Figure skating - features of the sport. Interesting facts about figure skating Interesting facts about figure skating

The dream of inventing skates appeared to mankind a very long time ago - back in the days of the First World War. ice age. It happened like this: one fine day our distant ancestor came out of the cave and discovered that the river flowing nearby had suddenly become solid. It turned out to be impossible to swim on it, walking was slippery... What should I do?

Bamboo and bones

And there were craftsmen who made something similar to skates from animal bones! Half a century ago, such bone skates were found near Odessa, and it turned out that they were... more than three thousand years old! In Siberia, local inventors used walrus tusks to make skates, and the Chinese (since they did not have walruses) tried to skate on ice on bamboo skates, pushing off the ice with bamboo sticks.

Only in the 17th century did they learn to cover wooden skates with iron, and closer to the 18th century - to make them entirely from metal. Anyone who wanted to learn how to skate on ice drew the shape of skates on paper and took this drawing to the blacksmith. He set a price and after some time delivered the finished product. That is why the skates turned out different. Some have a dashingly twisted toe, some just a slightly curved one, and some snobs ordered skates with decorations like those on the bows of ships. Quite often among such decorations there was a horse’s head. Therefore, there is an opinion that the name skates came from this horse’s head.

Peter's fun

When Peter I arrived in Europe in 1698, he saw something unimaginable: Europeans came out together to skate. Peter I, not at all ashamed of his royal origin, immediately demanded skates for himself and joined the fun of the Europeans. But after riding a little, he noticed that some things in the new fun could be improved. In particular, Europeans tied the blades of skates with ropes to their boots or boots and, having skated, took them off. But Peter decided that it was much more convenient to screw the blades tightly to the soles.

It was good for Peter, he is a king, he had spare shoes, probably the whole palace was full. I took some extra boots, screwed blades on them, took them for a ride and left them in the corner until next winter. And the poor Europeans, who wore the same shoes all year round, continued to tie their skates with strings. There is nothing to say about the Russian peasants - no matter how hard they tried to attach skates to their bast shoes, nothing worked for them.

But the Moscow nobility of Peter the Great’s time appreciated the skates and enjoyed skating on them. Some even left funny memories about this: “The Muscovites worked hard to learn to skate, and they repeatedly fell and were seriously hurt. And since they, through carelessness, sometimes skated on thin ice, some of them fell neck-deep into the water. Meanwhile, they tolerated the cold well and therefore were in no hurry to put on a dry dress, but continued to ride for some time in a wet one. Then we changed into dry clothes and went for a ride again. They did this so zealously that they made progress, and some of them could skate perfectly..."

True, historians have doubts about this: weren’t the Muscovites, in this way, sucking up to the tsar? Most likely, this was the case. After all, as soon as Peter I went to another world, his skates gradually began to be forgotten.

Not for fear, but for money

Another thing is Europe. There, the Scots opened the world's first skating club back in 1604 and even organized competitions: who could run the distance the fastest, simultaneously jumping over three hats and picking up a coin from the ice as they went. The winner could keep the coin for himself, and therefore the Scots very diligently, so to speak, not out of fear, but for money, learned to skate.

In 1888, the Norwegians came up with the idea of ​​​​making thin blades - this is how professional racing skates were born. But the first world champion in speed skating was not a Norwegian, but a Russian athlete, Alexander Panshin. He also opened the first skating club in St. Petersburg in 1864.

"Snow Maidens"

In the 19th century, skates developed very rapidly - new models appeared every day: tubular, tubular, but with a blade inserted into the tube, consisting of two separately attached parts, and others. The prototype of the modern figure skate was invented by American figure skater Jackson Gaines. It was he who ordered the craftsmen a thin blade without any tubes, straight and with a steeply curved end, and in these skates he even performed in front of their imperial majesties. This is how an eyewitness describes his performance: “On Sunday, February 7 (1865) at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the American speed skater Jackson Gaines showed his amazing art in the garden of the Tauride Palace in the presence of His Majesty the Sovereign Emperor.. (and others). ...His Highnesses and the members of the Imperial Family signaled for applause several times, in a scene in which Gaines very naturally portrays the predicament of a novice speed skater. After the exercises, Mr. Gaines had the honor of showing and explaining to the August family the skates he had invented according to the new system and earned them the most flattering praise.”

If you look at any New Year's card, where, say, the Snow Maiden is skating, you will see that she is wearing Gaines skates. In our country they even got this name - “snow maidens”.

