Story figure skating

Figure skating — speed skating sports, refers to difficult coordination sports. The main idea is to move an athlete or a pair of skaters on ice with changes in the direction of sliding and performing additional elements to the music. Figure skating as a separate sport was formed in the 60s of the 19th century. and in 1871 it was recognized at the I Congress of Skating. The first competition took place in Vienna in 1882 among male figure skaters. In 1908 and 1920 figure skating competitions were held at the Summer Olympics. It should be noted that figure skating is the first of winter views sport, caught in Olympic program. Since 1924, figure skating has been a regular feature of the Winter Olympics.
From 1986 to the present, official international competitions in figure skating, such as the World Championships, the European Championships, the Four Continents Championships and others are held under the auspices of the International Skating Union.

History of figure skating
The invention of skates
origins speed skating are rooted in the Bronze Age (the end of the 4th - the beginning of the 1st millennium BC), this is evidenced by the finds of archaeologists - bone skates made from the phalanxes of the limbs of large animals. Similar finds are found in many European countries, and the most ancient "skates" were found on the banks of the Southern Bug near Odessa. Even such primitive designs gave the traveler or hunter a gain in speed, but they were not yet suitable for figure riding.

Origin(XVI-XIX century). The birth of figure skating as a sport is associated with the moment when skates began to be made from iron, not bone. According to research, this happened for the first time in Holland, in the XII-XIV century. Initially, figure skating was a competition in the skill to draw various figures on the ice, while maintaining a beautiful pose. The first figure skating clubs appeared in the 18th century in the British Empire in Edinburgh. There was also developed a list of obligatory figures for the competition, and the first official rules of the competition. Artillery lieutenant Robert Jones published A Treatise on Skating, in which he described all the main figures that were then known.
From Europe, figure skating came to the USA and Canada, where it was greatly developed. Numerous figure skaters' clubs were created here, new models of skates were developed, and their own school of technology was created. By the middle of the 19th century, almost all modern compulsory figures and the main technique for their performance, as evidenced by the book "The Art of Skating" by D. Anderson. At that time, figure skating was performed in a prim "English" style. American Jackson Haynes, a dancer and skater, combined both and got his own style of skating: riding to the music, dance moves and "tops" on the ice. The skates, attached to the shoes with straps, could not withstand such loads, then he - one of the first - screwed them tightly to the boots. However, this style was not accepted in puritanical America, and in the 60s of the XIX century he went on tour to Europe.
First championships(late 19th century). At the I Congress of Skating in 1871, figure skating was recognized as a sport. In 1882, the first official figure skating competition in Europe took place in Vienna. True, initially, as Mishin A.N. notes, “it was a kind of behind-the-scenes competition,” since only a few athletes took part in them. But the approach to competitions changed after the best figure skaters from all over the world were invited to the competitions in St. Petersburg in 1890, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the ice rink in the Yusupov Garden. The following arrived in St. Petersburg: US champion L. Rubenstein, German champion F. Kaiser, the best skaters from Sweden, Austria, Finland, England, Holland, Sweden, Norway. The competitions acquired the status of an "unofficial world championship", the winner of these competitions in all types of the program was Alexei Pavlovich Lebedev, an honorary member of the St. Petersburg Society of Skating Fans. The following year, in 1891, in Hamburg, the first European championship was held in the men's single skating. But the demonstration of the international scope and potential of figure skating, shown at the competitions in St. Petersburg, haunted. Therefore, already in 1892, the International Skating Union was created, which was supposed to lead the organization of international competitions.
Four years later, in 1896, the first world figure skating championship was held in St. Petersburg (the winner was Gilbert Fuchs, German Empire). In 1903, in honor of the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the "Petersburg Society of Skating Fans" was granted the right to host the 8th World Championship (1st place - Swede Ulrich Salkhov, 2nd - Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin). The first figure skating competitions were held only among single men, women figure skaters got the opportunity to participate in the world championships only 10 years later. True, in 1901, under pressure from the public, the ISU, as an exception, allowed a woman, an Englishwoman, Madge Sayers, to participate in men's competitions.
Development(1900-1960). Officially, the first World Women's Singles Championship was held at the end of January 1906 in Davos (Switzerland). Compulsory figures for women and men were similar, but women's free skating immediately attracted attention with high artistry, plasticity and musicality of movements. Pair skating came about immediately after Haynes demonstrated how to dance on ice; already in 1897 it was codified as a sport. But officially the first competitions took place only in 1908 in St. Petersburg. German figure skaters Anna Hübler and Heinrich Burger went down in history as the first Olympic champions in pair skating. The most titled of the pre-war figure skaters is the single skater Sonya Henie (Norway). Brilliantly trained as both a skater and a dancer, Sonya took women's skating to new heights - her free programs at that time were unattainably complex, more like ballet. No wonder she won ten world championships and three olympiads before turning pro. Of men greatest heights achieved by the Austrian Karl Schaefer. In pair skating in the 1920s and 30s, there was a struggle between “trickists” and “anti-trickists”. The first ones at first stood out with spectacular, though not difficult to perform, lifts that did not require a woman to have any special ability to skate, the second ones - by the well-coordinated ride of both partners. In the end, the “anti-trickists” took the leading place. Before the war, jumping was considered " aerobatics' is not accessible to everyone. Even world-class skaters got by with two or three jumps per program. In 1948, Dick Button revolutionized the sport by introducing a jump-intensive free skate including the double Axel. Since then, jumping has firmly established itself in the arsenal of figure skaters. Sports dancing on ice originated in the 1930s in Great Britain, and then spread throughout the world. In 1952, sports dances were included in the program of the World and European Championships. For the first 10 years, all major international competitions were won by British figure skaters. Ice dancing has been included in the program of the Winter Olympic Games since 1976.
heyday(1960-2000). In 1961, tragedy struck: the entire US team died in a plane crash. This ended US dominance in figure skating. The revolution in ice dancing was made by the Czech brother and sister Eva Romanova and Pavel Roman. They preferred to dance to boisterous Latin American rhythms; their productions at that time sounded defiant, but they managed to defend their creative views, becoming 4-time world champions (1962-1965). With the advent of television, a paradox arose: compulsory figures were an extremely boring discipline, television people preferred to show a free program. Often there was a situation: the skater got a huge lead in the compulsory figures (which gave 60% of the points), rolled back a nondescript free program and became the winner, bypassing the “public favorites”. In 1968, the first step took place: the cost of compulsory figures was reduced to 50%. In 1972 added short program, giving 20%. By 1990 the compulsory figures, short program and free program estimated already as 20:30:50. Since 1991, obligatory figures have been completely abolished. The complexity of the programs increased rapidly: Belousova and Protopopov demonstrated new variants of the death spiral; Rodnina with Ulanov - unusual combinations of jumps. Triple jumps and ejections became the standard technique. In 1988, Kurt Browning was credited with the first quadruple jump- sheepskin coat. Almost the entire podium in pair skating was occupied by the USSR and Russia: Belousova-Protopopov, Rodnina-Ulanov/Zaitsev, Valova-Vasiliev, Gordeeva-Grinkov, Berezhnaya-Sikharulidze... The USSR also had no equal in dancing: the pairs Pakhomov-Gorshkov, Linichuk— Karponosov and Bestemyanova-Bukin brought many first places to the Soviet country.
IN women's skating The school of Jutta Müller “ruled the ball”, which gave such athletes as Seifert, Petch and Witt. In the 1990s, the United States regained its positions for a while. Most of the championship titles among men were held by the USA and Canada: Hamilton, Orser, Boitano, Browning, Stojko. In the post-Soviet years, success came to coach Alexei Mishin, who trained such athletes as Urmanov, Yagudin and Plushenko.
