The Winter Olympics draw to a close this Sunday, and boy has it been action packed already! This week, it’s all about the ice as we see countries competing for medals in speed skating, bobsleigh, curling and short track speed skating.
It’s also a busy week for figure skating. With events in all disciplines taking part over the next few days, we wanted to take a closer look at this ever growing sport and dive deeper in to the popular culture behind it.
Figure skating became a Winter Olympic event back in 1908. It’s broken down in to four disciplines; Men’s singles, ladies singles, pair skating and ice dancing. Within these disciplines, there is a whole array of moves, spins and flips.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why figure skating is getting more popular
Dancing on Ice –
This year, here in the UK, we saw the return of Dancing on Ice. A TV show where ‘celebs’ team up with pro’s to learn how to (guess what) dance on ice! It’s a great way of seeing the ins and outs of figure skating as well as learning some of the moves and seeing how difficult they can be to learn. Dancing on Ice is now also available in 8 other countries, but in the UK you can watch on Sundays at 6pm on ITV
I, Tonya –
Released in the UK on Friday 16 th Feb, I, Tonya is a biographical film that follows the life of ex figure skater Tonya Harding. She’s played by the superstar Margot Robbie who has received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress in I, Tonya. Check your local cinema schedule for times and dates to go and watch I, Tonya.
Blades of Glory –
In 2007, Will Ferrell and Jon Heder teamed up as the first-ever same-sex pairs team, in this hit film. It’s a great comedy that again emphasises the dedication and skill involved in figure skating – with added humour thanks to pretty much every character. You can buy Blades of Glory on DVD.
Torvill & Dean –
The British duo are known for becoming the highest scoring figure skaters in the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics. Since then the pair competed professionally up until around 1994, they are also the creators behind the previously mentioned Dancing On Ice.
UK Ice Rinks –
There are currently a wide range of ice rinks across the UK, which will encourage young skaters to step on to the ice and give it a go. As well as that, they are also popular at Christmas with pop ups at several Christmas markets.
Kit –
Some sports can come with a lot of kit needed to get started, figure skating however is fairly simple. You just need to grab a pair of skates and away you go! You’ll obviously need some ice too. If you are looking to give this sport a go, we have the perfect bundle to get you ready. If you buy your skates at SkateHut we offer an Ice Skate Sharpening Service for new skates and stock SkateMate Ice Skate sharpeners