Further, the development of skates followed a well-trodden path. Special skates for figure skating appeared, with teeth in the front; a variety of hockey skates - European and “Canadian”; running and even ice dancing skates (these ones have the thinnest blades). And to avoid boredom in the summer, roller skates were invented, and now you can skate all year round!

Figure skating is one of the most beautiful sports. It presents a lot of difficulties and patience. It is necessary to move on the ice and at the same time perform all kinds of movements. A person can change his location as his heart desires. Also performing all sorts of complex elements.

Skating can be either single or pair. In singles, a woman or a man skates alone, that is, without a partner. And in pair skating, a man and a woman dance together. Moreover, the guy must lead the girl.

When did figure skating begin?

In the field of sports, skating began its development back in the 19th century. The territory of this wonderful sport is Holland. It was a long time ago.

As for all kinds of competitions, they date back to 1891. Performances were held in both pairs and singles. Since that time, a variety of schools began to form where this sport was taught. All students educational institution, without fail, had to perform movements, otherwise they were called figures. Free skating was also in demand. It included a variety of figures that young athletes tried to perform. All this took place before the main competition. Athletes were allowed to introduce their own innovations into the program.

There is another variety of the described sport. This is sports dancing. Very beautiful and smooth movements, students study with early childhood. Several people can participate in such dances.

When did figure skating appear in Russia?

The whole history related to figure skating, relating to Russia, began from the era of the Tsar. According to some facts, it is known that when he returned to Russia from European countries, he brought skates with him.

Today, skates are known practically throughout the world. As a sport, skating appeared in Russia in the mid-19th century. That's when the very first skating rink was opened.

At first glance, it seems that it is so easy and simple, you just have to learn how to skate. But when a person stands on the ice, all lightness disappears. After all, in addition to just being able to skate, you need to feel very confident on the ice, and also perform various dance elements at the same time. Which is not very easy. A lot of work is put into this business. And it’s difficult to learn figure skating without breaking an arm or leg. But there are exceptions.

Figure skating is one of the most impressive, challenging, and widespread winter sports. Every year all kinds of competitions are held, both in pairs and singles. Significant awards are presented.

But in order to engage in this sport and achieve high achievements, you need to choose for yourself exactly such a difficult and at the same time, unusual life - the life of an athlete.

The very first shoes for figure skaters appeared near the city of Odessa. It was made from horse hooves. However, it was not possible to ride on such shoes. After all, to make professional skates it was necessary to use iron.

In general, it is believed that figure skating as a sporting activity originated in Holland. After all, it was there that the first boots with an iron blade appeared. Thanks to this, it began to develop at a fairly rapid pace. Figure skaters were considered those athletes who could perform incredibly beautiful tricks on ice.

Interestingly, the very first rules regarding figure skating were created in England. The first clubs for speed skaters and the first professional elements appeared there.

The best athletes from different countries Europe. The hosts then deservedly won. Since then, many countries around the world have tried to do everything possible to develop the sport of skating.

There are many sports schools, where the craft was taught by real professionals in their field.

US representative Jackson Heinz left a big mark on figure skating. He has gained fans all over the world. And experts studying the history of figure skating unanimously recognized him as the legislator of the current sport. This is an athlete and is now a legend.

The first competition lasted three days. 8 athletes competed for victory in singles, pairs and ice dancing.

In general, figure skating is not only beautiful, but also complex look sports activities. In order to be called a professional, an athlete must work from an early age.

Buying skates is important, but not the most important thing. You also need to take care of comfortable clothing and details that protect some parts of the body from damage. In addition, it is very important to responsibly approach the choice of a specialist to whom you can entrust your child.

However, even this is not enough to achieve good results. Perseverance in figure skating, as in any other sport, plays a very important role.

Figure skating pretty ancient look sport with its own history.

That is why there are many interesting and unknown facts that will certainly surprise fans. For example, the famous Russian figure skater Alexei Yagudin, who is a multiple champion of Europe, the world and the Olympic Games, was unable to win the championship in his native country.

It is also interesting that earlier, in addition to commenting on the progress of the competition, announcers talked about the athletes’ costumes. And small skirts were in fashion among figure skaters at the very beginning of the development of this sport.

In general, figure skating is a wonderful sporting activity.

It is very popular among both adults and children. Nowadays you can meet many people of different ages at skating rinks. Some go there for pleasure, others for health, and some do it professionally. Such people can be considered real heroes. After all, they spend an insane amount of time at skating rinks and in gyms. And all this in order to achieve positive results.

