the.com/ice skate
a knife you strap to your foot and trust completely
means To glide across ice on bladed boots, propelling yourself by edging and pushing — or the boot-and-blade contraption that lets you do it.
from "Skate" comes from Dutch "schaats," itself from Old French "escache" meaning a stilt or trestle — fitting, since early skaters were essentially walking on raised supports over the ice. English borrowed the Dutch word in the 17th century, but oddly mistook "schaats" for a plural and lopped off the -s to make the singular "skate." "Ice" is plain Old English "is," a Germanic word stretching back to ancient roots for frozen water.
- Thin contact
- You balance on a blade millimeters wide
- Friction trick
- Pressure melts a slick film you glide on
- Bone origins
- Early skates were carved from animal leg bones
- Speed demon
- Speed skaters exceed 35 miles per hour
- Dual rocker
- The blade curves so you pivot and turn
figure skating — olympic sport where athletes perform jumps and spins on ice, governed by the international skating union
speed skating — olympic racing discipline on ice where competitors skate 500m to 10,000m distances
ice hockey — team sport played on ice with skates since 1875 in montreal