Skating is a popular sport and involves gliding along on specially made skates. Skating has many variations such as ice skating, roller skating, skateboarding and ice boarding.
Ice skating involves the use of skates on ice. It is thought that ice skating originated about 4000 years ago in southern Finland. Around the 13th or 14th century, the Dutch sharpened the bottom edges of the steel skates. Ice skating involves the friction of the skates on the ice which creates a thin film of water directly between the skates and the ice. This allows the skate to slide over the snow. Ice skating has various forms such as speed, tour and figure skating.
Skating on a smooth terrain with roller skates is called roller skating. The earliest recorded use of roller skates was in a London stage performance in 1743. There are two kinds of rollers skates – inline skates and quad skates. Quad skates have four wheels and were first designed in 1863 by James Leonard Plimpton. These earlier designs were replaced by an improved skate design that led to smoother movement. In 1876, the quad skates were given toe stops. Inline skates, unlike quad skates, have four or five wheels arranged in a single line with a heel stop. Some skaters prefer using inline skates for races.
Skateboarding is a relatively new sport. Though skating may have begun for purposes of transportation in snowy regions, skateboarding is a largely recreational activity. Skateboarders often learn how to perform tricks on a skateboard. Skateboarding was born from the surfing culture and has also been called sidewalk surfing. The board used for skateboards is a smaller version of the surfboards that are popular on beaches and coast lines around the world. In fact, the early skateboarder adapted the styles and movement of surfers. Skateboarding gained popularity in various places around the world that were unfamiliar with surfing and soon developed its own fan following. The popularity of skateboarding keeps growing and skateboarding youth and culture have found their way into several Hollywood movies and TV documentaries.
Ice boarding is similar to skating on boards, and it is again primarily a recreational activity. All you need is a skateboard deck complete with grip tape and without the wheels, and a pair of waterproof skateboarding shoes. Ice boarding is usually done on an icy ramp or a snowy hill. It’s always a good idea to wear thick clothes and protective gear to reduce the impact after a fall.
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