Hey there! So have you ever seen those people wearing metal blades and gliding gracefully across the ice, doing jumps and spins? That's figure skating!
Figure skating is a sport that evolved from ice-skating, which has been around since the 13th century in Finland. People would put animal bones under their shoes to slide around on frozen lakes and rivers.
But it wasn't until the mid-19th century that figure skating started to become a more formal sport. The first official figure skating competition took place in 1862 in Hamburg, Germany. Skaters would perform set routines with strict rules and techniques to earn points.
In the early 1900s, figure skating became part of the Olympic Games. The first Olympic figure skating competition was held in London in 1908.
Figure skating went through many changes over the years. In the 1920s and 1930s, skaters began incorporating more artistic and theatrical elements into their routines. In the 1970s and 1980s, the sport became more athletic, with skaters performing more jumps and spins.
In the 1990s, ice dancing became an official part of figure skating competition. Ice dancing involves two people performing together and includes more dance elements than jumps and spins.
Figure skating continues to be a popular sport today, with many national and international competitions and events. It also remains a beloved part of the Olympics, with skaters from all over the world competing for gold medals.