Whistler British Columbia Canada

The Vancouver-Whistler Winter Olympics in 2010 will feature some of the best speed skating events held to date. This speed skating events range from shorter sprints to distance to relays to long grueling marathons of skill and dedication. The tight uniforms, sharp skates, top speeds and smooth ice combine to present a gripping tableaux of an unforgiving and highly competitive sport. Speed skating defines the classical risk and competitive pressure of the entire Olympic games.

Speed skating in Winter competitions is ruled by ice conditions, skater athlete’s conditioning, and test meet qualifying times. Rankings from previous competitions can set the stage for some exciting races between the world’s best skaters. In each race there can only be one winner. The fast pace of each race, the contiguous matches and races building to the finish, and the years of training can test the best athletes have to give in the sport.

Patience, observation, adaptation, opportunism, conditioning, and athletic virtuosity combine to give audience a spectator thrill while testing the highest and best athletic performance competitors can bring. The endless years and months spent training all day on cold tracks and windy rinks come together for one specialized time trial that derives the winner.

Indoor methods of plyometric training as well as conventional physical fitness increase seasonally before weather conditions afford the weather conditions for the elite cycle of world level skating events. The stress on legs in speed skating demands excessive balance, control, and fitness from each muscle of the legs and supporting joints of the knees and feet. The principal athletic skills used to win an Olympic speed skating medal are fortitude, concentration, and leg conditioning.

Friction, joint strength, balance, crouching, ease of movement and optimum positioning against the ice for desired speed and control is the aim of all speed skating conditioning methods. Resistance training to wind is afforded by using bands and other techniques to simulate outdoor conditions. Slideboard balancing of each outside leg versus resistance to angled skating and curved tracks must be painstakingly imitated for best training results. Agility and balance must be conformed to weight and control of the body over the ice for an optimum Olympic level competitive speed skating physique.

Training programs for speed skating athletes utilize balance and weight on lower legs and knees to simulate the grueling conditions of a speed skating race. Transition movement from a standing position to a crouch, and vice versa, holding weights or a bar, can improve supporting legs muscles for a warmup or race. The tight crouch required for speed skating demands angle and distribution of weight ad pressure of the body through a right angle crouch over the ice.

The excitement of Olympic speed skating fosters a kinship with athletes by wearing signature national colors or bringing signs or waving them on before during and after key races. Fans who follow speed skating admire the long years of concentrated dedication each speed skater athlete brings to the Olympic games. Years of sacrificed time spent training and keeping in condition is tested at the championship level and beyond.

Speed skating can benefit from professional coaching and advanced technology methods of bringing speed and control to the ice. Methods of practicing speed skating are training in wood frames that mimic the smoothness and glide of competitive ice. Special friction booties can provide days of indoor and summer speed skating conditioning for form, precision, concentration, crouch, and other speed skating techniques.

Popularity: 64%