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Taping on Ice

Our sporting event highlight for January is the 2019 European Figure Skating Championships which will be held from 21st - 27th January 2019 in Minsk, Belarus.

HISTORY

Research suggests that the earliest ice skating took place in Finland more than 4,000 years ago. Originally, skates were merely sharpened, flattened bone strapped to the bottom of the foot and skaters did not actually skate on the ice, but glided on top of it. Skating as we know it today emerged when a steel blade with sharpened edges was used. Modern skates cut into the ice instead of gliding on top of it. Adding edges to ice skates was invented by the Dutch in the 13th or 14th century.


Ice skating was brought to Britain from the Netherlands, where James II was briefly exiled in the 17th century. When he returned to England, this 'new' sport was introduced to the British aristocracy. It is not known when the first skating matches were held, but by the early nineteenth century racing was well established. The first instructional book concerning ice skating was published in London in 1772. The founder of modern figure skating was Jackson Haines, an American. He was the first skater to incorporate ballet and dance into his skating.


SKATING INJURIES

Of course, ice skating isn't just for the professionals; people of all ages and abilities enjoy this popular wintertime activity. However, as most casual ice skaters are lacking the knowledge and training of those aforementioned professionals, they aren't familiar with the types of injuries that may occur:


ANKLE SPRAINS & FRACTURES

The weight and pressure on ankles during skating makes them prone to sprains and fractures.


ACL TEARS

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) runs diagonally through the middle of the knee and provides rotational stability. A traumatic injury, such as those commonly sustained during ice skating, can cause a tear of the ACL.


HAND AND WRIST INJURIES

When we experience a slip or fall, our instinct is to put our hands out to catch ourselves. This is good, because it protects the head and face, but it can also result in serious injury to the hand or wrist from the force of impact.



2019 EUROPEAN FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Medals at this years European Figure Skating Championships will be awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs and ice dancing.With qualifying places for entry into the GBR squad for the ISU European Figure Skating Championships on the line, the British Championships were closely fought. The following skaters will be representing GBR in Minsk and we wish them every success:

Ladies - Natasha McKay, Men - Graham Newberry, Pairs - Zoe Jonee and Chris BoyadiIce, Dance - Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson + Robynne Tweedale and Joe Buckland

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