“The Ice Skater: A Young Enthusiast’s Guide to Ice Skating”
by Peter Morrissey.
DK Publishing, Inc., New York, 1998, 37 pages, Grades 4-6.
Ice skating is one of the most beautiful and exciting winter sports. Skaters will glide across the glistening ice and then suddenly soar into the air before completing a graceful landing. It is a sport of both great strength, endurance and gracefulness. While both men and women perform in these elegant competitions, the Ladies Final always seems to hold the most appeal. There is something magical about these women spinning and landing difficult jumps. Peter Morrissey has written an excellent introduction to the sport in the book entitled “The Ice Skater: A Young Enthusiast’s Guide to Ice Skating.”
The book begins with the foreword written by six-time United States figure skating Todd Eldredge. Included are some photos of Todd’s beautiful skating moves. This is followed by an interesting history of ice skating. Here we see early Viking boot skates and Queen Victoria’s delicately crafted skates. At the bottom of the page is a picture of Sonja Henie, the most famous woman in ice skating history, performing one of her legendary jumps.
Morrissey then shows a young girl and boy getting ready to skate. All the equipment and terminology needed in ice skating is carefully explained. The author pays particular attention to the importance of having the proper ice skates and a knowledge of how to lace them properly. The laces must be snug, but not tight. If they are too tight, the laces will actually make the skater’s feet and ankles hurt.
Since ice skating is a demanding sport, readers will next see the skaters warming up before getting onto the ice. Among others, they practice deep knee bends, stretching exercises and side rotations. As well, some skaters jump rope before getting on the ice.
Now thoroughly warmed up, the athletes begin skating forward practicing foot crossovers and stops. Morrissey states again and again the need to wear warm clothes and gloves. Because, as the saying goes, what goes up can come down. When young skaters fall, gloves will protect their hands from cuts.
The next part of the book is dedicated to skating backward. This is the most difficult type of ice skating but the most helpful to begin making ice-skating jumps. While many casual skaters are terrified about skating backward, competitors know it is the easiest way to build up the speed necessary for the famous jumps such as the Toe Loop, Lutz and Salchow.
The most acclaimed jump of all, the Axel, is not mentioned in the book. It is a dangerous jump and needs proper coaching to complete. Morrissey prudently leaves this out of the book, lest young skaters attempt it without the necessary instruction.
This section is followed by a series of stunning photographs of Olympic champions performing the incredible one-handed overhead lift and the spectacular death spiral. Morrissey concludes the book by discussing other forms of ice skating such as speed skating and hockey.
This is a delightful book to learn about the many wonders of ice skating. The photographs show young skaters learning the basic moves and positions of the sport and Olympic champions performing incredible lifts and jumps in competition.
While this book can be read together with your younger family members, it is equally enjoyable and beneficial for individual reading. With the Winter Olympics arriving in less than a month, Morrissey’s book can prove to be a helpful introduction to students wanting to learn about this fascinating and beautiful sport. Enjoy!
