Jackson Haines facts for kids
Jackson Haines (1840–1875) was an American ballet dancer and figure skater. Many people call him the father of modern figure skating. He changed the sport by adding grace and music.
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Life of Jackson Haines
Jackson Haines was born in New York City in 1840. He said he was the national champion in 1864. Back then, many different skating competitions took place. There was no main group in charge of figure skating until 1921. That's when the United States Figure Skating Association was created.
Haines's New Style of Skating
In Haines's time, figure skating was done in a very stiff and formal way. This was called the "English style." Haines had a different idea. He used his background in ballet to make skating more graceful. He also started using music with his skating routines. This was a completely new idea!
Haines also made an important change to his skates. Most skaters at the time strapped their blades onto their boots. But Haines screwed his figure skates directly onto his boots. This made his skates much more stable. It also allowed him to do more athletic moves, like leaps and jumps. Skates designed to be screwed to boots had actually been made in London as early as 1772.
Sharing His Style in Europe
Haines's new style was not very popular in the United States at first. So, he traveled to Europe to show and teach his way of skating. His style became known as the "International style." He lived in Vienna for a while, where his skating became very popular.
Jackson Haines died in 1875 in Kokkola, Finland. He was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1976. He also joined the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame that same year.
Jackson Haines's Legacy
Jackson Haines invented the sit spin. This is one of the three main types of spins in figure skating. The upright spin is very old, and the camel spin was invented much later.
Haines's graceful skating style did not become popular in the United States until many years after he died. The first American figure skating championships using the "International Style" were held on March 20, 1914. This event took place in New Haven, Connecticut.