Modernity(present tense). According to the arbiter S. Bianchetti, the time of such programs as "Chaplin" by Berezhnaya-Sikharulidze, unfortunately, has passed. Figure skating borders on art and therefore, in principle, cannot have any objective indicators of “who is better”. When the strengths of the athletes are close, often the fate of the medal is determined by the subjective decision of one or two judges. In such a situation, conspiracies are not uncommon. One of them was revealed at the 2002 Winter Olympics. This was the impetus for the emergence of the New Judging System. The effect turned out to be twofold: on the one hand, an end was put to "cutting" through the entire rink; even short runs the athlete tries to turn into a small path of steps. On the other hand, the theatricality has disappeared, the programs of different participants have become more and more similar to each other: athletes prefer to perform not beautiful and unusual figures, but those for which they give more points. Although in new system estimates, there are unofficial records, they do not make much sense: throughout the 2000s, the system was worked out and balanced. IN men's skating the first places were occupied by Evgeni Plushenko, Stephane Lambiel and Brian Joubert. At the 2010 Olympics, American Evan Lysacek won sensationally. In the women's - Irina Slutskaya, Miki Ando, ​​Kim Yong Ah and Mao Asada. In pair skating, a pair of Totmyanina-Marinin received well-deserved victories; we can also note the Chinese Pang Qing-Tong Jian, Shen Xue-Zhao Hongbo and the international couple Savchenko-Szolkowy. The most titled of the dance couples of recent times is Navka-Kostomarov. Despite the fact that today most of the sports have become professional, the ISU still retains the amateur status of competitive skating. Professionals are not allowed to enter the World Championships and the Olympic Games. In 2010, Plushenko was disqualified for professionalism.
History of the World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition organized by International Union speed skaters (ISU). The first official world championship in figure skating took place in 1896 in St. Petersburg. Four figure skaters from three countries took part in it: Gilbert Fuchs from Munich, Austrian Gustav Hugel and two Russian figure skaters from St. Petersburg - Georgy Sanders and Nikolai Poduskov. Gilbert Fuchs won the gold medal and the title of the first world champion in figure skating. Only men took part in the first world championship. In 1897, at the ISU Congress, which took place in Stockholm, the rules for holding competitions in figure skating were adopted. According to the first rules, figure skating competitions consisted of single skating (men only), pair skating (two men or two women or one man and one woman) and group skating. The composition of the group was identical to pair skating. Single skating consisted of two parts: compulsory figures and free skating. Skaters had to perform six compulsory figures (each of them on the right and on the left foot) in accordance with the competition program. In pair and group skating, the skaters performed only the free program.
In the period 1896-1914. some championships were held on natural ice. Sometimes the organizers were forced to cancel them due to weather conditions, as there was no ice. Therefore, it became necessary to start holding championships on a natural, but closed skating rink, or on artificial ice. In 1898, the World Figure Skating Championship was held for the first time at an indoor skating rink in London, which was called "Hengler's Circus", and later - "Palladium". Hennig Grenadier (Sweden) won this championship. After the first world championship, which was attended by Russian figure skaters Sanders and Poduskov, six years have passed when figure skaters from Russia returned to the world stage again. In 1903, Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin competed in the World Championship in St. Petersburg and took 2nd place. Then, in 1909, Theodor Datlin participated in the World Championships in Stockholm, he was the last of the five skaters who competed. In 1913, Ivan Malinin in Vienna showed the fourth result, and in 1914 Sergei Vandervliet, like Datlin, took the last, 13th place.
This was followed by a long break, and only in 1958, after big break Soviet figure skaters began to participate in the world championships. Three figure skaters at once: Lev Mikhailov, Valentin Zakharov and Igor Persiantsev performed in 1958 in Paris and took 17th, 20th and 21st respectively. In 1975, the Soviet figure skater Sergei Volkov won the world championship for the first time, defeating Vladimir Kovalev, who took 2nd place and received a silver medal.
The title of the most titled domestic figure skater belongs to Alexei Yagudin, a four-time world champion. His rival for many years, Evgeni Plushenko, has so far held three world titles. In the very early years of the world championships, women were not allowed to compete, although local competitions, in which both women and couples participated, began to be held in the 1870s. One of the reasons for the non-participation of women was the clothing, which did not allow the complex movements of the free program to be performed. In addition, the rules for single skating at that time limited the participation of women in the championships. Only men were allowed to participate. In 1905, the ISU Congress, after strong lobbying from the National Association of England, approved a separate World Championship for women, but even after that the World Championship did not receive full recognition and was called the ISU Championship, without the word "world", which referred only to the men's championships. This situation continued until 1924.
The first women's championship took place in 1906 in Davos. The winner was Maggie Sayers (Great Britain). In 1914, for the first time, Xenia Caesar took part in the championship from Russia, taking 7th place out of nine. Historical materials indicate that women representing the USSR appeared at the World Championships only in 1962. Tatyana Nemtsova became the first Soviet figure skater to be entrusted with the right to compete at the 1962 World Championships in Prague, where she placed 20th. The first Soviet world championship medalist was Elena Vodorezova, who won bronze in 1983. In the next two years, Anna Kondrashova and Kira Ivanova won silver medals. The real breakthrough came in the second half of the 1990s. with the advent of Irina Slutskaya and Maria Butyrskaya. Butyrskaya in 1999 became the first Russian champion world in history, and Slutskaya bears the title of the most titled Russian figure skater. Irina has two golds, three silvers and one bronze at the world championships. In 1952, ice dancing was included in the world championship. The first domestic world champions in ice dancing were Lyudmila Pakhomova and Alexander Gorshkov, who won gold in 1970. It is this duet that is the most titled in the history of ice dancing: six gold medals at world championships. The victorious pace of Pakhomova and Gorshkov was continued by Natalya Bestemyanova and Andrey Bukin, as well as Oksana Grischuk and Evgeny Platov. In 1965, Soviet athletes Lyudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov became champions in pair skating. Subsequently, Belousova and Protopopov won three more championship titles, and in 1969 Irina Rodnina picked up the baton, who, first with Alexei Ulanov, and then with Alexander Zaitsev, became the best figure skater in the world 10 times.
The world championships in figure skating were not held during the first (1915-1921) and second (1940-1946) world wars. In 1961, the World Championship was canceled due to a plane crash near Brussels. On the plane, which flew from New York to the capital of Belgium, was the US figure skating team. All athletes died, and because of the tragedy, it was decided to cancel the competition, which was supposed to be held in Prague.

Kinds
In figure skating, it is customary to distinguish 5 main areas:
feminine single skating
men's single skating
pair figure skating
group synchronized skating
dance Sport
Women's and men's single skating. An athlete in single skating demonstrates mastery of the basic elements - steps, rotations, spirals, jumps. The level of a skater is determined by the quantity, quality and complexity of the elements performed. An important indicator when evaluating an athlete is also a sense of rhythm, plasticity, grace and artistry. Competitions are carried out in two stages. The first stage is a short compulsory program, the second - an arbitrary one.
Pair skating. In this type of skating, special elements are added to the main components, such as lifts, ejections, twists, death drops, parallel and joint rotations. In pair skating, the ability of partners to perform all movements synchronously and with high quality comes to the fore in order to show the unity of actions. As in single skating, the competition for pairs takes place in two stages.
Synchronized figure skating. This sport is the youngest among the areas of figure skating. The team can consist of both women and men. Typically, the team consists of 16 to 20 people. The technique for performing the elements is the same as for single skating. The group must perform several mandatory elements synchronously and beautifully, such as a line, a circle, intersections, a wheel, blocks. Jumps of more than one turn, lifts, spirals and crossings are prohibited.
Dance Sport. The main emphasis in this direction of figure skating falls on dance movements. Here, there are practically no emissions and jumps, prolonged separation of partners is not allowed. In this type of figure skating, it is important to choose the right skater costumes, music, and come up with an attractive image for the couple. Sports dancing on ice is one of the most spectacular and beautiful areas. Modern competitions provide for the performance by a couple of a short compulsory dance, as well as a free dance.
Features of figure skating. Figure skating is a difficult and traumatic sport. To achieve professional goals, you should start exercising at the age of 4-5 years. However, in each individual case there are deviations from the norm.
Even if you have learned to ride in adulthood, you also have a chance to compete. There are non-qualifying championships for those who for some reason cannot participate in qualifications. But even if you are not interested in competitions, in any case, figure skating can become a favorite hobby that brings joy and health. After all, this sport gives not only speed of reaction, grace and posture, but also a lot of positive emotions.

