History of Figure Skating

The history of figure skating stretches back to prehistoric times, when archaeological evidence of the activity has been found. Figure skating is one branch of ice skating, which has divided itself into several separate sports since its prehistoric beginnings, figure skating being one of them.

English style

The next step in the development of ice skating came in 1742, when the first ice skating association was formed in Edinburgh. The first instructional book concerning ice skating was published in London in 1772. The book, A Treatise on Skating, written by a British artillery lieutanant, Robert Jones, describes basic figure skating forms such as circles and figure eights, the basis for many compulsory figures. The book was written solely for men, as women did not normally ice skate in the late 18th century. It was with the publication of this manual that ice skating split into its two main disciplines, speed skating and figure skating.

Vienna school

The founder of modern figure skating as it is known today was Jackson Haines, an American. He, along with a group of competitors Haines assembled, organized the first U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The event was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His performance was notable not only for the new artistic techniques he employed in his routines, but also for a new technological innovation, steel ice skates. Haines was criticized for this, as well as his emphasis on skating patterns rather than difficult poses which tested balance. For a time, the stiff and rigid British figure skating forms dominated in America, trumping Haines's more artistic way of skating.

Haines attempted to spread his innovations in ice skating style in Europe, gaining success in such countries as Sweden and Austria. His style was still opposed by both his American colleagues as well as skaters from Victorian England, who continued to advocate a stiffer and more restrained style of skating. Haines continued to add new dance elements to his routines, and astounded a crowd in Vienna in the winter of 1868. Many in the audience expressed wonder at how a normal man could move over the ice in such a manner. Haines's performance lead to the establishment of the Vienna School, which continued to develop Haines's artistic style. Although Haines himself died at the age of 31 in 1875 from the effects of tuberculosis, his influence lived on. ^[1] His students at the Vienna School established the International Skating Union in 1892, the first international ice skating organization, and one of the oldest sports associations still in existence.^[2] It was founded in Scheveningen, in the Netherlands, but is now based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Union created the first codified set of figure skating rules.

The International Skating Union was founded in 1892. The first European Championship was held in 1891, and the first World Championship was held in 1896 and won by Gilbert Fuchs. Only men competed in these events. In 1902, a woman, Madge Syers, entered the World competition for the first time, finishing second. The ISU quickly banned women from competing against men, but established a separate competition for "ladies" in 1906. Pair skating was introduced at the 1908 World Championships, where the title was won by Anna Hübler & Heinrich Burger. The first Olympic figure skating competitions also took place in 1908.^[2]

Early 20th century

In the beginning of the 20th century, figure skating was lent a more athletic character through the developments of Ulrich Salchow, a Swede. Salchow was considered the greatest figure skater of his day by far, winning the world championships ten times. The crowning achievement of his career, however, was his development of ice skates with slightly serrated blades, giving enough traction on the ice to launch long jumps. The salchow jump, still used prominently in figure skating routines today, is named for him, and was considered Salchow's greatest contribution to figure skating. The first Olympics to feature figure skating were held in 1908 in London. Salchow was crowned champion.

The last years leading up to World War I generally saw higher performance in all sports, figure skating included. The largest public ice rink in the world, the Sportpalast in Berlin, opened in the 1910s. The rink had an area of 2,400 m² (25,800 ft²), with dimensions of 60 m by 40 m (197 ft by 131 ft). The new rink increased both the public interest in figure skating as well as the number of people who practiced the sport.

Many new, talented figure skaters came from Germany, among them Werner Rittberger and Charlotta Oelschägel. Rittberger invented another jump, at first named eponymously, but eventually changed to the name it is known by today, the loop jump. Oelschlägel won a championship in the United states at the age of 17, and had a professional career spanning ten years.

Between World Wars I and II

The largest figure skating competitions were renewed after World War II, with the first taking place in 1922. The most well-known figure skaters from this period were Sonja Henie, from Norway, and Karl Schäfer, from Austria. The two dominated the sport in this time. Henie, a ten-time world champion, brought a new style to figure skating in both athletic practice and dress. Previously, female figure skaters had skated in bulky clothing, sometimes even dresses. Henie broke with tradition by wearing a short knee-length skirt during her routines. In addition, her fluid and unlabored movements and overall elegance were considered to be a major advancement for figure skating. Schäfer won the European figure skating championship eight times, and the world championship seven times, in the period from 1929 to 1936.

After World War II

Figure skating reached its peak after the second World War, and experienced a resurgence in popularity. The construction of new ice rinks, built completely for ice skating, allowed much more intensive training, and lead to increased performance on the ice. This lead to other changes in the sport, such as a heavier emphasis on the free skate, a move which turned off some spectators.

Because of the years of war, Europe, which had previously had been the center of figure skating, as well as the area of origin of many of its top names, fell behind the United States in terms of figure skating dominance. Many of the new elite figure skaters came from the United States and Canada, bringing with them a style that emphasized more speed and endurance, as well as dynamic movements. Some of the new top figure skaters included Americans Richard Button, who was the first skater to complete both double jumps and a salchow with three rotations, and Peggy Fleming, Canadian Barbara Ann Scott, and German Gabriele Seyfert.

Figure skating today

Modern figure skating is divided into three parts: single events for both sexes, pair skating, and ice dancing. Men's solo figure skating has been dominated by U.S., Canadian, and Russian skaters, including Brian Orser, Brian Boitano, Alexander Fadeev, Viktor Petrenko, Elvis Stojko, Alexei Yagudin, and Evgeni Plushenko.

Women's solo skating has had a more internationally varied competitive field. East German figure skater Katarina Witt was considered the world's best female figure skater as she won the gold medal in the 1984 Winter Olympics and successfully defended it at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Some of the other great female figure skaters recently have included Midori Ito, Kristi Yamaguchi, Chen Lu, Maria Butyrskaya, Michelle Kwan, Irina Slutskaya, and Shizuka Arakawa.

Pairs' figure skating, which emphasizes both partners and includes jumps where the female skater is thrown by her male partner, has been won almost exclusively by pairs from the Soviet Union, and later Russia. Recently, the most successful pair, that of Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin, have won four European championships and two World championships, as well as the pair skating competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

[[Category:Figure skating]] [[de:Geschichte des Eiskunstlaufes]]

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