Ice Skate Essay

People have been ice skating since the 1500s. Over the years, skating has changed a lot. First came the Dutch roll, next the duck walk and then swizzles. Ice skate blades have also changed from bone to steel. Do you know what the first ice skates were made out of? Sometimes, when people wear skates, they think they have weak ankles, but do they? Others are afraid of falling and hitting their head or tail bone on the ice, but is there a solution? Can you learn to skate?

Ice Skates started out as “reindeer bones, elk bones, horse bones, or walrus teeth” tied to leather shoes (Steps to Success 1). “Ice Skates were used for hunting on frozen land in Finland and Scandinavia” (Steps to Success 1). In 1572 instead of bone blades they were changed to iron blades. In 1850 the iron blades were replaced by steel blades. Figure skate blades have changed to two edges, and a saw tooth rake in the front for push offs, jumps and spins.

Some people don’t skate because they are afraid to fall or believe they have weak ankles. The myth of weak ankles probably started from people wearing skates with poor ankle support or not fitted properly. “People don’t have weak ankles” they just don’t have skates that fit well (Steps to Success 5).

To have a more enjoyable time and to get used your skates and the ice there are some thing you can do. Before getting on the ice, walk around in your ice skates to get used to them. Then practice some knee bends and shift your weight from one leg to the other to get your balance and get used to your skates. When you get onto the ice, grab the wall and practice some knee bends and shift your weight from one leg to the other to get used to your skates and the ice. Practice lifting each skate off the ice to make sure y...

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...p quickly so you don’t get in the other skaters way.

If you are afraid of falling and hitting your head or tail bone here is what to do. If you are falling, get down low and land onto one of your outer thighs or one of your buttocks. It does not matter if you are falling forward or backward, just try to land on your thigh or buttock. To get up get on your knees, put your hands on the ice, put one foot on the ice, and stand up while bringing your other foot on the ice.

Remember, there is a way to fall safely to the ice by getting down low and rolling gently onto your butt or outer thigh. If you feel like you have weak ankles, you should check your skates and make sure that they have good ankle support. As long as you are careful, you can safely skate. Starting out with simple exercises to help you, skating should not be too hard to learn. Be careful, and have fun.