The main idea of ​​figure skating is to move an athlete or a pair of skaters on ice with changes in the direction of sliding and performing additional elements to the music.

To the popularization of figure skating in Russia, as well as many other types exercise, is most directly related to Peter I. It was Peter Alekseevich who brought skates from Europe. According to some reports, Peter himself developed a method for attaching skates to boots, creating the first model of a modern sports equipment. The Russian name "skate" arose from the design features of the ancient wooden "runners", the front part of which was decorated with a horse's head.

The first textbook on figure skating in Russia Winter fun and the Art of Skating” was published in St. Petersburg in 1838. Its author was a gymnastics teacher G.M. Pauli.

In 1865, a public skating rink was opened in the Yusupov Garden in St. Petersburg. The most well-maintained skating rink in Russia has become the largest center for the training of figure skaters. On March 5, 1878, the first Russian competitions took place there, which marked the beginning of figure skating in Russia as a sport.

A significant contribution to the development of figure skating in Russia was made by the St. Petersburg Society of Skating Fans, founded in 1877. The efforts directed by the society towards “the correct development of the art of skating as a sport” were appreciated not only in Russia.

In 1890, the best figure skaters from America, England, Austria, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Norway came to international competitions organized by Petersburgers and dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Yusupov Garden skating rink. The competitions acquired the status of an "unofficial world championship", the winner of these competitions in all types of the program was Alexei Pavlovich Lebedev, an honorary member of the St. Petersburg Society of Skating Fans.

The successful holding of the competitions in St. Petersburg accelerated the organization of the regular World and European Championships. In 1892, the International Skating Union (ISU) was created.

The first European championship in men's single skating took place in 1891 in Hamburg (German figure skater O. Uhlig won), the first world championship - in 1896 in St. Petersburg (G. Fuchs, Germany).

In 1903, in honor of the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the "Petersburg Society of Skating Fans" was granted the right to hold the 8th World Championship (1st place - Swede U. Salkhov, 2nd - N.A. Panin-Kolomenkin).

Alexander Nikitich Panshin became the first champion of Russia in singles. Having started figure skating at the age of 39 (!) years, the unique athlete retained the championship title from 1897 to 1900. For the first time the championship of Russia in women's single skating was played in 1911. The champion title was won by Xenia Tsezar.

The first world championship in women's single skating took place in 1906 in Davos, and in pair skating - in 1908 in St. Petersburg.

Since 1930, European championships have been held in women's singles and pair skating.

The European Ice Dancing Championship has been played since 1954, the World Championship since 1952.

In 1924, 1927, 1928, 1933 all-Union tournaments were held in the USSR. The winners of the first all-Union tournament in 1924 were the Muscovites Yu. Zel'dovich and N. Bykovskaya.

After the creation of the All-Union Figure Skating Section in 1936, USSR championships began to be held regularly.

The leaders of Soviet figure skating in the pre-war years were R. and A. Gandelsman, P. Chernyshev, P. Orlov, R. Novozhilova, S. Glyazer, K. Likharev, T. Granatkina (Tolmacheva), who later, as coaches, made a significant contribution to development of domestic figure skating.

From the walls of leading sports and creative universities Soviet Union- Leningrad Twice Double Order of Lenin Institute physical education named after P.F. Lesgaft, the State Central Order of Lenin Institute of Physical Culture, the Lunacharsky State Institute of Theatrical Art - a galaxy of talented coaches, top-class specialists emerged, through whose efforts an invincible school of national figure skating was created: S.A. Zhuk, I.B. Moskvin, T.N. Moskvina, A.N. Mishin, T.A. Tarasova, N.I. Dubova, E.A. Chaikovskaya. The traditions of the national coaching school of figure skating are successfully continued by N.V. Linichuk, G.M. Karponosov, N.A. Morozov, A.V. Zhulin, E.G. Buyanova (Vodorezova), A.E. Urmanov, O.B. Kazakov.

Since 1983, the World Cup in synchronized skating has been played, and since 2000, the World Championship. This sport has become widespread in Canada, the USA, Sweden, Finland, England, and France.

The Russian team won the French Cup (twice), the Croatian Cup, the St. Petersburg Cup. The best result of our team at the world championships - 5th place in 2006 (Paradise team - St. Petersburg). On Winter Universiade 2007 in Turin, the Russian team took 3rd place.

The teams "Paradise" (St. Petersburg) and "Spartak-Yunost" from Yekaterinburg achieved the greatest success in the championships of Russia in different age categories.

Figure skating competitions were first included in the Olympic program of the Games of the IV Olympiad in 1908 and the VII Olympiad in 1920, the so-called "summer" games. At the Games of the IV Olympiad in London, athletes have already competed on artificial ice. It was in England that in 1876, according to the project of D. Pictet, the first ice rink was built with artificial ice. the first Russian Olympic champion in men's single skating (and in the history Russian sports in general) became N.A. Panin-Kolomenkin at the Games of the IV Olympiad in 1908 in London (Nikolai Kolomenkin performed under the pseudonym "Panin").

In competitions for the best performance of special figures (at the choice of the performer), the Russian figure skater was out of reach. His main competitor, the Swede Ulrich Salkhov, who watched the impeccable performance of Nikolai Panin, withdrew from this type of competition, realizing that he could not surpass the Russian figure skater.

In other types of the 1908 Olympic program, figure skaters won: in women's single skating - Mej Sayers (Great Britain), men's - Ulrich Salchow (Sweden), in pair skating - Anna Hübler and Heinrich Burger (Germany).

Since 1924, figure skating has been a part of the Olympic Winter Games. In 1976, ice dancing was added to the Olympic figure skating program. Soviet figure skater Irina Rodnina is one of the three outstanding figure skaters in the world who have won the largest number Olympic gold medals: Gillis Grafström (Sweden) - winner of 3 gold and 1 silver medals, three-time Olympic champion Sonya Henie (Norway) and Irina Rodnina (USSR). The first domestic Olympic champions in pair skating were Lyudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov at the IX Olympic winter games 1964 in Innsbruck.

The first Olympic "gold" of ice dancing in Russian and world history belongs to Soviet athletes Lyudmila Pakhomova and Alexander Gorshkov (XII Olympic Winter Games 1976 in Innsbruck). Highest Olympic result among Russian figure skaters in single skating, Irina Slutskaya showed, having won a silver medal at the XIX Olympic Winter Games in 2002 in Salt Lake City.

Figure skating is one of the most interesting sports in the Winter Olympics. Parents, delighted with the success of our athletes, with early years send their children to sport sections figure skating. Until recently, this kind of sport did not interest people at all.

