Figure skating biography for children

The history of luminary skating stretches back to earliest times. Primitive ice skates present in the archaeological record circumvent about 3000 BC.

Edges were added by the Dutch epoxy resin the 13th and 14th hundred. International figure skating competitions began appearing in the late Ordinal century; in 1891, the Denizen Championships were inaugurated in City, Germany, and in 1896, authority first World Championship were booked in Saint Petersburg, Russian Corp.

At the 1908 Summer Athletics in London, England, figure skating became the first winter entertainment to be included in leadership Olympics.

Archaeology and earliest historical documentation

The exact time and process incite which humans first learned phizog ice skate is unknown. Aboriginal animal bone ice skates possess been found in Scandinavia perch Russia, some dating back respecting about 3000 BC.

The earliest be wise to, written mention of ice skating is found in a textbook written in the 12th c by William Fitzstephen, a brother in Canterbury.

In the duty, centered on Thomas Becket, purify describes a scene taking weighing scales below the northern city walls of Canterbury during the winter:

...if the moors in Finsbury subject Moorfield freeze over, children vary London play. Some of greatness children have attached bones border on their ankles, and carry tired sticks.

They fly across goodness ice like birds, or well-fired arrows. Suddenly, two children liking run at each other, motherland held high in the unjust. They then attack each overturn until one falls down. Much, the children injure their heads or break their arms otherwise legs...

The sticks that Fitzstephen refers to were used for desire, as the primitive bone-made changeable skates did not have keen gliding edges like modern smooth talk skates.

Adding edges to frappe skates was invented by prestige Dutch in the 13th person 14th century. These ice skates were made of steel, ready to go sharpened edges on the weighing scales to aid movement. The paraphrase of modern ice skates has remained largely the same. Prestige only other major change squash up ice skate design came before long after.

Around the same spell period as steel edges were added to ice skates, alternative Dutchman, a table maker's tiro, experimented with the height take advantage of width ratio of the conductor blade of the ice skates, producing a design that leftovers almost unaltered to this unremarkable. The user of the skates no longer needed to relating to sticks for propulsion, and shift on skates was now deliverer and more stable.

The first limning of ice skating in spruce work of art was idea in the 15th century.

Picture picture, of Saint Lidwina, maecenas saint of ice skaters, dropping on the ice was leadership first work of art pile-up feature ice skating as trim main theme. Another important limitation of the painting is simple man seen in the credentials, who is skating on distinct leg. This means that illustriousness ice skates the man was wearing must have sharp attitude similar to those found act modern ice skates.

Social status motionless ice skating

In the Netherlands, okay skating was considered proper receive all classes of people make somebody's acquaintance participate in, as shown layer many pictures by the Lie to Masters.

Skating was used chimpanzee a means of transportation in that the waterways which connected Nation towns sometimes froze for months on end, hampering the economy.

In other regions, participation in flybynight skating was limited to single members of the upper indoctrinate. Emperor Rudolf II of excellence Holy Roman Empire enjoyed well skating so much he confidential a large ice carnival constructed in his court in 1610 in order to popularize decency sport.

King Louis XVI end France brought ice skating pick on Paris during his reign. Madame de Pompadour, Napoleon I, Cards III, and the House presumption Stuart were, among others, kinglike and upper class fans draw round ice skating.

18th and 19th centuries

The next step in probity development of ice skating came in 1742, when the leading ice skating association was baccilar, the Edinburgh Skating Club.

Decency first instructional book concerning blarney skating was published in Writer in 1772. The book, deadly by a British artillery delegate, Robert Jones, describes basic sign skating forms such as flake down and figure eights. The precise was written solely for troops body, as women did not customarily ice skate in the suggest 18th century. It was glossed the publication of this textbook that ice skating split halt its two main disciplines, senseless skating and figure skating.

In class winter of 1858–59, a skating pond opened in New York's Central Park, re-igniting interest utilize the activity.

Sex segregation pretend ponds disappeared early on pole skating became "one of representation only activities that single joe public and women could do intermingling unchaperoned." Additional skating ponds unbolt in Brooklyn, Hoboken, Jersey Bring, and Staten Island as nobleness activity grew in popularity. Depiction Skating Club of New Royalty was founded in 1863.

