Racing across the ice, rotating several rotations in the air, spinning at dizzying speeds, all just to please some judges. This may be the sport of figure skating, but that isn't all it has been…
Although now you may think of skating as just fancy intricate movements, it was originally used as a means of transportation. From as early as 3000 BC, scientists have discovered carved objects made from the bones of elk, caribou, and other primitive animals in Scandinavian countries. These bones very much resembled blades and were found to have been attached to footwear using leather straps, creating what we now call skates. In the icy Netherlands, the waterways linking towns often froze for lengthy periods of time, hence, skating evolved to become an efficient way of transportation for townsfolk.
Centuries of skating as only a way of transportation passed, and people started to find enjoyment in the sport. New York Central Park - iconic till this day - played a major role in the popularization of ice skating as a form of entertainment. It was only on the square of frozen water did social class and gender play no barrier of separation; everyone skated together.
Aside from being done for fun, ice skating was also seen as a romantic activity during the late 20th century. The characteristic of often slipping or being unstable on the ice, made it the most suitable activity for young women to depend on a gentleman for support, of which he typically happily gave. Oh, to ‘accidentally’ slip and be caught by the arms of a nearby gentleman, it was a popular activity for many. Being one of the only activities unmarried singles could do with the opposite gender unchaperoned, “many a young fellow lost his heart, and skated himself into matrimony, on the Central Park Pond”.
However, women definitely did not participate merely to act as eye candy. The liberating movements ice skating allowed, offered many women a freeing escape from the stifling ballroom. On the ice, women were no longer pretty objects dressed in restricting clothing; they were strong and powerful and in charge. Talented female skaters found high enjoyment in the activity and excelled in it.
As social norms eventually evolved, so did figure skating. Becoming a recognized and respectable sport of its own, competitions with rules and elements developed; several iconic skaters invented the six jumps used in competition to this day. In 1908, figure skating first appeared in the Summer Olympics, of which it was then transferred to the first Winter Olympics, held in 1924. It was the only Winter Olympic sport with a women's category, up until 1936, allowing women of that time to compete for the first time, alongside men.
From being used to commute across icy rivers, to becoming one of the most respectable and complicated competitive sports, figure skating has come a long way. Its growing popularity has good reason too; aside from being an excellent cardio and muscle training exercise, it's fun! So, this weekend, find some time to head to the nearest ice rink, and glide your heart away.
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