Creative figures are getting popular because they're in the World Figure Championship. These patterns of tracings designed by skaters are nothing new.
Author: Bev
Spuren auf dem Eise
This is one of the great books of figure skating. It's in German and, as far as I know, has not been translated into English.
Reconstructing the Amsterdam skate, part 1
One of the oldest metal-bladed skates found to date was found in Amsterdam. I'm working on reconstructing it. This post is about making the blade.
How long were the races?
In his Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus (Description of the Northern Peoples), Olaus Magnus describes races on bone skates that are "8--12 Italian miles" long. The question is, how long is that?
Skates Made of Bone
My book on bone skates is available for pre-order! You can get it directly from the publisher, McFarland, from Amazon, or from whatever bookstore you like best.
Skate sharpening 100 years ago
I recently ran across an explanation of how to sharpen skates from March, 1919---just over 100 years ago. Don't try to draw file at first, ... Cut right across the runner first, filing in the usual manner and watching closely the file marks, see that they do not cut down over the corner of the… Continue reading Skate sharpening 100 years ago
Skate sharpening basics
This is the anchor for a series of posts about skate sharpening. When you get your skates sharpened, the skate technician passes your blade across a grinding wheel in a sharpening machine. In most machines, the grinding wheel is parallel to the skate blade, like it is in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoxoZK8sfyY The video mentions dressing… Continue reading Skate sharpening basics
Skaters History on Ice and Roller Skating
The cover of Skaters History. From my collection. I first met this book at the 2018 World Figure Championship when Eddie Shipstad, Jr., showed me a copy he found among his uncle Roy's things. It's a little book published by the author, Julian T. Fitzgerald, in 1916. After the competition, I came home and looked… Continue reading Skaters History on Ice and Roller Skating
The two Henry C. Lowthers
There were two Henry C. Lowthers alive at the right time to have written the three skating books I'm working on: Henry Cecil Lowther and Henry Crofton Lowther.
The flying Mercury
This fanciful move goes all the way back to the eighteenth century.