The Development of Speed-Skaters

The celebrated speed-skater, A. V. Panschin,skating, but offers certainly some advantages in the
attempted to bring the racing skate still nearer to theshort and often interrupted movements of the game
model of the Jackson Haines skate by rejecting theof hockey. The Canadians use a skate for their
tube-system and passing the long steel blade directnational game of hockey which presents a much more
into the metal sole plate, creating a light, elegant andpleasing appearance, being lighter and much more
fast skate. But with the disadvantage that the steelsuitable for the game in every way.
tube was liable to be bent by a strong strike off;The only other kind of skate which we need mention is
moreover, it did not give the stability which thewhat is called the sailing skate, about two feet in length,
Norwegian with his tube-system possessed. Althoughdistinguishing itself from the other systems principally by
1910 skates with wooden soles were seldom used, anits enormous length, and also by the fact that it
improved system of the old Dutch wooden skate,extends principally beyond the heel. Also the blade or
called Kiompen, was used for racing purposes, andrunner is quite straight and broader than on the
especially for touring over the canals in Holland.ordinary type of racing skate. As the name implies, it is
For the latter purpose there are ordinary metal skatesused for skate-sailing. This skate is used mainly at
of several systems in use, but with lengthened bladepresent in Norway, Sweden and Russia.
and full rounded runner at the toe in order to surmountDuring the 1900 to 1910 an innumerable number of new
the more easily small unevenness on the ice. Twoskate models appeared, mostly, however, of very little
more kinds of modern skates have still to beimportance; such are the skates with Holletscheck
mentioned; the first is known in Germany andsprings, and the Admiral skate, with runners consisting
elsewhere as the Hockey skate, and is still used inof three parts, which could be taken to pieces; also the
England for figure skating. The blade is short andMultiplex, a Dutch skate with removable blades, suitable
awkward-looking, and touches the metal foot plates,either for racing or figure-skating. There are many
being attached to them by means of two metal postsother models, but none of them have ever had a
or pillars; it is screwed on to the skating boot. Thislasting success.
skate, of course, is not suitable in all respects for figure