The Fun of Ice Skating

Ice Skating is usually played by moving on ice by using ice skates. It is organised both on specially prepared ice surfaces like arenas, tracks, parks etc or on naturally frozen water bodies, such as ponds, lakes and rivers. A study reflects that the trace of earliest ice skating is found in southern Finland, that was supposed to be played more than 3,000 years ago.

At that time the skates used were sharpened and flattened bone strapped towards the bottom of the foot. Edges that were made of steel were added to ice skates with sharpened edges to aid movement, by the Dutch in the 13th or 14th century. It is said that Ice skating was brought to Britain from the Netherlands, where James II was exiled in the 17th century. Gradually Ice Skating took the form of an organised sport.

A skate can slide over ice because there is a layer of ice molecules at the surface that are not as tightly bound as the molecules of the mass of ice beneath. These molecules are in a semi liquid form and provide lubrication. Skating depends on the roughness of the ice as well as on the design of the ice skate and the skill of the player. It has some drawbacks and can cause major injury, thus it is advised to play under guidance of an expert. 

By: Anita Aishvarya

Content: en.wikipedia.org