Why is skating fun? To start with, your body is moving in ways that it typically does not move.

You are gliding at a high speed, around a circular skating rink, so you’re probably feeling a little dizzy, with a bit of adrenaline flowing.

You are also probably not skating alone. Part of the enjoyment of skating is that it is a social activity. You encounter other people on a skating rink. A certain amount of people watching is unavoidable, if for no other reason than to avoid a collision.

There is also a certain amount of risk involved in skating – the risk of falling or colliding with another skater. This keeps you alert and focused on the moment.

Ice melts at 32 degrees fairenheit, so it is necessary to keep skating rinks cold in order to prevent the ice from melting. The result is that your body is colder than it typically is, your cheeks become ruddy and your ears may feel a little numb.

Music adds to the skating atmosphere. With it streaming out over the loudspeakers, you cannot help but get caught up in the excitement of the moment.

Finally when all these elements come together you are able to take your mind off of your worries and whatever causes you stress. Instead you are able to relax and enjoy yourself.

Most of what I’ve been talking about applies mainly to recreational skating, which is the kind of skating I do.

Recreational skating is the most popular form of skating. You pay a few dollars to rent skates and get access to the ice. Public skating times are available at most skating rinks.

In addition to recreational skating, there is also figure skating, speed skating, and hockey.

I confess that I have long been a big fan of figure skating. In this sport skaters perform routines, often including jumps, spins, turns, triple, and now even quadruple lutzes. Figure skating is a demanding sport which requires a high degree of athleticism as well as an understanding of the laws of physics. When figure skaters do their stuff you see one case study after another in friction, angular momentum, spin and takeoff velocity. A great deal of power is needed to launch a skater into a jump, to sustain a spin, or control a landing. And of course figure skating is a sport that emphasizes grace, control, balance, and concentration.

The most difficult element of a figure skater’s routine is the jump. Audiences hold their breath as figure skaters launch into a jump to see if they will land it successfully. The most difficult jump is the axel, in which a skater initiates the jump facing forward, launches it from the left forward outside edge of the blade, completes 1 1/2 rotations in the air, and lands traveling backward on the right backward outside edge. Another difficult jump is the lutz, where the skater travels backwards on an outside skate edge, uses the toe of the opposite foot to help launch the jump, and rotates clockwise in the air. These jumps are named after the skaters who invented them.

Another kind of skating which deserves mention is speed skating. As the name implies, this kind of skating is all about speed. There is long track and short track speed skating. Skaters sprint around a circular track, and the fastest skater wins. The motion of the speed skater is unique. They bend forward at the hips so that their torsos are perpendicular to their legs, and they swing their arms to and fro to help propel themselves forward as quickly as possible.

Last December I was at the Petit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, which is a speed skating facility used by members of the US Olympic speed skating team. There I saw some of the Long track national championships. I can say from first hand observation that these skaters are very fast – with speeds exceeding 30 miles per hour. During this competition someone from my hometown of Janesville WI set a new track record in the 1500 meter race. In the national championships there were two skaters racing at a time. Because the outer lane is longer than the inner lane, skaters change lanes after each lap. There are also Pack-style races that typically consist of six to eight skaters who compete at the same time in a single lane. In these races, competitors may take advantage of wind drafting—following directly behind the leader to reduce wind resistance and conserve energy.

The final kind of skating I want to mention is hockey. Hockey is a popular ice sport where two teams attempt to hit a puck with a hockey stick into a net guarded by a goalie. Each team puts 5 skaters on the ice, so hockey is a team sport where offensive strategy, defensive strategy, and teamwork are critical. Like figure skating and speed skating, hockey is an Olympic sport. Hockey is also a popular enough sport to support a professional hockey league, a league which started in the 1920s. More than 25 teams from the US and Canada compete each year for the Stanley cup. Our local team is the Phoenix Coyotes. But unfortunately the season this year is on hold because of a labor/management dispute. But there are still amateur hockey games going on all the time.

Now that you know a little more about ice skating, if it interests you, consider how you might get more involved. You could try skating yourself. If you have kids, you could take them skating. You could check out a hockey game. Or if nothing else you could file away in the back of your mind that the 2006 winter Olympics will be held next year in Torino Italy, where there will be many opportunities to see the world’s best skaters in action.