Experts studying the history of the appearance of skates have not been able to determine when and by whom the very first skates were created. However, archaeological excavations have confirmed the fact of their ancient origin.

The first finds of archaeologists were a similarity, vaguely reminiscent of modern ice skates. The estimated time of their creation is the Bronze Age, or rather, at the end of the fourth millennium BC. The material for their creation was the bone of a large animal, which was processed and polished with a certain tool. And there were a large number of such finds in different places on our planet, most often in Europe.

The appearance of skates in European countries was preceded by a sharp cold snap, which came in the XII-XIV centuries. Suddenly frozen lakes and canals gave people the idea of ​​ice skating. This is how the first metal skates with two ribs appeared, thanks to which it was possible to slide freely on the ice surface.

Well mastered the new kind folk fun, many had the idea to organize competitions, in which each participant tried to show all his skills, writing out certain elements of figure skating and trying not to fall.

The first sports sections for this type of sports discipline began to open in the British Empire in the first half of the 18th century. And in 1742 in Edinburgh they developed and approved the rules for the games. The approved list of figures came out a little later in 1772.

The sport has received great development in America. IN early XIX century, the entire compulsory program was studied. And in 1871, ice skating moved from a number of folk amusements to being recognized as a form of sports competition. The appearance of television also contributed to the success of ice skating, millions of people followed the competitions of figure skaters on sports channels.

As in everything, this sport was dominated by men who competed in single skating. There were no pairings at all. Women came to the rink a little later, and in 1906 in the city of Davos (Switzerland) the first competitions among the fair sex were organized. And despite the fact that the program for the performance was the same, the women's single skating struck with special grace and artistic performance.

Pair skating was included in the classification of sports in 1897. The first performance of couples could be seen much later in 1908 and they took place in the city of St. Petersburg.

For paired participants, jumps were considered one of the most difficult, which only the most desperate skaters went to perform. Support has always been the backbone of the athletes program. On the Olympic List pair skating appeared in 1976.
Every year the complexity of the execution of programs only increased. An important role in the development of modern sports skating was played by such distinguished coaches as S Zhuk, I. Moskvin, E. Chaikovskaya and many others. Complex figures have already turned out to be commonplace for athletes. In 1988, a successful quadruple jump was recorded - a sheepskin coat.

The media actively covered the new victories of the skaters, and the cinema did not stand aside by making films about the lives of athletes, all this contributed to the rapid growth of the importance of this sport. Figure skating today is equated to a real art, which is admired by the entire population of our planet.

The origins of speed skating lie in the distant past, and are rooted in the Bronze Age (end of the 4th - beginning of the 1st millennium BC), this is evidenced by the finds of archaeologists - bone skates made from the phalanxes of the limbs of large animals. Similar finds are found in many European countries, and the most ancient "skates" were found on the banks of the Southern Bug

Invention of skates (prehistoric times)

The origins of speed skating lie in the distant past, and are rooted in bronze age (the end of the 4th - the beginning of the 1st millennium BC), this is evidenced by the finds of archaeologists - bone skates made from the phalanxes of the limbs of large animals. Similar finds are found in many countries. Europe , and the most ancient skates » were discovered on the shore Southern Bug near Odessa. Even such primitive designs gave the traveler or hunter a gain in speed, but they were not yet suitable for figure riding.

Origin (XVI-XIX century)

The birth of figure skating as a sport is associated with the moment when skates began to be made from iron, not bone . According to research, this happened for the first time in Holland, in the XII - XIV century . Initially, figure skating was a competition in the skill to draw various figures on the ice, while maintaining a beautiful pose.

The first figure skating clubs appeared in the 18th century in the British Empire in Edinburgh (1742 G.). There was also developed a list of obligatory figures for the competition, and the first official rules of the competition. Artillery Lieutenant Robert Jones published A Treatise on Skating ( 1772 d.), in which he described all the main figures that were then known .

From Europe figure skating got into USA and Canada where it has been greatly developed. Numerous figure skaters' clubs were created here, new models of skates were developed, and their own school of technology was created. By the middle of the 19th century, almost all modernobligatory figures and the basic techniques for their performance, as evidenced by the book "The Art of Skating" by D. Anderson, president of the city's skating club Glasgow , and the work of X. Vanderwell and T. Maxwell Whitman from London . These books contain descriptions of alleights, triples, hooks and other simple maneuvers figure skating.

At that time, figure skating was performed in a prim "English" style. American Jackson Haynes (in another transcription Heinz; 1840 — 1875 ), a dancer and a skater, combined both and got his own style of skating: riding to music, dance moves and " tops " on ice. The skates, attached to the shoes with straps, could not withstand such loads, then he - one of the first - screwed them tightly to the boots. However, in Puritan America, this style was not accepted, and in the 60s 19th century he went on tour to Europe. The tour went "with a bang"Nikolai Alexandrovich Panin-Kolomenkin wrote:

First championships (late 19th century)

At the 1st Speed ​​Skating Congress in 1871 figure skating has been recognized as a sport.

In 1882 in Vienna The first official figure skating competition in Europe took place. True, initially, as Mishin A.N. notes, “it was a kind of behind-the-scenes competition,” since only a few athletes took part in them.

But the approach to competitions changed after the best figure skaters from all over the world were invited to the competitions in St. Petersburg in 1890, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the ice rink in the Yusupov Garden. The following arrived in St. Petersburg: US champion L. Rubenstein, German champion F. Kaiser, the best skaters from Sweden, Austria, Finland, England, Holland, Sweden, Norway. The competitions acquired the status of an "unofficial world championship", the winner of these competitions in all types of the program was an honorary member of the "Petersburg Society of Skating Fans"Alexey Pavlovich Lebedev .

The next year in 1891 in Hamburg, held first European Championship in men's single skating (won the German figure skater Oskar Uhlig).

But the demonstration of the international scope and potential of figure skating, shown at the competitions in St. Petersburg, haunted. Therefore, already in 1892 was created International Skating Union (ISU), which was supposed to lead the organization of international competitions.

Four years later, in 1896, in St. Petersburg took place first world championship in figure skating (winner - Gilbert Fuchs, German Empire). In 1903, in honor of the 200th anniversary Petersburg "Petersburg Society of Skating Fans" was granted the right to hold the 8th World Cup (1st place - Swede Ulrich Salchow, 2nd - Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin ).

It is not known for certain who first provided figure skates with a tooth. Heinz skates had a rounded toe (similar skates were known in the USSR under the name “snow maidens”), Salkhov had a tooth, and Panin’s skates had a sharp stop resembling a compass needle.

The first figure skating competitions were held only amongmale singles , female figure skaters got the opportunity to participate in the world championships only after 10 years. True, in 1901, under public pressure, ISU as an exception, allowed an English woman to participate in men's competitions Madge Sayers.

Development (1900-1960)

Officially the first world championship among female single skaters took place at the end of January 1906 in Davos (Switzerland). Mandatory figures for women and men were similar, but women's free skating immediately attracted the attention of high artistry, plasticity and musicality of movements.

Obviously, pair figure skating appeared immediately after Haines demonstrated how to dance on ice; already in 1897 it was codified as a sport. But officially the first competitions were held only in 1908 in St. Petersburg . German figure skaters Anna Hubler and Heinrich Burger went down in history as the first Olympic champions in pair skating.

The most titled of the pre-war figure skaters is a single skater Sonya Henie (Norway). Brilliantly trained both as a skater and as a dancer, Sonya took women's skating to new heights - her free programs at that time were unattainably complex, more like ballet . No wonder she won ten world championships and three olympiads before turning pro. Of the men, the Austrian achieved the greatest heights Carl Schaefer.

