Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level (senior), and at local, national, and international competitions. The International Skating Union (ISU) regulates international figure skating judging and competitions. Figure skating is an official event in the Winter Olympic Games. In languages other than English and Russian, figure skating is usually referred to by a name that translates as "artistic skating".
Major international competitions are sanctioned by the ISU. These include the Winter Olympic Games, the World Championships, the World Junior Championships, the European Championships, the Four Continents Championships, and the Grand Prix series (senior and junior).
The sport is also associated with show-business. Major competitions generally include exhibitions at the end in which the top-placing skaters perform non-competitive programs for the audience. Many skaters, both during and after their competitive careers, also skate in ice skating exhibitions or shows which run during the competitive season and the off-season.
A Courtesy of Wikipedia
Your legs become at one with the ice,
Warmth that flows into the cold.
Warmth that flows into the cold.
The ice, the friendly ice,
Has many faces:
Smooth like sheened gossamer it takes the blade like water,
Like the kiss of a lover’s lip or a child’s soft touch,
A caress that runs deep,
That gives power and grace and precision,
And above all, speed.
On such ice the skaters sing in their movements,
And their smiles are pure joy;
Their moments are a nothingness,
And they become pure in their existence.
Wherever they are, they’re alive;
They are themselves,
And their lives are like water,
Fluid in their living.
Has many faces:
Smooth like sheened gossamer it takes the blade like water,
Like the kiss of a lover’s lip or a child’s soft touch,
A caress that runs deep,
That gives power and grace and precision,
And above all, speed.
On such ice the skaters sing in their movements,
And their smiles are pure joy;
Their moments are a nothingness,
And they become pure in their existence.
Wherever they are, they’re alive;
They are themselves,
And their lives are like water,
Fluid in their living.
On other ice the blade sinks too deep,
And everything is effort:
The smiles remain, but this is a time for learning, not dancing.
And everything is effort:
The smiles remain, but this is a time for learning, not dancing.
To learn!
Ah, to learn.
Pushing to the limits, each skater finds themselves tested:
Beyond the test comes transcendence,
And the code for living life.
Ah, to learn.
Pushing to the limits, each skater finds themselves tested:
Beyond the test comes transcendence,
And the code for living life.
Feelings and the mind are everything;
Where the mind goes, the body follows;
They carry their treasure without knowing.
Where the mind goes, the body follows;
They carry their treasure without knowing.
To skate, then, with these angels of the moment
Is to be in heaven.
A COURTESY OF Google :-)
Is to be in heaven.
A COURTESY OF Google :-)
