipe, for example, there are those who believe it is not a sport at all. Skating, however, requires strength, endurance, coordination and timing, qualities which are needed in almost every sport. Many different elements make up a figure skating routine. In between jumps and spins are series of connecting moves. These include footwork and step sequences and spirals. There are many more, but all of these are designed to demonstrate athleticism and artistry. Pairs skaters do lifts and throws, side-by-side jumps, pairs spins and death spirals. Ice dancers do not do throws or death spirals, and the rules for the lifts done in ice dancing are very different than for those done in pairs. Unique to ice dancing are sets of upright, side-by-side traveling spins called "twizzles."

A thin sheen of water on the surface of the ice makes it easier to achieve rapid spins, but traveling in these spins is undesirble. The fast surface means skaters can reach speeds of up to 11-13 mph as they gather up speed for jumps, which may include as many as 3 1/2 revolutions. It can take years of practice to become a good skater, and as important as natural talent is, a mastery of the fundamentals is essential for pleasure as a weekend skater or success in competition.