Ice skating is a great way to build willpower., gain a great figure and, of course, achieve serious sporting results. After all, those who do it for real, without sparing themselves, become not only a first-class athlete, but also a wonderful person who leads the right lifestyle and can determine its basic values. That is why, if a child shows an interest in skating at an early age, you should not hesitate to send him to the skating rink.

At the end of the 17th century, the Russian carpenter Pyotr Mikhailov came to Holland. He tried to be no different from other masters. He led a very ordinary life - he studied shipbuilding, went to buy supplies for lunch, and in the absence of the hostess, he cooked the food himself. In his free time, he enjoyed skating on ice. At that time, skates were tied to boots with straps each time. The carpenter quickly got tired of this boring task, and he simply nailed the skates tightly to the soles.

Soon curious people began to gather around the carpenter, but not because of his invention - few people paid attention to the skates.

The Dutch, who were in Russia on trade business, “identified” the Russian Tsar Peter I in the carpenter and told about it. Here is the entry left in his diary by the inquisitive Dutchman Jacob Nomen, a character in A. N. Tolstoy’s novel “Peter the Great”: “The Tsar managed to live incognito for no more than a week; some who were in Muscovy recognized his face. The rumor about this soon spread throughout our fatherland. On the Amsterdam stock exchange people bet big money and bet whether this was really the great king or just one of his ambassadors.”

More than 150 years have passed, and the American Jackson Heine, who is considered the father of modern figure skating, came to St. Petersburg. He came up with a new skate blade and attached it firmly to the boot. But when he began to advertise his invention, he was saddened to learn that it was not new at all and Peter I should still be considered the real inventor.

Vintage Japanese and European skates.

How old are the skates? No one, unfortunately, will answer this question. One can only assume that they first appeared where there was a lot of smooth ice, while skis appeared in places where there was a lot of snow. One thing is known: already several thousand years ago, our ancestors were fond of skating, made from the ribs or tubular bones of large animals. Typically, the bone was sawed lengthwise, polished, and several holes were drilled to tie it to shoes. This is confirmed by archaeological excavations. The British Museum houses skates that were used several thousand years ago. For a long time they were considered the most ancient, and England and the Scandinavian countries were considered the birthplace of skates. But recently, perhaps the most ancient skates on Earth were found in Kazakhstan. They belong to the Bronze Age. These are carefully polished bones of some animal. There are holes in the toe and end of the skate for fastening.

Ice skating rink of the 18th century.

As time passed, the shape of the skates, the method of fastening, and the material from which they were made changed. IN XVII-XVIII centuries The skates were made of wood and lined with iron on the bottom and front.

And why, strictly speaking, “skates”? Where does this name come from? “Skates” is a purely Russian word. It was formed from the word “horse” - the front part of the skates was often decorated with the head of a horse. So the name of the object came from its decoration - small horses carrying us forward. By the way, the word “horse” has another meaning. Horse or prince, horse, prince - the top edge, the ridge of the roof. In Russian buildings, the top of the ridge was covered with a thick hollowed out log for greater strength. It was called “okhlupen”, and its end facing the façade was carved in the shape of a horse or a warbird.

Nowadays, with the light hand of Peter I, skates are tightly attached to shoes. Figured ones - with the help of screws, and hockey and running ones - with the help of rivets.

There are many types of skates. For those who are just getting started with this sport, “snow maidens” are suitable - they are stable. If you love speed, you need lightweight skates with a long thin blade - racing skates. Hockey players use two types of skates: for Russian hockey and ice hockey. The former have slightly shorter blades than the running blades, while the latter have slightly curved blades. This is no coincidence: during intense, high-speed play, these skates are easier to maneuver on the ice. Skaters have special skates with teeth on the front and the blade is sharpened with a groove.

But no matter how comfortable the skates are, they can fail if the ice turns out to be bad. Those who make ice at large skating rinks are called ice makers. Making good ice is both a science and an art. This is how, for example, they fill a treadmill. This is usually done at night, when the frost is stronger.

The pouring machine goes through the first circle, then stops to form an ice crust. Then we hit the road again, but it’s not close. To get a 20-centimeter layer of ice, the car needs to drive in a circle 800 times - 320 kilometers!

For a hockey field, ice is prepared differently: first, the field is covered with snow and then rolled. And only after that they pour water. Among other things, the ice is “cut” - planed, polished, and filled with hot and cold water. It all depends on the skill and experience of the ice makers. After all, it is necessary to take into account the condition of the ice, the air temperature, the presence of precipitation, and much more.

