Speed skating

Speed skating is a competitive sport in which participants on ice skates race against each other on an oval track. Speed skating is the fastest non-assisted human sport in the world, with athletes reaching speeds of about 37 miles per hour (60 kilometers per hour). In long-track speed skating, participants compete at various distances, racing two at a time in a timed competition. The skater with the fastest time at the end of the race is declared the winner. Short-track speed skating is held on a smaller oval and features packs of racers competing directly against one another, similar to track-and-field events.

Origins and History

The oldest known skates were constructed from the leg bones of an animal about five thousand years ago in Switzerland. Bone skates tied to animal skin boots were used as a means of transportation for centuries in the regions of the modern-day Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Finland, and Sweden. Recreational skating became more popular in the fourteenth century, when the Dutch invented wooden skates with flat, iron runners. Skaters would propel themselves forward with poles similar to ski poles. By the early sixteenth century, the Dutch modified the skate to include a double-edged iron blade, allowing skaters to push with their feet rather than poles.

The new technology made skating more accessible and led to the early development of competitive events such as figure skating and speed skating. Skating sports soon spread from the Netherlands and Scandinavia across other parts of northern Europe. The first skating club—the Skating Club of Edinburgh—was founded in Scotland in 1642 and led to the establishment of several other organizations. The oldest speed skating competition on record was a 15-mile (24-kilometer) race through the frozen marshland of eastern England in 1763.

The first skating club in the United States was established in 1849 in Philadelphia. A year later, E.W. Bushnell from Philadelphia invented the first all-steel skates. The stronger material allowed skaters to reach faster speeds and did not require constant sharpening as did iron blades. Bolstered by the innovation, speed skating experienced a rapid growth in popularity. The first long-track speed skating competitions were organized in Norway in 1863. The Netherlands hosted the first world championships in 1889. Skaters competed in four events—the 500 meters, 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters, and 10,000 meters. With the number of competitive skating events growing, the International Skating Union (ISU) was founded in 1892 to oversee international competition.

Long-track speed skating competitions were held on larger, outdoor tracks. In the United States and Canada, larger tracks were less common, forcing speed skaters to practice on smaller skating rinks. To compete on the smaller tracks, North American skaters developed a new style of speed skating tailored to sharper turns and shorter straightaways. Short-track speed skating originated around 1905, and four years later, the first known competition took place. By the 1930s, short-track speed skating competitions were drawing large crowds in New York City's famed Madison Square Garden.

Rules and Regulations

In long-track speed skating, athletes compete on a 400-meter oval track. In international competition, such as the Olympics, individual events range from 500 meters to 10,000 meters. Two competitors race at a time; one skater is assigned the inner lane of the oval and the other gets the outer lane. The skaters set themselves at the start line and must keep their skates completely behind the line. An official informs the skater to be "ready" for the start, and after a short interval, fires a starting shot. If a skater takes a starting position before being given the "ready," or starts the race before the shot, it is declared a false start. The offending skater is given a warning; a second false start results in a disqualification.

Although skaters race two at a time, they are not competing directly against each other. In international competition, an automatic timekeeper measures the skaters' times down to a hundredth of a second. The timer starts when the skater leaves the starting line and stops when he or she crosses the finish line. In most events, skaters compete in one round per distance and the winner is the athlete with the fastest time. In the 500-meter event, each skater races once on the inside lane and once on the outside lane. The times of the two races are combined to determine the winner.

Because the inside lane of an oval is a shorter distance, skaters must change lanes at least once in races longer than 500 meters. The change is accomplished at a crossover area on the backstretch of the oval, opposite the finish line. The skater switching from the outer to the inner lane is given the right of way. If a skater leaves the lane boundaries for any reason, he or she is disqualified. If the skater on the inside lane interferes with the skater on the outside, he or she will also be disqualified. The skater who was interfered with will be allowed to start the race over.

In team pursuit races, teams of three skaters compete against each other in a series of eight laps for men and six for women. A team wins when all three of its skaters complete the required number of laps ahead of the other team. Races are single elimination with the winner advancing to the next race. The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, will add a mass start event in which a maximum field of twenty-four skaters will compete in a sixteen-lap race.

