Invention of Figure Skating

Non-Traditional Sports

Traditional Sports are not only well known, but often very commonly participated in. Unlike traditional sports, non-traditional sports are not as recognizable. Non-traditional sports usually have six or less players, don’t always have opposing teams, and in most cases are more expensive due to pricy equipment. Traditional sports are not as expensive and can normally have unlimited players with two competitive teams. Some examples of traditional sports are football and baseball. Non-traditional sports however are often more costly; these sports have very specific and pricy equipment like bowling shoes or guns and ammo. Though they do vary in how many people can play the game; all of them customarily have less than or exactly six players. Some non-traditional sports are: golfing, bowling, curling, shooting or archery, and fencing. No matter the differences between traditional and non-traditional sports they are all still very much enjoyed by the masses.

One non-traditional sport I enjoy is ice skating. In my old home town there would be large amounts of snow during the winter, so the sport of choice for me naturally was ice skating.  Winter sports were made so people could still be active during the long months indoors. Ice skating originated from the Dutch, during the 13th century. They would use it to transport messages quicker from one village to another; messengers would skate along systems of trails connecting villages together. When ice skating finally made it across the English Channel the English clubs began by using it for entertainment in artificial rinks. Some avid skaters of the time were Marie Antoinette, Napoleon III, and writer Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe. Ice skating was revolutionized in 1850 when Edward Bushnell from Philadelphia advanced the skates by installing sharp steel blades. The person who gave ice skating its artistic graceful side was Jackson Haines. Living in Vienna he worked and performed with the ballet companies. With this background he was able to give the dancing quality to figure skating that it is known for.  

Though rules for figure skating vary depending on what program the skater is competing in they all follow a similar pattern of criteria. Some of these programs include solo or singles dances, pair skating, and ice dance skating. The pair and solo events include a short and long skating parts to the competition. Short programs consist of required routines, were the performers have to accomplish certain jumps, spins, steps, and combinations. The long program however is a free style dance and judged more on creativity. Ice Dance is similar to pairs except it does not require any flips or jumps. Music is either chosen by the performer or, it has to have a required tempo and rhythm. U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body in charge or the rules and regulations of this sport. The skaters are scored by a panel of seven randomly picked judges out of nine. Whoever receives the highest overall score is the winner of the competition.

Ice skating is a beautiful graceful sport that has many benefits that come from participating in this sport. Ice skating is a form of exercise that strengthens joint flexibility, tones and builds leg muscles,  and increases the skater’s stamina. Skating improves one's ability to balance and coordination. Overall, this sport is a great form of exercise that is incredibly enjoyable. The only thing I would change with this sport is to increase its availability to the public. Indoor ice rinks during the summer and outdoor rinks in the winter are a great way to serve a community.

This fantastic non-traditional sport has allowed people for centuries to enjoy exercise in the winter. Inventions throughout time altered the sport to what it is nowadays. Figure Skating is a graceful form of dance which benefits ones strength and agility. It is easy to enjoy this sport.