Northshore Magazine

ne Recreation years ago, when the earliest bone skates were used in countries with cold winters, most likely to help skaters flee from enemies and hunt for food. The oldest ice skaters were probably Swedes, Finns, and other Northern Europeans. When excavators dug in Roman ruins in London, they uncovered leather soles and blades made of polished animal bones. Because bone blades were flat-bottomed, it was not possible to get any forward thrust or momentum; the skater had to carry a staff with a pointed end to push off and brake. Wooden skates with iron facings appeared in the 14th century. The Dutch were the first to replace bone skates with blades made of iron. These more "modern" skates allowed skaters to push and glide with their feet. During the Battle of Ijsselmeer in 1572 Amsterdam, the Dutch surprised and bested the more powerful Spanish by taking to the ice of the frozen canal for combat. Long after ice skates were no longer necessary for hunting or fighting, people kept strapping on their primitive blades for the sheer fun of it. The first known skating 142 nshoremag.com December 2013 A Chip Off the Ice Block Norvetta Tribby Pinch carries her mother's passion into a new age. Above, Salem Common is an ideal spot to skate. club was established in Edinburgh in 1742; in 1830, the first strictly figure skating club was founded in London. It was called, appropriately, The Skating Club. Ice skating came to North America from Europe in the 1740s. In 1848, a man named E. V. Bushnell from Philadelphia invented a strapless skate with the blades clipped right to the boot. This revolutionized ice skating because, for the first time, skaters could turn, spin, twist, and leap without losing blades strapped to their boots. In 1908, figure skating became an Olympic sport. It has remained one of the most popular winter sports ever since. Norvetta Tribby Pinch points to the fact that this sport, also the purview of neighborhood pickup hockey games and skaters out for exercise in the winter air, has become one of the most popular winphotographs by theresa hofacre (top) by elise donoghue (bottom) KJ NB Dec13 Skating.indd 142 10/25/13 3:03 PM

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