Short-track speed skating is held on a 111-meter (365-foot) oval. Starting rules are similar to long track, but in short track, a group of skaters competes directly against one another, racing together in a pack formation. Olympic events range from 500-meter to 5,000-meter races for men and 500-meter to 3,000-meter events for women.

In 500-meter and 1,000-meter events, four skaters compete in each round with the top two finishers moving on to the next round. In events 1,500 meters or longer, six to eight skaters compete per round with the top three moving forward. The winner of the event is the skater who finishes first in the final round. With skaters in closer proximity to one another, some contact is acceptable; however, kicking, impeding, or assisting another skater will result in a disqualification.

Strategy and Tactics

Modern speed skating blades are made of high-tempered carbon steel and vary between 40 to 48 centimeters (16 to 19 inches) long. The blades are about 1.1 millimeters (.04 inches) thick and sharpened to a 90-degree angle to allow skaters to create a more efficient push. In long-track speed skating, the blades are fixed to the center of the boot. In short track, the boots are sturdier and the blade is offset slightly to the left to allow skaters to lean in and handle the sharp corners. In 1998, the clap skate was introduced to Olympic competition. The blade of a clap skate is attached to the front of the boot by a spring and hinge. This allows the skate to maintain contact with the ice longer, resulting in faster speeds.

Both long- and short-track skaters wear skintight racing suits to minimize air resistance. Short-track skaters wear helmets and knee and elbow pads. In both forms of speed skating, skaters bend their knees as close to 90 degrees as possible and try to keep a low center of gravity. Modern racers use a stride of about 16 to 20 feet (5 to 6 meters) to generate a push down the ice.

Professional Leagues and Series

In 1924, long-track speed skating was one of nine sports at the inaugural Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix, France. It is one of six events to have appeared in every subsequent Winter Olympics. Charles Jewtraw of the United States won the first Olympic speed skating gold medal in the 500-meter event. Clas Thunberg of Finland won five total medals, including three golds.

The first seven Winter Olympics featured only men's events. Women's speed skating was added in 1960. In 1980, Eric Heiden of the United States won all five of the men's events, a record for most gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. Lidiya Skoblikova of the former Soviet Union won six golds over the course of the 1960 and 1964 games. Short-track events were added to the Olympic Games in 1992. As of 2017, Viktor Ahn has won the most short-track gold medals among men with six. He won three in 2006 competing for his native South Korea. He later became a Russian citizen and won three more in 2014. Wang Meng of China also has six on the women's side.

In addition to the Olympic Games, the International Skating Union also holds the World Speed Skating Championships. The event is held each year in both short- and long-track events and features men's, women's, and junior competitions. The ISU also sponsors the Speed Skating World Cup, an annual series of races in both long- and short-track formats.

Popularity

The Netherlands has been the most successful nation in Olympic competition, winning more than one hundred medals since 1924. Other Olympic speed skating powers include Norway, the United States, and the Soviet Union/Russia. While the sport gains a worldwide audience during the Olympic Games, in the Netherlands, speed skating is immensely popular. The nation has eight professional speed skating clubs and considers its Olympic speed skating champions as national heroes.

Bibliography

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Grassie, Julia. "Speed Skating 101: Rules." NBC Olympics, 4 Apr. 2017, www.nbcolympics.com/news/speed-skating-101-rules. Accessed 9 Oct. 2017.

Gustaitis, Joseph. Speed Skating. Crabtree Publishing, 2010.

"History." Olympic.org, www.olympic.org/short-track-speed-skating-equipment-and-history. Accessed 10 Oct. 2017.

"Short Track History." Speed Skating Canada, www.speedskating.ca/about/speed-skating-the-sport/short-track-history. Accessed 9 Oct. 2017.

"Special Regulations & Technical Rules." International Skating Union, June 2016, www.isu.org/inside-short-track-speed-skating/short-track-skating-rules/regulations-rules-st/file. Accessed 10 Oct. 2017.

"Speed Skating." International Skating Union, www.isu.org/speed-skating. Accessed 9 Oct. 2017.

Voeten, Erik. "The Political Economy of Dutch Speed Skating Success." Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2014/02/13/the-political-economy-of-dutch-speed-skating-success/?utm‗term=.8b12ec47d125. Accessed 10 Oct. 2017.