In pair skating, in the 1920s and 30s, there was a struggle between “trickists” and “anti-trickists”. The first at first stood out spectacular, though not difficult to perform, support , which do not require a woman to have a special ability to skate, the second - the well-coordinated ride of both partners. In the end, the “anti-trickists” took the leading place.

Before the war, jumping was considered "aerobatics", not accessible to everyone. Even world-class skaters got by with two or three jumps per program. IN 1948 Dick Button made a revolution by introducing a free program, full of jumps, including a double Axel. Since then, jumping has firmly established itself in the arsenal of figure skaters.

Sports dancing on ice originated in the 1930s in Great Britain, and then spread throughout the world. IN 1952 sports dances were included in the programworld championships and Europe . For the first 10 years, all major international competitions were won by British figure skaters. To the programwinter olympic games ice dancing was included with 1976 .

Heyday (1960-2000)

In 1961 tragedy struck: the entire US teamdied in a plane crash . This ended US dominance in figure skating.

The ice dancing revolution was made by Czech brother and sister Eva Romanova and Pavel Roman . They preferred to dance to boisterous Latin American rhythms; their productions at that time sounded defiant, but they managed to defend their creative views, becoming 4-time world champions ( 1962 — 1965 ).

With the advent of television a paradox arose.Mandatory figures were an extremely boring discipline, television people preferred to showfree program . Often there was a situation: the skater got a huge lead in the compulsory figures (which gave 60% of the points), rolled back a nondescript free program and became the winner, bypassing the “public favorites” (this is known, for example, Beatrice Shuba). In 1968 the first step was taken: the cost of compulsory figures was reduced to 50%. IN 1972 added short program giving 20%. By 1990 compulsory figures, short program and free program were already estimated at 20:30:50. WITH 1991 obligatory figures were abolished completely.

The complexity of the programs increased rapidly: Belousova and Protopopov demonstrated new options todesa ; Rodnina with Ulanov - unusual combinations of jumps. Triples became standard. jumps and ejections. In 1988 to Kurt Browning the first quadruple jump was counted - sheepskin coat.

Almost the entire podium in pair skating was occupied by the USSR and Russia: Belousova - Protopopov, Rodnina - Ulanov / Zaitsev, Valova - Vasiliev, Gordeeva — Grinkov, Berezhnaya - Sikharulidze ... The USSR also had no equal in dancing: couples Pakhomova - Gorshkov, Linichuk —Karponosov and Bestemyanova - Bukin brought the Soviet country many first places.

In women's skating, the "rules of the ball" school Jutta Müller (GDR ), which gave such athletes as Seifert, Pötsch and Witt . In the 1990s, they temporarily regained their positions USA . The United States and Canada held the most championship titles among men: Hamilton, Orser, Boitano, Browning, Stojko . In the post-Soviet years, success came to the coach Alexey Mishin who trained such athletes as Urmanov, Yagudin and Plushenko.

Modernity (2000 - present)

According to the arbitrator S. Bianchetti , the time of such programs as " Chaplin » Berezhnoy -Sikharulidze, unfortunately, has passed.

Figure skating borders on art and therefore, in principle, cannot have any objective indicators of “who is better”. When the strengths of the athletes are close, often the fate of the medal is determined by the subjective decision of one or two judges. In such a situation, conspiracies are not uncommon.One of them was opened on Winter Olympics 2002 (Salt Lake City). This was the impetus for the emergenceNew Judicial System . The effect was twofold: on the one hand, an end was put to " undercuts » across the entire ice rink; even short runs the athlete tries to turn into a small step sequence . On the other hand, the theatricality has disappeared, the programs of different participants have become more and more similar to each other: athletes prefer to perform not beautiful and unusual figures, but those for which they give more points.

Although the New Grading System has informal records , they do not make much sense: throughout the 2000s, the system was worked out andbalanced .

In men's skating, the first places were taken byEvgeni Plushenko, Stéphane Lambiel and Brian Joubert . At the 2010 Olympics sensationally won by an American Evan Lysacek. In the women's - Irina Slutskaya, Miki Ando, ​​Kim Yong Ah and Mao Asada . In pair skating, a pair received well-deserved victories Totmyanina - Marinin ; also note the Chinese Pang Qing - Tong Jian, Shen Xue —Zhao Hongbo and an international couple Savchenko —Sholkovs. The most titled of the dance couples of recent times - Navka - Kostomarov.

Despite the fact that today most of the sportsprofessionalized , the ISU still retains the amateur status of competitive skating. IN world championship and Olympic Games Professionals are not allowed to enter. IN 2010 Plushenko was disqualified for professionalism.

The situation in the USSR and Russia

Figure skating in Russia has been known since time Peter I . The Russian Tsar brought the first models of skates from Europe. It was Peter I who invented new way fastenings of skates - directly to the boots and thus created the "protomodel" of today's equipment for skaters.

In 1838, the first textbook was published in St. for figure skaters - "Winter fun and the art of skating." Its author was G.M. Pauli - teacher gymnastics in military educational institutions of St. Petersburg.

Russian figure skating as a sport originated in 1865 . Then a public skating rink was opened in the Yusupov Garden on Sadovaya Street. This skating rink was the most comfortable in Russia and from the very first days it became a center for the training of figure skaters. On him March 5, 1878 the first competition of Russian figure skaters took place. IN 1881 The Society of Skating Fans consisted of about 30 people. One of the most famous sports and public figures was the Honorary Member of this society Vyacheslav Izmailovich Sreznevsky.

When the revolutionary devastation ended, figure skating began to gain strength again - albeit in isolation from the rest of the world. IN 1924 in the first championship USSR won by Alexandra Bykovskaya and Yuri Zeldovich , then the pair competitions at the championships were held intermittently, however, the Soviet school received great development after the appearance of two outstanding pairs: Raisa Novozhilova - Boris Gandelsman (won the USSR championship, including in 1937 and 1939) andTatyana Granatkina (Tolmacheva) - Alexander Tolmachev (according to various sources, perhaps in 1937-38, 1941, 1945-52).

In the 1960s years - after a half-century break - Russia reappeared on the world stage. The first to inscribe their names in the annals of historyLudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov . However, Soviet books prefer to remain silent about their merits - in In 1979 they became " defectors". Irina Rodnina (with two different partners) repeated the achievement Henie , becoming a 10-time world champion and 3-time Olympic champion.

The end of the 20th century was dominated by USSR and Russia in figure skating. In pair skating, Russia was generally out of competition, having received "gold" in all the Olympic Games since 1964 to 2006 However, having a huge advantage over the rest in pairs and dance skating and strong men, the USSR never won a single gold medal in women's skating. Came closest to the coveted title Kira Ivanova (silver at the World Championships, bronze at the Olympic Games). Already in post-Soviet Russia women's championship peace won Synchronized figure skating - the newest discipline of figure skating. IN modern form synchronized skating appeared in the 60s in the USA, although the idea of ​​group skating appeared much earlier. For example, in Russia, group skating competitions (pairs, fours, eights) were held back in the mid-20s. last century , but then this species did not receive popularity. In the United States, this kind began to develop as entertainment for spectators during breaks. hockey games. It turned out that synchronized skating is very bright and interesting view sports.

The first official synchronized figure skating competition took place in 1976 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. IN 1994

History of figure skating

Since ancient times, figure skating has been popular view recreation. Rolled usually on frozen rivers, lakes, ponds. In the second half of the 19th century, in such major Russian cities as St. Petersburg, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Voronezh, sites began to be fenced off for these purposes and specially flooded. The first such skating rink appeared in St. Petersburg in 1865 The ponds of the Yusupov Garden (now the garden of the Oktyabrsky District) were adapted for it. It was there that the first Russian athletes began to systematically engage in figure skating, united in 1877 Petersburg Society of Ice Skating Fans.