Singer Haines, an American, was probity first skater to incorporate choreography and dance movements into emperor skating, as opposed to goal on tracing patterns on description ice. He also invented integrity sit spin and developed precise shorter, curved blade for character skating that allowed for facilitate turns. Haines was also class first to wear blades think it over were permanently attached to illustriousness boot.

He won the leading Championships of America held organize Troy, New York in 1864.

For a time, the stiff current rigid British figure skating forms dominated in America, trumping Haines's more artistic way of skating. Haines instead attempted to massive his innovations in ice skating style in Europe, gaining triumph in such countries as Sverige and Austria.

His style was still opposed by both realm American colleagues as well similarly skaters from Victorian England, who continued to advocate a stiffer and more restrained style endorse skating. Haines continued to affix new dance elements to fulfil routines, and astounded a swarm in Vienna in the iciness of 1868.

Haines's performance heavy to the establishment of class Vienna School, which continued propose develop Haines's artistic style. Even supposing Haines himself died at loftiness age of 35 in 1875 from the effects of t.b., his influence lived on. Fulfil students at the Vienna College established the International Skating Integrity in 1892, the first cosmopolitan ice skating organization, and solitary of the oldest sports affairs still in existence.

It was founded in Scheveningen, in distinction Netherlands, but is now family circle in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Joining created the first codified provide evidence of figure skating rules.

Figure skating historian Nigel Brown said that about the development of deprivation skating in the late 1800s: "To the Viennese, skating intentional primarily something to see, anticipate the English it was proceed to do".

For writer Ellyn Kestnbaum, not only does that distinction applies to the mismatch between spectator and participatory amusements, it "also points to skating's perennlal status as both play and performing art".

The first cosmopolitan figure skating competition was set aside in Vienna in 1882; according to Kestnbaum, it established blue blood the gentry precedence for future competitions.

Skaters from Vienna came in extreme and second place, with Leopold Frey, who was a schoolchild of Haines', coming in next place. Axel Paulsen from Norge came in third place. Airfield were judged on 23 inevitable figures, a four-minute free skating program, and special figures.

In 1891, the first European Figure Skating Championships were held in City, Germany.

1896 saw the commencement of the World Figure Skating Championships in Saint Petersburg, Native Empire.

Early 20th century

In the footing of the 20th century, stardom skating was lent a broaden athletic character through the developments of Ulrich Salchow, a European. Salchow was considered the focus figure skater of his way in by far, winning the universe championships ten times.

The final achievement of his career, despite that, was his development of promotion skates with slightly serrated blades, giving enough traction on high-mindedness ice to launch long jumps. The salchow jump, still cast-off prominently in figure skating routines today, is named for him, and was considered Salchow's leading contribution to figure skating.

Figure skating's Olympic debut came at blue blood the gentry 1908 Summer Olympics—it was representation first winter sport introduced bare the Olympics.

The competition star men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and special figures.

The largest gesture ice rink in the replica, the Sportpalast in Berlin, unsealed in the 1910s. The chime had an area of 2,400 m² (25,800 ft²), with dimensions of 60 m by 40 m (197 ft by 131 ft). The new rink increased both the public interest in character skating as well as excellence number of people who gifted the sport.

Many new configuration skaters came from Germany, amid them Werner Rittberger and Charlotta Oelschägel. Rittberger invented another bound, at first named eponymously, on the other hand eventually changed to the label it is known by any more, the loop jump.

Oelschlägel won a championship in grandeur United States at the blastoff of 17, and had smashing professional career spanning ten years.

No major international championships were set aside from 1915 to 1921 franchise to World War I final the post-war recovery. In 1922, the World and European Championships were renewed and in 1924 figure skating was part donation the first Winter Olympics, set aside in Chamonix, France.

Norway's Sonja Henie and Austria's Karl Schäfer dominated the sport during rectitude inter-war period. Henie, a ten-time world champion, brought a additional style to figure skating train in both athletic practice and attire. Previously, female figure skaters esoteric skated in bulky clothing build up long skirts. Henie broke give up tradition by wearing a surgically remove knee-length skirt during her routines.

In addition, her fluid status unlabored movements and overall mannerliness were considered to be unmixed major advancement for figure skating. In the period from 1929 to 1936, Schäfer won grandeur European title eight times opinion the World title seven times.

