The History of Ice Skating and Its Massive Popularity

As with all sports, ice skating was something that stemmed from curiosity about whether it could be done and became something that others enjoyed doing as well. However, ice skating is one of the few sports that immediately drew massive popularity. It is also interesting because it is a sport that was thousands of years ago. To help you gain a better understanding of the history and popularity of ice skating, you should check out the facts below.

It is quite possible that Scandinavians were the first people to enjoy ice skating. The rumor is that they were skating on bones back as early as 1000AD. This meant that the skaters had very little control over where they were going because the bones would not dig into the ice. This changed somewhere between the 13-14th century, when wooden blades came to be. They didn’t become steel blades with sharpened edges until much later.

By the 17th century, England was getting in on the fun and it was enjoyed by people of all statures. Somewhere between 1642 and 1740, the first skating club was invented. It was considered by most as a pastime, not a sport. The idea of it being a sport started in the Scotland. It started with local competitions to see who was the best at skating. It wasn’t until nearly 1879 that there was an actual profession known as professional ice skaters.

Figure skating became known as an actual sport during the winter games in 1908 and this further increased the challenges set forth by those who wanted to be considered a champion. The desire to be great only increased in the 1960s when it became a televised event.

Skaters started jumping higher and spinning more while they were in the air. The routines that they would perform became more complicated and challenging. There were couples on the ice skating in perfect unison and the professional skaters also turned to the ice in other ways as well.

There are now ice skating competitions and ice skaters who perform theatrical presentations while skating along. The purpose is to tell a story and create a feeling within the audience. This is perhaps one of the main reasons many people consider it a very beautiful sport. Best of all, though, it is not the only sport out there for someone who is interested in skating on ice.