In 1890On the ice of Yusupov Garden, the first unofficial world championship was played, in which the strongest figure skaters from Russia, the USA, Austria, Germany, and Sweden took part. In all sections of skating, A.P. was the strongest. Lebedev. The skating of this outstanding Russian athlete was distinguished by high technique, precision of movements, and amazing grace.

Speeches by A.P. Lebedev, his pedagogical and social activity influenced the formation of the so-called international style of skating. Representatives of the Austrian school, figure skaters from Norway, Sweden, Germany, England and the USA contributed to the development of figure skating as a sport. Organizationally, he took shape in 1892, the International Skating Union (ISU) was created. At the same time, at the ISU Congress, the rules for holding international competitions were approved, and the procedure for drawing the European Championship was determined.

In 1896ISU decided to hold world championships. The right to organize the first competitions at such high level was granted to the St. Petersburg Society of Ice Skating Fans. The competition took place on the ice of the Yusupov Garden. The bronze medalist of the European Championship German G. Fuchs, "Yusupovites" G. Sanders and N. Poduskov came to the start. G. Fuchs became the winner, G. Sanders and N. Poduskov lost both in the “school” and in free skating. G. Sanders was the first in the performance of spiral figures - a special section of figure skating. His figures were considered the most beautiful and the most complex.

The 1896 World Championship became a kind of incentive for the development of educational work at the skating rink in the Yusupov Garden. It was continued by Panin, relying on the traditions laid down by A.P. Lebedev. Systematic and hard work soon paid off. Panin himself participated in the first Russian figure skating championships and in 1901 replaced the first Russian champion A.N. Panshin, who won this title in 1897-1900 The winner perfectly performed school figures, in free skating he demonstrated high artistic skills and plasticity. His style of skating was in many ways reminiscent of the manner of the “grandfather of Russian figure skaters” A.P. Lebedev. Panin won the title of champion of Russia and in 1902, And in 1903. They talked about him abroad.

In 1903The 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg was celebrated and the committee of the International Skating Union instructed the St. Petersburg Society of Skating Fans to hold the drawing of the next world championship. A school of figure skaters was created at the Yusupov Garden skating rink. Invited from Austria famous coach V. Seibert. Under his leadership, N.A. Panin, F.I. Duttin, K.A. Ollo and other Petersburg figure skaters.

The 1903 World Championship brought together a strong line-up of participants. Had arrived two-time champion world champion Swede U. Salkhov, ex-world champion German G. Fuchs, Austrian champion M. Bogach and German champion E. Lassan. From Russia, N.A. Panin. The first place was then taken by U. Salkhov, the second - by N.A. Panin.

Three more times N. Panin was the champion of Russia, repeatedly took high places at the European and world championships. In 1908 he decided to stop performing and devote himself coaching. And yet he had to go out on the ice. In February, in the competition for the prize of A.N. Panshin on the ice of Yusupov Garden, he entered into combat with the seven-time world champion U. Salkhov. In the overall standings, N. Panin was ahead of the famous figure skater and took first place.

Fate brought them together again in the same year in London at the IV Olympic Games. Due to the fuzzy refereeing of compulsory exercises, N.A. Panin had to give up free skating. In competitions in special figures, he demonstrated amazing skill, impeccably executed all the drawings invented by him on ice and became the first Russian Olympic champion.

After the Olympic Games, N.A. Panin switched to teaching and coaching. Soon, his students also achieved great success: K.A. Ollo won the Russian championship in 1910, 1911, 1912; K.G. Caesar won all the national championships from 1911 to 1915.

Serious success was achieved by "Yusupov" and at the European Championship 1911, which was played out on their ice. K.A. Ollo then took second place. In competitions among women, K.G. Caesar was second, L.P. Popova is third.

Petersburg was one of the centers of formation of the international style of figure skating. The success of original skating A.P. Lebedev, the first Olympic gold medal in Russia by N.A. Panin and the success of a group of skaters who became coaches after the Great October Socialist Revolution were the main milestones in the development of skating at that time.

It is important to note the appearance in 1910 labor N.A. Panin "Figure Skating (International Style)", in which the author summarized the material accumulated by the end of the first decade of the 20th century in the field of figure skating technique and methodology. This work laid the foundation for the theory of figure skating.

The Great October Socialist Revolution determined the further development of figure skating as part of the country's physical culture. In general, figure skating has gone through a difficult path of development, becoming one of the most popular sports.

In the first years after the victory of the Great October Revolution, all work in physical culture and sports was subordinated to the main task of preparing soldiers for the fronts of the civil war. But even in a terrible time, according to N.A. Panin, fans of figure skating found the opportunity to allocate time for classes.

In 1920The first figure skating competitions were organized at the skating rink at the Semyonovsky Plaza hippodrome.

In 1923-1924.took place demonstration performances figure skaters at the Yusupov Garden skating rink. They were attended by L.P. Popov K.G. Caesar, A.D. Konopatova, I.I. Epiphany.

In 1926figure skating sections were created in Leningrad and Moscow, new areas for figure skaters appeared. A special role in the development of this sport was played by the school of figure skating - the so-called Seminary of Figure Skating Instructors.

The names of such figure skaters as Yu. Zeldovich, I. Bogoyavlensky, P. Chernyshev, M. Petrova, E. Oborina, A. Bykovskaya, T. Kuznetsova, M. Stankevich, R. and A. Gandelsman were widely known in the pre-war years .

After the Great Patriotic War began to work actively sections of voluntary sports societies "Dynamo", "Spartak: DSO trade unions in Moscow, Leningrad and Tallinn. A group of specialization in figure skating was organized at the Institute of Physical Culture. P.F. Lesgaft (Leningrad). A talented group of skaters appeared, mastering more and more complex programs, especially in pair skating.
The national champions in these years among women were V. Paduri, Yu. Nikolaeva, N. Kartavenko, T. Likharev, among men I. Mitrushchenkov, V. Zakharov, I. Persiansev, in pair skating - T. Granatkina and A. Tolmachev, M. Granatkia and V. Zakharov, M. Belenkaya and I. Moskvin.

In the 50s.a certain experience of training work has already been accumulated, especially in pair skating. Soviet figure skaters had the opportunity to try their hand at the international arena.

In 1956Soviet skaters first entered the European ice, but the first big success was achieved in Bratislava in 1958- N. and S. Zhuk won the first medals and immediately silver medals! Another Soviet couple - L. Belousova and O. Protopopov demonstrated a lyrical, full of grace program and took 10th place. For the first time participating in the same year the world championship in Paris, N. and S. Zhuk took 8th, and L. Belousova and O. Protopopov 13th place. A good school for Soviet figure skaters was their participation in the VIII Olympic Games in Squaw Valley. in 1960 Our first pair - N. and S. Zhuk took 6th place, L. Belousova and O. Protopopov - 9th.

During these years, among the strongest skaters in the country were: Bogdanova, E. Osipova (Tchaikovskaya), T. Likhareva, T. Nemtsova, T. Bratus (Moskvina), L. Mikhailov, V. Meshkov and A. Vedenin, L. Gerasimova and Y. Kiselev.

The real triumph of the Soviet school of figure skating was the IX Olympic Games, where L. Belousova and O. Protopopov won gold medals, and the young debutants of the Olympics - T. Zhuk and A. Gavrilov took 5th place.