The work of ice makers was greatly facilitated by the advent of refrigeration equipment. The first skating rink from artificial ice was built in 1876 by the Chelsea refrigeration plant in the USA. By the end of the century, Paris, London and other cities around the world acquired ice arenas.

But there are skates that you can skate on without thinking about the condition of the ice. Because it is not needed at all. But you need special skates - roller skates. By the way, they are not as young as they seem. They are over 200 years old. The story of their demonstration to the public is both funny and sad. Invented roller skates master musical instruments. He lived in London. To attract attention to his invention, he once drove them into a magnificent masquerade ball, playing the violin, but was unable to brake in time. As a result... the violin is broken, a huge mirror is broken, and the inventor himself is seriously cut.

There are sometimes strange turns in the history of inventions. It would seem that after such a “premiere” the reputation of roller skates was forever undermined. But a short board with wheels, which is attached to shoes with a strap, began to conquer the world. Since the middle of the last century, halls and paved areas for roller skating have been built in Europe and America. Russia is not lagging behind Europe either. However, at first, “roller skaters” appear only at fairgrounds and perform in variety revues. But then athletes, then ballet dancers, got on new skates. Well, how could the ubiquitous boys get behind them, especially if they are “in business”?

Roller skates from the 19th century.

Newsboys rushed along the streets of American cities on roller skates; letter carriers and couriers, often people of advanced age, quickly mastered the innovation. In many countries, airport employees, weavers when servicing machines, workers in large assembly shops, and tour guides in museums began to spend most of their working day on roller skates. If you manage to visit the Louvre, they may offer you such skates.

Modern roller skates.

Very soon it turned out that roller skating was not only pleasant, but also useful. It promotes the development of coordination and improves the vestibular apparatus. Almost everyone can use rollers, and age has absolutely nothing to do with it. To ride them while maintaining balance, you do not need any special training.

But the videos are not as harmless as they seem at first glance. For example, in 1978, the year of the roller skating boom in America, 93 thousand young men and women ended up in hospitals with broken arms and legs. And this is thanks to the so far simple videos, on which no special means were used to increase speed. And there are many such funds. Here are just a few of them.

1906 France. Motorized roller skates have been tested in a Parisian park. Each horse had its own miniature single-cylinder gasoline engine with a gas tank and battery.

1915 USA. Wheeled skates have been invented that move with the help of a small electric motor, and the battery is attached to a wide belt.

1980 Germany. Motorized skates have been improved, their motor has become more miniature, and control is carried out using a special drive.

1983 France. A young man is skating along the asphalt on roller skates. He has a fan in his hands. The traction force is such that it carries a person forward.

Relatively recently in America, roller skates turned into a “board on wheels.” Riding it requires great courage and dexterity. Maybe that's why she quickly gained popularity among young people all over the world? Competitions are already being held in the new sport; on sidewalks and asphalt areas you can often see children deftly balancing on rapidly moving boards on wheels - skateboards...

Do you know?

Skates! For Russia, as well as for the whole of Europe, this word has a special, almost sacred meaning. Rich and poor, young and old, boys and girls enjoy skating with equal pleasure, and every Russian schoolchild knows that “a coward does not play hockey.” But, despite the wild popularity of skates in our country, almost no one knows the history of their appearance.

BONE HUMPS

If you believe archaeologists, then skates are almost the same age as a stone ax! Really, archaeological excavations confirm that the runners of ancient skates were made from animal bones in ancient times. At the same time, the number and area of ​​discovery of finds allows us to talk about the craze of the ancient population of Eurasia for ice skating! Bone skates have been found in the Netherlands, Denmark, Bavaria, Switzerland, England, Norway, Sweden and Russia. It’s interesting that sometimes you can tell by the design of the skates in what area they were found. Thus, in Siberia, skates made from walrus tusks were especially popular, in China - from bamboo stems, and in Kazakhstan, even from horse bones. One of the most impressive collections of ancient skates is now on display in the British Museum. Here, for example, you can see skates that were used more than 2,000 years ago!

And the oldest of all the skates discovered by archaeologists were found not far from... Odessa. According to historians, these bone skates belonged to the Cimmerians who inhabited the Northern Black Sea region 3,200 years ago. True, scientists attribute the first use of skates to the Bronze Age and even the Stone Age. And the most amazing thing is that even then the skates had almost the same structure as today.

Ancient people took an animal bone, ground it down on one side, and made a hole on the other for attaching shoes. True, practical skates were something between short skis and skates themselves. Their blade was longer than a modern one, but shorter than a ski, and when riding they still had to push off the ice with sticks.

