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Have you ever watched the Olympics and witness how figure skaters do their thing? For sure you will surely be amazed of how graceful they can get despite the intricate moves the sport requires. Although it is not as popular in other countries as it is in the US, Russia, Canada, Germany and Japan, figure skating is considered as one of the most graceful and elegant sports in the world. It is characterized by spins, jumps, spirals, lifts, footwork and other moves on ice skates. Open to men and women, figure skating is comprised by different disciplines such as:
- singles or singles freestyle wherein a skater performs a program composed of jumps, spins, spirals and others. Performance should last anywhere from one to four and a half minutes.
- pair skating or pair freestyle, almost similar to singles freestyle except that in this discipline, there are two skaters performing together thus makes other moves like lifts, throws, pair spins and jumps possible.
- ice dancing in which two skaters, a man and a woman, focus on the beauty and intricate moves while interpreting the music.
- moves in the field, also known as field moves in the United Kingdom or just moves, is a discipline that refers to the technical aspect with emphasis on edge skills, turns and body control instead of precise circles.
- synchronized skating, or precision skating, is a team event comprising of eight to 20 mixed gender skaters. Group formations such as wheels, blocks, lines, circles and others are given emphasis.
- compulsory figure emphasizes on the shape or figures drawn on the ice. The famous “figure 8s” is where the name of the sport is derived. This discipline is no longer part of the test requirements though.
- fours, a team composed of two men and two women.
- theater on ice, also called ballet on ice.
- special figures
Figure skating is not complete without the equipment especially the skates. Figure skates are different from ice skates, recreational skates and most of all, from hockey skates. You will know that it is a figure skate by simply examining the toe picks on the front of the blade. In figure skates, the toe picks (also called toe rakes), are large and appears like jagged little teeth used in jumping and pivoting. Racing and hockey skates have no toe picks while recreational skates have smaller and less sharp toe picks.
The outfit is an important factor when it comes to performance. During exhibitions or competitions, figure skaters wear fancy costumes adorned with beads and trimmings that can usually cost thousands of dollars if designed by a high class costume maker. Girls and women may wear a dress, leotard with a skirt and pants. Boys and men must wear pants. But while theatrical costume is not unusual during exhibitions or competitions, it is not necessary during practice. When practicing, skaters may wear leggings or tight-fitting, flexible pants.
Figure skating has been a form of recreational activity to many men and women in various parts of the world more particularly in areas where natural ice is present. But figure skating is not for recreation alone. Figure skaters can compete at various levels too. International competitions include Winter Olympic Games, World Championships, World Junior Figure Skating Championships, European Figure Skating Championships, Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating.
Countries wherein figure skating is popular includes Russia, United States, Canada, Germany and Japan. It has also become increasingly popular in China, South Korea, Norway, Finland and Sweden.
With the surge of figure skating popularity, many enthusiasts are now into business that has something to do with skating – managing skating rinks and selling figure skating equipment and clothing to name a few. Anyone who plans to franchise should better consider having a franchise agreement to set out the rules to be followed by parties involved. If other skating enthusiasts want to be part of a particular business and eventually form a company, it is best to have a shareholder agreement to determine how the company will be owned and managed.
Once the business is up and running smoothly, shareholders can spend their time on other productive activities like attending cooking school, doing crafts or getting involved in puppy training. With this, one will not only make a living from their passion but also get to experience other activities and have a well-behaved pet through effective dog training.