notes81020

Oldest sport
Figure skating is the oldest sport on the Olympic Winter Games programme. It was contested at the 1908 London Games and again in 1920 in Antwerp. Men’s, women’s, and pairs were the three events contested until 1972. Since 1976, ice dancing has been the fourth event in the programme, proving a great success.

Hollywood star
Sonja Henie made her Olympic debut in Chamonix in 1924, aged just 11, and was so nervous she had to ask her coach what to do midway through her routines. However, she won gold in the next three Olympic Games and developed a huge legion of fans. She later moved into films, where she greatly increased the popularity of her sport.

Toe picks
Teeth cut into the toe of the blade are used for pushing off in jumps and as the pivot point during spins.

Hollow
The groove down the middle of the bottom of a figure skate blade is called the hollow. Finely ground edges on either side of the hollow provide control and speed. The depth of the hollow varies depending on the skater's event, weight and style.

Heel
Skating boots originally were street boots, and heels have always been part of the look. Different figure skaters prefer different size heel - ice dancers often wear high heels, which push their body weight forward onto the balls of their feet for deeper edges and better control of quick steps and changes of direction.

Blade
A modern blade has a very slight curve, equal to the radius of 180-220 cm. The blade is sharpened to produce a flat or concave cross section. To maintain a sharp edge, the bottom quarter inch of the blade is made from time-tempered steel. The "sweet spot" of the blade is below the ball of the foot.

Boot tongue
Figure skates are made with wide tongues, with rubber or sponge padding for flexibility. Skates should be tied tightly to afford maximum control.

Boot
Olympic figure skaters wear boots that are custom-made for each foot and heavily reinforced with thick, stiff leather interiors and extra ankle bracing. Shizuka Arakawa i got all these note on [|Olympic sports] this site

Figure Staking, the music and the dancing. Do you know what this is well, the figure skating have been part of the Olympics sense the 1976 it's the best sport to me because it shows of all of your talent and things like that. some of the ecuitement that you have to use is like the toepick it helps to push off when you are ready to do a jump and pivot during spins. Boot is made of thick leather to make a nice ankle brace.