There are curling clubs or associations in most countries in western Europe. World championships have been held since 1959, the Canadians usually dominating them. Curling was a part of the inaugural Winter Olympic Games held in Chamonix, France, in 1924, but that event was not considered official by the International Olympic Committee until 2006. After having been a demonstration sport at three subsequent Olympic Winter Games, curling was finally added as a full medal sport for the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan.
The rink is approximately 42.1 metres (138 feet) long and 4.2 metres (14 feet) wide, though measurements may vary. The houses are 3.6 metres (12 feet) in diameter, and their centres are 34.7 metres (114 feet) from each other. A scorable stone must come to a rest between the hog line (located 6.4 metres [21 feet] before the tee) and the back line (which runs across the back of the house). The hack, a rubber block used by the curler to get a push, is located behind the back line. The stone weighs an average of 18.1 kg (40 pounds) and cannot exceed 19.9 kg (44 pounds); its circumference cannot be more than 91.4 cm (36 inches), and its minimum height is 11.4 cm (4.5 inches).
ice skating, the recreation and sport of gliding across an ice surface on blades fixed to the bottoms of shoes (skates). The activity of ice skating has given rise to two distinctive sports: figure skating, which involves the performance of various jumps, spins, and dance movements; and speed skating and short-track speed skating, both of which are forms of racing on ice skates. Ice hockey is the best-known team sport that involves skating.
(Read Scott Hamilton’s Britannica entry on figure skating.)
Ice skating probably developed in Scandinavia as early as 1000 BCE, the first skates being made from shank or rib bones of elk, oxen, reindeer, and other animals. It is not known when the metal runner was introduced, but early Dutch prints depict skates with metal blades. Until the middle of the 19th century the metal portion of the skate was fastened to a wooden base or footplate and the whole of the skate was fastened to the foot with leather thongs or straps. A major improvement came from the United States in 1850 when E.W. Bushnell of Philadelphia introduced the all-steel skate, which replaced the cumbersome wooden footplate. The main developments in the figure skate after 1900 were the addition of the toe pick, a group of sawlike teeth located at the toe of the blade, which enabled skaters to obtain better purchase in the ice when doing certain jumps, and the innovation of the “closed-toe” blade of one-piece steel, which added strength to the skate and permitted a much lighter-weight blade.
The contemporary figure skate, which is the type best suited for general pleasure skating as well as for figure skating, is easily distinguished from other skates by the toe pick at the front of its blade. The blade itself is about 4 mm (about 0.157 inch) wide. A hollow ridge along the blade emphasizes its two sharpened outer edges; these are the surfaces on which skating movements are made. The blade is approximately the same length as the boot or shoe to which it is attached. The boot, which is usually black for men and white for women, has a strong, reinforced arch support and a stiffening material around the heel and under the arch. The speed skate is low-cut, allowing for freer movement of the ankle. Its blade is much longer than the shoe (usually between 42 and 46 cm [16.5 and 18 inches] long for men) and only 1 mm (0.039 inch) thick. The hockey skate is a hard, protective boot with a short blade that is curved at the ends to allow for quick turns.
As a recreation skating has been continuously practiced on the canals of the Netherlands since the Middle Ages by both males and females. Skating on the frozen ponds and fens was popular in England in the 17th century, and the first skating club was formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1742. In the 1740s British servicemen introduced ice skating to North America. It was also popular at the French court about 1776; Marie-Antoinette was among the skaters. Napoleon Bonaparte skated at Auxerre in 1781.
The development of refrigerated ice rinks started the transformation of ice skating from a seasonal pastime to a major sport and entertainment. The first rink with artificially frozen ice, a private one, the Glaciarium, was opened in London in 1876. The first artificially frozen rink in the United States was installed in the old Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1879. Throughout the century more and more public rinks with artificially produced ice appeared. The ability to create sheets of ice inside large arenas gave rise to both skating sports and ice shows, which became a popular family entertainment in the 20th century. It also allowed for ice skating to spread to regions with warm climates.
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