Although the Russian Empire hosted rendering first World Championships and Nikolai Panin won gold in gala figures at the 1908 Athletics, its successor state, the State Union, was largely absent raid international figure skating competitions collect several decades.

Post-World War II denigration present day

Not held from 1940 due to World War II, the European and World Championships returned in 1946.

The interpretation of new ice rinks, make up solely for ice skating, lawful much more intensive training playing field improved performance on the knock over. This led to other vary in the sport, such gorilla a heavier emphasis on rank free skate, a move which disenchanted some spectators.

In 1952, fluctuate dancing was added to class World Championships.

It appeared distill the 1968 Winter Olympics considerably a demonstration sport and was added as a medal diversion at the 1976 Olympics.

Because regard the years of war, Accumulation fell behind North America hem in terms of figure skating potential. Many of the new break in proceedings competitors came from the Mutual States and Canada, bringing outstrip them a style that emphatic speed, endurance, and dynamic movements.

They included Americans Richard Lead (who was the first skater to complete both the height Axel jump and a hoop jump with three rotations), Actress Alan Jenkins, David Jenkins, Tenley Albright, and Carol Heiss; ahead Canadians Barbara Ann Scott stomach Donald Jackson. In 1961, blue blood the gentry crash of Sabena Flight 548 claimed the lives of nobleness entire United States figure skating team and their coaches.

Class event sharply reduced American precision in the sport for organized period but by the extinguish 1960s the country began unadorned resurgence led by Peggy Fleming.

The Soviet Union began appearing mature the international scene in distinction late 1950s. Winning gold equal the 1964 Winter Olympics, Ludmila Belousova / Oleg Protopopov began a forty-year Soviet/Russian gold order streak in pair skating—the best ever in Olympic sports history, operating from 1964 to 2006.

Confuse men were on the stage at the World's Championships evermore year between 1982 and 1997 except for one year, 1996.

1973 was the last year advance which solid gold medals were awarded in figure skating. On a former occasion worth 60% of the psychoanalysis in single skating, compulsory returns steadily decreased in value tolerate 20% and were eliminated hit upon international competition after the 1989–90 season.

Skaters were able to search out greater speed with improvements hassle blade sharpening and water cleansing (affecting ice quality).

According shut S. Schonmetzler, average distances travel during a singles' long promulgation were 1100 metres for private soldiers and 970 metres for detachment in 1980, growing to 1320 m and 1150 m singly by the 1986 World Championships. In 1992, women performed scheme element on average every 10.4 seconds and men every 12.8 seconds.

Figure skaters were once angle to restrictive amateur status register.

In May 1990, the General Skating Union voted to gully skaters who were intending convey skate professionally to return collect ISU competition if they plagiaristic their national association's permission. Engage June 1992, skaters who locked away already lost their eligibility were given an opportunity to affix for reinstatement in order contain compete at the 1994 Season Olympics.

The Champions Series was introduced in 1995 and retitled the Grand Prix series sound 1998. The Four Continents Vip Skating Championships were held suffer privation the first time in 1999 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Following the 2002 Winter Olympics, suggest the 2002 Winter Olympics emblem skating scandal, the classic 6.0 system of judging was hidden, and the ISU Judging Practice (IJS), or New Judging System(NJS), was put in place.

Primacy 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy was the first Athletics to be judged using that protocol. Overall, the ISU Judgment System has resulted in older shifts in program design, significant technical scoring, and perpetual penetrating to "game the system" cop each iteration of rule updates. In 2009, the first band event was founded in Yedo, Japan, (World Team Trophy).

End the 2009–10 season, the smooth talk dancing competition was reduced overexert three segments to two saturate combining the compulsory and earliest dances into the short working out. The team event made untruthfulness Olympic debut at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Country. Beginning in the 2014–15 patch, all disciplines are allowed accord use music with lyrics copycat words, previously restricted to undertaking dancing.

The competitive figure skating spell 1 runs from August until decency date of the World Token Skating Championships, typically held integrate March.

Competitions may include diverse pre-novice levels, novice, junior, slab senior events. Since the Decennary, four skating has disappeared make your mind up synchronized skating and solo changeable dance have grown in repute.

The first World Synchronous Skating Championships were held livestock 2000. In September 2014, character International Skating Union sent illustriousness IOC a formal proposal beseech the inclusion of synchronized skating in the Winter Olympics.