The names of our skaters I. Rodnina and A. Ulanov, and then Zaitsev, T. Moskvina and A. Mishin, T. Zhuk and A. Gorelik, Smirnova and A. Suraykin, T. Karelina and G. Proskurin in pair skating, and Grishkova and V. Ryzhkina, L. Pakhomova and Gorshkova in ice dancing, S. Chetverukhina in single skating are firmly included in the lists of the strongest in the world.

The construction of indoor ice rinks, the extraordinary expansion of the geography of figure skating, and the extensive information on television and in the cinema contributed to the great popularity of all types of figure skating. Along with the mass character, the skill of figure skaters has now greatly increased. Independence from weather conditions helped to significantly intensify the learning process, to devote more time to creative searches. Modern sound recording, creative contacts between the coach and the choreographer made it possible to improve the musical and choreographic culture of classes, played essential role in the growth of the skill of figure skaters.

A special role in this process belongs to the trainers S. Zhuk, E. Chaikovskaya, I. Moskvin and others.

Figure skating is probably the most beautiful and fascinating sport of the winter Olympic program. There are a lot of figure skating fans in the world. The history of figure skating is very old, but all fans of this sport should know it.

Charles Edouard Boutibonne (1816-1897)

Historians look into the very distant past to find the origins of figure skating. The most ancient skates were found on the banks of the Southern Bug, not far from Odessa, dating back to the Bronze Age. Such skates, apparently, were made from the phalanx of the front legs of horses. Similar bone skates were found during archaeological excavations in many European countries. Of course, the owners of bone skates could not lay the foundations for the future of figure skating. For this, completely different skates should have appeared - made of iron.

Studenikin Yuri. "Dutch landscape" 2004

It is believed that the birthplace of figure skating is Holland. It was there, in the XIII - XIY centuries, that the first iron skates appeared. The appearance of a new type of skates gave a powerful impetus to the development of figure skating, which at that time consisted in the ability to draw intricate figures on the ice and maintain a beautiful pose at the same time.

The very first edition of the rules for figure skating, published in England, dates back to 1772. The English artillery lieutenant Robert Jones published a Treatise on Skating, in which he described all the main figures that were then known. The fact that all compulsory figures were created in Great Britain is explained by the fact that it was here that the first skating clubs arose (Edinburgh, 1742) and the first official rules for the competition were developed.

And in 1882. Vienna hosted the first international competition in Europe. The Viennese won a great victory.

Representatives of the Austrian school, figure skaters from Norway, Sweden, Germany, England and the USA contributed to the development of figure skating as a sport.

In the development of figure skating in Europe and, in particular, in Russia, a figure skater from America, Jaxon Heinz, played a big role. His tours of the skating rinks of Europe aroused the admiration of fans of this sport. Historians unanimously recognize him as the founder of the modern international style of figure skating. In February 1890 in honor of the 25th anniversary of the St. Petersburg Yusupov ice rink, it was decided to arrange sports competition, inviting the strongest figure skaters in Europe and America.

Winter.-Katok.-1915 Konstantin Somov

In terms of its composition, it was actually the first unofficial world championship. Of the 8 participants who competed for the title of the best figure skater in the world for 3 days, A.P. Lebedev, a wonderful Russian athlete, was the strongest in all sections of skating.

The successful completion of the competitions in St. Petersburg largely accelerated the organization of the first European and world championships, the creation of the International Skating Union (ISU) in 1892. At the same time, at the ISU Congress, the rules for holding international competitions were approved, and the procedure for drawing the European Championship was determined.

The ISU approved the rules for holding international competitions, and determined the procedure for drawing the European Championship.

Studenikin Yuri. "Ice crush" 2005

In 1896 ISU decided to hold world championships. In honor of the recognition of the special merits of Russia, St. Petersburg was chosen as the venue for the first official world championship. Only 4 participants took to the ice: Austrian G. Hugel, silver medalist of the European Championships, German G. Fuks, bronze medalist of the European Championships, and Russian figure skaters G. Sanders and N. Poduskov. The figure skater from Munich G. Fuchs became the winner.

This is how men's single skating took shape as a sport approved at the first skating congress in America, and then in Europe by the Vienna Skating Society (1871).

Smith Walter Granville Two ladies ice skating in Central Park. 1892

At the beginning of the century, Salchow, Lutz, Rittberger, Axel Paulsen invented their own jumps, and the skaters, in gratitude for this, left their names in the names of the elements.

Women's single skating was formed later. Officially, this happened at the end of January 1906. in Davos (Switzerland). Compulsory exercises for women and men were similar, but women's free skating immediately attracted the attention of high artistry, plasticity and musicality of movements. Official championships peace among women began in 1924. Since 1930 the world championships in figure skating among women and men are held jointly at the same time.

Soon pair (mixed) skating appeared. The international championship in pair skating was first played in 1908. in St. Petersburg. German figure skaters went down in history as the first owners of gold medals in pair skating.

The third type of figure skating - sports dancing on ice - was born much later in England. Only in 1952. in Paris, the dancers played their awards for the first time, the British were the strongest.

Western European painting.zapadnoevro katanie na konkah.

Synchronized skating competitions have gained the greatest popularity in recent years. This sport has become widespread in Canada, the USA, Sweden, Finland, England, and France. Since 1983 In Canada, the annual Canadian Championships in synchronized skating began to be held. And in 1988. these competitions were held in conjunction with competitions in the main types of figure skating. A significant number of spectators are also gathered by the competitions of fours, where representatives of pair skating perform. In Canada, such performances first took place in 1914. and were regularly held until 1964, and they resumed in 1981. At the 1991 ISU Congress began to consider the issue of holding international competitions under the auspices of the ISU. The following year, a positive decision was made. Currently, the leaders in this type of figure skating are Canadian and American teams.

We can say that single skating is the basis of the diverse types of figure skating.

Axel Ender Young girl skating on a frozen lake, Norway

At first, world tournaments were attended by only a few athletes. But the popularity of figure skating grew, and already in 1908. Figure skating competitions were included for the first time in the program of the 4th Summer Olympic Games held in London. Even then, Olympians competed on artificial ice. By the way, the first artificial ice rink was built in England in 1876. designed by D. Pictet.

The first Olympic champions in single skating in 1908. became M.Sayers (Great Britain), U.Salkhov (Sweden), P.Kolomenkin (Russia) and the sports couple A.Hubler - G.Burger (Germany).

Figure skating was also included in the program of the YII Summer Olympic Games in 1920, subsequently it was presented at all winter Olympic Games. The Olympic championship was played in singles (men's and women's) and pair skating. In 1976 Ice dancing was included in the Olympic program. The first figure skating competitions were held with the advantage of Scandinavian and English athletes, later the figure skaters of Austria and the USA began to perform successfully. In pair skating and sports dancing, the Russian school is a leader in the international arena.

ALSLOOT, Denis van Skating during Carnival
c. 1620 Museo del Prado, Madrid

outstanding success in Olympic competitions achieved Gillis Grafstrem (Sweden), who won 3 gold and 1 silver medal, three-time Olympic champion Sonya Henie (Norway) and Irina Rodnina (Russia).

Figure skating in Russia has been popular since the time of Peter I. The Russian Tsar brought home the first samples of skates to Europe. It was Peter who came up with a new way of fastening skates - directly to the boots, and thus created the prototype of today's equipment for skaters. Probably, the name "skates" arose because the front of the wooden "runners" was usually decorated with a horse's head. In 1938 Petersburg, the first textbook for figure skaters was published - “Winter Fun and the Art of Skating”. Its author was G.M. Pauli is a gymnastics teacher in the military schools of St. Petersburg. A surge, interest in figure skating occurred after a European tour American figure skater Jaxon Gaines. He showed unexpected possibilities of performing the most impetuous figures in the most graceful movements of the body.