RUSSIANS - THE MOST ANCIENT

Today it has been proven that skates appeared in northern Russia much earlier than in Scandinavia. Excavations of the ancient settlements of Staraya Ladoga, Pskov and Veliky Novgorod eloquently testify to the presence of skates among the local population more than 3,000 years ago. But, as often happens, the Russian invention officially came to Russia from the West.

The first literary mention of skates belongs to a Canterbury monk. In 1174, in the Chronicle of the Noble City of London, he wrote:

“When the large swamp that borders the city rampart at Moorfield to the north freezes over, whole groups of young people go there to play ice sports. 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... »

Bone blades attached to wooden boots were used for a long time along with iron runners. In some places, bone skates could be found until the end of the 19th century! Norway and Iceland have proven to be particularly stubborn on this issue.

Although in the north of Russia skates have been used for centuries, the first official speed skater of our country was Peter I. Returning from Holland, he ordered ceremonial skating to be organized and even invented skates where the blade would not be separated from the boot, as was the case before. Since then, the shape of the blade and the material of the boot have changed many times, but the essence of the skates has remained the same.

In the second half of the 19th century, speed skating unexpectedly became one of the most popular sports in the world, especially in Canada, Norway, Sweden and Russia - countries where winter lasts almost six months. Literally all segments of the population, from aristocrats to the urban poor, took to skating. In our country, the first skating club was opened in St. Petersburg in 1864. The skates themselves, with all-metal curved blades, were manufactured in the arms capital of Russia - Tula.

The first organization of speed skaters in Russia had an unusual and fun name - “The Rusty Horse Society.” However, the humor was only in the name. Only a member of the society who was a hereditary aristocrat who provided serious recommendations from members of the “Rusty Horse” could get into the skating rink. Newspapers of those years even wrote: “The best families of high-ranking officials boldly sent their children to the Society’s skating rink.”

TEXTBOOK IN VERSE

Of course, such an ancient and popular sport could not do without a set of rules. The first such book was published in England in 1772. Today it is priceless - only three copies have survived. In addition to the rules of behavior at the skating rink, the tome contains practical recommendations for beginning speed skaters and figure skaters. The next skating textbook was published in Germany and became famous only for the fact that it was written in poetry. And in 1823, English artillery lieutenant Robert Jones wrote a book about skating, the title of which consisted of 24 words: “The art of skating, based on certain principles, drawn from long experience, by which these noble, healthy and enjoyable exercises have been brought to an art.” "

CLASSICS ON ICE

Many references to skating can be found in the classics of Russian literature - Pushkin, Tolstoy, Kuprin. In Europe, Wolfgang Goethe himself is considered to be the main singer of speed skating. Great poet, talking with fellow writers, more than once compared the graceful rhymes of poems with the pirouettes of figure skating. Walter Scott, the unsurpassed author of medieval novels, was so fascinated by ice skating that he initiated the first figure skating competitions. Even the famous mathematician Sofya Kovalevskaya, a professor at the Royal University in Stockholm, was seen every day at the skating rink in winter! And ladies owe the appearance of short, flirty skirts among figure skaters to Princess Mary of England. The lady got tired of picking up her dress while skating and cut it off at the knee.

MASTER OF TUMPLERS

Figure skating itself appeared thanks to the American Jackson Haynes. He became the first man to win the American Championship in 1864. But he became famous not for his record, but for the fact that he was the first to include dance and ballet movements in his performance. Later, at performances in Vienna, the audience gave Haynes a standing ovation, sincerely wondering how it was possible to do such somersaults on the ice. Haynes himself died at age 35 from tuberculosis, but a figure skating school was established in Vienna, which continued to develop his style of ice dancing. On its basis, the International Skating Union was born, which still exists today.

ACCOUNTANT AND SKATES

Among the domestic speed skaters of past centuries, it is worth highlighting Nikolai Aleksandrovich Panin-Kolomenkin. The fact is that university professors at the beginning of the 20th century for some reason did not favor sports in general and skating in particular. In this regard, economics student Kolomenkin visited the skating rink and competitions under the pseudonym Panin. When the young man grew up, he was hired as an inspector for the Tsarskoye Selo district, but in order not to spoil relations with his superiors, he continued to skate under a pseudonym. Nikolai Kolomenkin was most amused when his patrons discussed articles in newspapers about the outstanding successes of the five-time Russian figure skating champion Nikolai Panin, without even knowing who he really was. Incognito was revealed after Nikolai won Olympic Games 1908. As a result, Nikolai was forced to leave sports for a career as a financier.