Long Track Speed Skating Primer

Long track speed skating has become a popular sport thru the years when it originally started as a simple way to get from one place to another. During the early 1900s, the people in Scandinavian countries discovered that they could travel faster through the ice by means of skating. The first skates that were made were from animal bones that were attached to the soles of their shoes and it was an effective way to move across the ice.

Speed skating, which is another term used for track skating, officially became an Olympic sport during the 1924 winter games that was held in France. The sport became famous during the latter years especially in countries like the Netherlands and Norway. One of the main components of the sport is rhythm. The skater swings his arms alternately in order to gain faster speed in skating. The event is held in an oval rink covered with 400 meters of ice where the skaters compete in twos, skating counterclockwise then changing lanes once after each lap.

Fans from all over the United States will be rooting for Trevor Marsicano who topped the world record last March for the 1,000 meter dash. The other athletes from the US that you should watch out for are JRCelski, Rebekah Bradford and Marcia Lamb. Canada will be the host country. It boasts of some of their strong athletes for this competition. They are Kristina Groves, Denny Morrison and Christine Nesbitt. The speed skating event will be included in the winter games.

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