Learning Ice Skating

Learning to ice skate takes a little time but once one gets the hang of it, it can be an enjoyable pastime.

According to Wikipedia; a study done by Federico Formenti of the University of Oxford suggests that Ice Skating first took place in southern Finland more 3000 years ago. Ice skates back then were sharpened, flattened bone tied to the bottom of people's feet. People didn't really skate in those days; they glided on top of the ice.

Skating as we know it today started when a steel blade with sharpened edges came into use. Skates now cut into the ice; we no longer glide on top of the ice.

In the 13th or 14th century the Dutch added edges to ice skates which they made from steel. Since that time the making of modern ice skates has basically stayed the same.

Ice skating seems to be popular in many parts of the world nowadays.

Sports such as Figure skating and Ice hockey amongst others are well known activities that ice skaters partake in. My main interest in ice skating was to learn the basics so as to enjoy it as a recreational pastime.

In my youth I spent a many a school holiday going to the local ice skating rink to learn, and then enjoy, ice skating. We had an ice skating rink near the beach of all places.

Initially I went to the ice rink with friends and family, but as I became more familiar with skating I started going there on my own. I don't live in a country where you can go out onto the local lake and enjoy ice skating; we do however get snow in certain parts of the country, especially in the mountainous areas during winter.

At first I hired skates and muddled my way about on the ice rink holding onto family and friends as I gradually learnt how to stand on my own two feet on the ice rink. No doubt I fell a lot and held onto the sides of the rink while learning. One day while skating I managed not to fall too much, and from then on my ability to skate improved.

Having started going to the ice rink on my own for a while, I enjoyed it so much that I bought a second hand pair of ice-hockey skates. My intention wasn't to take part in ice-hockey, and I never did; I bought ice-hockey skates because they were known to be good for skating.

The ice rink employees played a lot of the Beatles music while we, the patrons, skated round and round, sometimes trying to learn skating backwards as well. The thing about skating is that you can generally go as fast or slow as you like; sometimes moving at a medium pace around the rink can be relaxing.

I went so often during the holidays that at some point I started taking part in the speed skating sessions, where they would invite those who wanted to; to skate as fast as possible. Normally a small group of mostly males would take part in this and attempt to be the fastest skater. I don't remember ever winning this, but liked it nevertheless.

Ice skating is a great way to pass the time, it's good exercise and helps one with balance. Unfortunately I haven't done much skating since then, but wouldn't mind visiting a rink again. A number of movies we've all seen have an ice skating theme; often they highlight famous couples who compete in this activity.

There’s a lot more to Ice Skating, I’ve just touched on the basics, and my own experience of it, here. Perhaps it’s something you are passionate about and you’ve advanced in it as a sport?