Ice skating

Ice skating, winter sport in the United States, Canada, and the countries of northern Europe. Originally confined to natural settings and conditions, such as frozen lakes and rivers, the sport has been widely popularized by the introduction of artificial rinks. Competitive skating, which requires many years of intensive practice, consists of figure skating and speed skating. Figure skating is a highly technical and demanding form of body control. The skater must master a large number of school figures (including turns, brackets, rockers, and loops) based on a figure eight, and must develop striking routines of individual free skating (including jumps, spins, spirals, and free movements performed to music). In competition, school figures account for 60% of the skater's score and free skating for 40%. Speed skating takes place over distances from as little as 50 yd (46 m) to as much as 5 mi (8 km). In the United States, skaters generally race against each other directly whereas in European and Olympic events they race against the clock, 2 at a time. Good speed skaters can average 20 mph (32 kmph) or more. Ice skating dates back at least as far as the 8th century and attained its first national popularity in the Netherlands in the 15th century. Metal blades first appeared in the 16th century. The first U.S. skating club was formed in Philadelphia in 1849, but it is only in the present century that skating has become a major North American sport.