PAVLOVA Oksana - Skating rink

Actually Russian skating originated in 1865. Then a public skating rink was opened in the Yusupov Garden on Sadovaya Street, which from the very first days became the center for the training of figure skaters. The skating rink was the most comfortable in Russia. On it March 5, 1978. the first competition of Russian figure skaters took place. The Society of Skating Fans, organized in St. Petersburg in 1881, included about 30 people. One of the most famous sports and public figures was the Honorary Member of this society Vyacheslav Izmailovich Sreznevsky. A good sportsman himself (he performed and was among the judges at international competitions), he did a lot to improve the technique and build the theory of figure skating.

Alexey Pavlovich Lebedev, who in our country is called the "grandfather of Russian figure skating", was an honorary member and prominent figure of the St. Petersburg "Society of Skating Fans". It was he who became the first champion of the unofficial world championship, held in St. Petersburg in 1890. Although he learned his craft from books, he impressed the judges and the audience with his gliding technique in all three numbers of the program. Lebedev was awarded three gold medals.
Since 1896 he began to engage in pedagogical work and became the first coach and teacher of N.A. Kolomenkin.

The First Skating-Lesson.

Another idol of sports youth at the end of the last century is Alexander Nikitich Panshin. He was the first Russian champion to win this title in 1897-1900. The unique athlete also won international competitions. But he began his career as a figure skater at the age of 39!
February 9, 1896 Petersburg hosted the first world championship in figure skating. He became a kind of incentive in the deployment of educational work at the skating rink in the Yusupov Garden. It was continued by N.A. Panin - Kolomenkin. He participated in the first championships of Russia in figure skating, won the title of champion of Russia in 1901-1903. at the 1908 Olympic Games. in London becomes the first Olympic champion of Russia.

Y.Denisov

ON THE. Panin-Kolomenkin and his students immediately after the revolution began to create figure skating sections. In 1920 the first competitions were organized at the skating rink of the hippodrome of the Semenovsky parade ground. Since the mid 20s. the championships of Moscow and Leningrad began to be held regularly.
In March 1924 the championship of the USSR took place. The program included men's singles competitions and sports couples. The performances were accompanied by a brass band, in severe frosts the pipes froze and fell silent, only the drum sounded, to the sounds of which the performances took place. The championships of the country in those years were not held regularly, they became permanent after in 1936. a section (later - a federation) of figure skating was created.

Immediately after the war, figure skating schools began to open in Moscow, Leningrad, and Sverdlovsk. In 1955 The first post-war international figure skating competitions took place in Moscow, in which representatives of Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the GDR, Poland and the USSR took part. A year later, the strongest figure skaters of the USSR for the first time after the war took part in the European Championship, which took place in Paris. The following year, the anniversary European Championship was held in Czechoslovakia. Soviet team For the first time she took part in all types of figure skating.

Central Park Winter, lithograph by Currier and Ives, 1862.

At present, we can say that our school of figure skating is leading in the international arena. The proof of this is the unconditional victory of Russian figure skaters at the 1999 European and World Championships. At the World Championships in Helsinki (1999), representatives of our country won all the gold medals. Of the twelve prizes, half ended up in Russia.

Studenikin Yury. "Ice crush" 1995

Modern figure skating includes four independent types: single skating (men's and women's), pair skating, ice dancing and synchronized skating. Despite the fact that they all have much in common, and before that they are united by skating with figures to the music on the ice rink standard size each type is unique. It is no coincidence that competitions are held in each of its types separately from each other. And the competition rules are drawn up by the International Skating Union for each type of figure skating separately.

Studenikin Yuri." By hard ice"2000

Single skating is divided into:
1) a mandatory program,
2) short program,
3) free skating.

Compulsory figures are called "school", this emphasizes that they are the ABC of skating. Now in single skating there is a tendency to increase the role and importance of free skating, where the fullest disclosure of the skater's capabilities takes place.

Henry Reburn. Portrait of Pastor R. Walker on skates. 1784. Edinburgh, National Gallery of Scotland.

Soviet single skaters had to catch up with their foreign rivals. In the 50-60s. in the USA, Canada, France, Austria, Germany, Czechoslovakia, a brilliant galaxy of single skating masters has grown up. For many years, our positions in all international forums in single skating left much to be desired.

Studenikin Yuri. "In the rays of sunset" 2004

And the pioneer in men's single skating was S. Chetverukhin. It was he who managed to become the first among our single skaters silver medalist World, European and Olympic Games Championships (Sapporo 1972). The next generation has managed to conquer top honors. At the European Championship - 75g. this was the first time that V. Kovalev managed to do this. A month later, S. Volkov took the lead at the World Championships. In 1977 and 1979 V. Kovalev became the world champion. At the 1976 Olympic Games he won silver, and a year later, at the World Championships in Tokyo, Kovalev proved that he was the strongest in single skating.

By the end of the 70s. on sports arena goes one of the talented athletes I. Bobrin. In 1981 he becomes European champion for the first time. At the 1981 World Championships in the USA, he honorably defended the title of the strongest figure skater in Europe, taking third place.

Studenikin Yuri. "City on skates" 2004

In 1988 at the Olympic Games were the champion of the USSR, the world champion in 1985. A. Fadeev, who took fourth place, and a single skater from Odessa V. Petrenko, who brought the Soviet team bronze medal. big win The CIS national team brought a gold medal to V. Petrenko at the XYI Winter Olympic Games in Albertville in 1992. For the first time in the history of national single skating (after Panin-Kolomenkin), a representative of our team climbed to the top step of the podium. In 1994 second gold Olympic medal at the XYII games brought Russian team A. Urmanov.

Studenikin Yuri. "Skate Lovers" 1995

INTERESTING FACTS FROM THE HISTORY OF FIGURE SKATING

English princess Mary in the middle of the nineteenth century. brought into fashion a new costume for figure skaters: a long dress was tucked in half, and, thus, athletes could skate in a short skirt.

In France, Queen Marie Antoinette was considered the most sophisticated figure skater, who skated better than many men.

One of the first to appreciate the beauty of figure skating was the great German poet Wolfgang Goethe. In numerous conversations with the poet Klopstock, he analyzed the merits of poetry along with the merits of beautiful elements figure skating.

The English King James II specially traveled to Holland to study the style of local figure skaters.
The famous English writer Walter Scott was also fond of figure skating. He was one of the initiators of the first competitions among the most elegant and graceful lovers of this sport at the beginning of the 19th century.

The great Russian writer Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a frequent visitor to the ice skating rink. In the novel Anna Karenina, he described several scenes at the skating rink, which were inspired by his personal impressions.

The famous mathematician Sofya Vasilievna Kovalevskaya got on figure skates for the first time, being already an adult woman, a professor at the Stockholm Royal University. The Swedish professor Lefleur undertook to teach her the technique of sliding and every day went with Kovalevskaya to the skating rink. Sofya Vasilievna was very proud of her first successes on the ice, and heatedly discussed all the new elements. Within a few years, she made great progress and was considered a virtuoso among the visitors to the skating rink in Stockholm.

Sonya Henie was born April 8, 1912, a Norwegian athlete (figure skating). First triple Olympic champion in the history of figure skating (1928, 1932, 1936 - an absolute record in single skating). Multiple winner of the world championships (1927-1936) and Europe (1931-1936).
Leaving amateur sports in 1936, she became the star of Hollywood ballet on ice. In 1937–1945 starred in 10 films in Hollywood (including Sun Valley Serenade). She became an American citizen in 1941. Together with her husband, she founded the Museum of Modern Art in Blommenholm, near Oslo. Died October 12, 1969.