History of figure skating facts for kids

The history of figure skating is super old! People have been gliding on ice for thousands of years. The very first ice skates were found from around 3000 BC. They were made from animal bones.

Later, in the 1200s and 1300s, the Dutch added sharp edges to skates. This made skating much easier. Big international skating contests started in the late 1800s. The first European Championships were in Germany in 1891. Then, the first World Championship happened in Russia in 1896.

Figure skating even became the first winter sport in the Olympics! This happened at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, England.

Early Ice Skating: From Bones to Blades

People don't know exactly when humans first started to ice skate. But old bone skates have been found in places like Scandinavia and Russia. Some of these skates are about 5,000 years old!

The first clear written mention of ice skating is from the 1100s. A monk named William Fitzstephen wrote about kids skating in London. He described them using bones on their ankles. They also used sticks to push themselves across the ice. Sometimes, they would even crash into each other!

The sticks were important because these early bone skates didn't have sharp edges. You couldn't glide easily. But then, in the 1200s or 1300s, the Dutch changed everything. They invented steel skates with sharp edges. This meant skaters no longer needed sticks to move. Skating became much more free and stable.

The first time ice skating was shown in art was in the 1400s. A painting of Saint Lidwina falling on the ice was one of the first. In the background, a man is skating on one leg. This shows that his skates must have had sharp edges, just like modern ones.

Who Skated? Social Status of Ice Skating

In the Netherlands, everyone enjoyed ice skating. Rich and poor people alike skated. It was even a way to travel when rivers and canals froze. This helped the economy keep going during winter.

But in other places, only rich people skated. For example, Emperor Rudolf II loved skating so much. He even built a huge ice carnival in 1610 to make it popular. King Louis XVI brought ice skating to Paris. Many other famous people, like Madame de Pompadour and Napoleon I, also loved to skate.

Figure Skating Takes Shape: 1700s and 1800s

A big step for ice skating happened in 1742. The first ice skating club was formed in Edinburgh, Scotland. Then, in 1772, the first book about how to ice skate was published. It was written by a British soldier named Robert Jones. His book taught basic moves like circles and figure eights. This book helped split skating into two main types: speed skating and figure skating.

In the winter of 1858–59, a skating pond opened in New York's Central Park. This made skating popular again in America. Soon, single men and women could skate together without chaperones. More skating ponds opened in nearby cities. The Skating Club of New York started in 1863.

Jackson Haines: The Father of Modern Figure Skating

Jackson Haines was an American skater who changed the sport forever. He was the first to mix ballet and dance moves into his skating. Before him, skaters just focused on making patterns on the ice. Haines also invented the sit spin. He created a shorter, curved blade for figure skating. This new blade made turns much easier. Haines was also the first to attach blades permanently to his boots. He won the first Championships of America in 1864.

At first, people in America preferred the older, stiffer British style of skating. So, Haines took his new artistic style to Europe. He became very successful in places like Sweden and Austria. Even though some people still didn't like his style, he amazed crowds in Vienna in 1868.

Haines's performances led to the "Vienna School" of skating. This school continued to develop his artistic style. Haines sadly died young at 35 from tuberculosis in 1875. But his ideas lived on. His students helped create the International Skating Union (ISU) in 1892. This was the first international ice skating organization. It's still around today! The ISU created the first official rules for figure skating.

The first international figure skating competition was held in Vienna in 1882. Skaters were judged on 23 required moves. They also had a four-minute free skate and special figures. In 1891, the first European Figure Skating Championships took place in Germany. Then, in 1896, the first World Figure Skating Championships were held in Russia.

Figure Skating in the 1900s

In the early 1900s, a Swedish skater named Ulrich Salchow made figure skating more athletic. Salchow was the best skater of his time. He won the world championships ten times! His biggest invention was skates with slightly jagged blades. These blades gave skaters enough grip to do long jumps. The salchow jump, which is still used today, is named after him.

Figure skating made its Olympic debut at the 1908 Summer Olympics. It was the first winter sport ever in the Olympics! The competition included men's and ladies' singles, pairs skating, and special figures.

The Sportpalast in Berlin opened in the 1910s. It was the biggest public ice rink in the world. This huge rink made more people interested in figure skating. Many new skaters came from Germany. Among them were Werner Rittberger and Charlotta Oelschägel. Rittberger invented another jump, now called the loop jump. Oelschlägel won a championship in the United States when she was just 17. She had a professional career that lasted ten years.

No major international championships happened from 1915 to 1921 because of World War I. But in 1922, the World and European Championships started again. In 1924, figure skating was part of the first ever Winter Olympics in France.

Norway's Sonja Henie and Austria's Karl Schäfer were the top skaters between the two World Wars. Henie won ten world championships. She brought a new style to figure skating. Before her, female skaters wore big, long skirts. Henie broke tradition by wearing a short, knee-length skirt. Her smooth and elegant movements were a big step forward for the sport. Schäfer won the European title eight times and the World title seven times.

Modern Figure Skating: Post-World War II to Today

After World War II, the European and World Championships returned in 1946. New ice rinks were built just for skating. This allowed skaters to train much harder. It led to even better performances.

In 1952, ice dancing was added to the World Championships. It became a medal sport at the 1976 Olympics.

After the war, North America became very strong in figure skating. Many top skaters came from the United States and Canada. They brought a style that focused on speed, strength, and exciting movements. Famous American skaters included Richard Button (who was the first to do a double Axel jump and a triple loop jump), Tenley Albright, and Carol Heiss. Canadians like Barbara Ann Scott and Donald Jackson were also champions.

In 1961, a plane crash sadly killed the entire United States figure skating team and their coaches. This made American skating weaker for a while. But by the late 1960s, the country started to shine again, led by Peggy Fleming.

The Soviet Union also became a powerhouse in the late 1950s. Ludmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov won gold at the 1964 Winter Olympics. This started a 40-year streak of Soviet/Russian gold medals in pair skating at the Olympics. It's the longest streak in Olympic sports history!

In 1973, solid gold medals were last given out in figure skating. Also, compulsory figures (required patterns skaters had to trace on the ice) became less important. They used to be 60% of the score. But they were removed from international competitions after the 1989–90 season.

Skates got better, and ice quality improved. This allowed skaters to go faster. In 1990, the International Skating Union (ISU) allowed professional skaters to return to ISU competitions. This was a big change! The Grand Prix series of competitions started in 1995. The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships began in 1999.

After the 2002 Winter Olympics and a judging scandal, the old 6.0 judging system was changed. The new ISU Judging System (IJS) was put in place. The 2006 Winter Olympics was the first to use this new system. In 2009, the first team event was created in Japan. This team event made its Olympic debut at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. Since 2014, all skating types can use music with singing or words, which was only allowed for ice dancing before.

The competitive figure skating season runs from August until the World Figure Skating Championships in March. There are different levels, from beginner to senior. In recent years, synchronized skating and solo ice dance have become very popular. The first World Synchronized Skating Championships were held in 2000. In 2014, the ISU asked the IOC to include synchronized skating in the Winter Olympics.