The most important piece of equipment for a figure skater is probably their boots. Skaters actually order boots and blades separately and then fit the blade on the boot themselves. Boots are designed to provide the necessary ankle and foot support to allow the skaters to complete their jumps, spins, and throws, etc.. However, this often makes the boot so stiff that the skater can develop a multitude of foot and ankle problems and injuries.
This unit on equipment and figure skating is to provided you with additional information which you may share with your class which may provided either a better appreciation of the sport of figure skating, or some interesting scientific facts to enhance your science classes.
The boots currently used in figure skating do not allow much flexion of the foot, in other words, the skater can not get a lot of toe point while wearing the boot. The primary reason for this is that the boot has been made stiff to support the foot from turning on it's side during jump take-offs and landings. However, this means that the skater can not use a lot of ankle flexion for an extra push at the take-off, nor can they use a lot of ankle flexion to absorb the impact of landing. Not being able to flex the ankle could potentially cause problems at the knee, hip, and back during the repeated landings the skaters must endure during practice and competition. Over the last few years, a new boot design has been developed which would supply lateral support of the ankle while still allowing the skater to flex the ankle. It is hoped that this boot will not only reduce injuries, but may actually improve skaters performances.
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© April, 1998, Montana State University-Bozeman |
