The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1863-02-11

McGREGOR, IOWA, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY H. 1863
How to Skate.

How to Skate.
A writer in the Lsndon Society Nagasin
who is the author of work on skating :
science, contributes an article which cor
tains much interesting matter to skater
Those who would learn how to do it, as a
art, may read and profit:
TIE PKELIMINARrEs.
To skate in comfort is an art which re
quires some little practice. The powerful
and unwontcd exercise will often do NOR
harm than g cd, unless it be performe,
upon a correct system; and the skater vii
return home tagged and exhausted, instea,
of feeling quite lively, as he ought to do
The mode which adopt is as follows:
| keep pair Of boots especially for thi
one purpose. They have rather thin soles
not very high heels, and fit exactly to III,
foot and round the ankle. Before starting
for the ice, screw the skates to the boots
slipping the straps loosely into tho buckles
so that, when the boots are drawn on, al
to do is just to tighten the straps. Fo
walking to the ice prefer pair Of thick
soled and very easy boots, as the relief t,
the feet by simply changing The boot is al
most incredible.
oNTHE ICE.
"On arriving at the ice, change YOU,
skates about halfa hole tighter than yor
are going to use them. But on no accoun
wear the straps tight, as some gnoran
ersons dophoping thereby to gain 4 firm
r hold of the ice. Skating ought to de
pend entirely on balance, and not at all or
straps, and. if you feel the pressure of a
strap upon the instep, be SIRE that you,
balance is wrong.
THE PROPER SKATE.
"Skatcs with peaks should always be
avoided. Peaks are terribly apt to hitch in
any obstacle have been more than once
thrown by finding the peak of my skate
caught in the strap of another person.
skate, in the hook of hockey stick, or in
the folds Of a lady's dress.
Neither should the steel be cut of
square behind so as to leave sharp edge,
but be rounded cveEly at either end
Many persons think that such skates are
unsafe, because they do not know how to
stop themselves except by the clumsy
method Of arising the toe and digging the
heels into the ice. No real skater will
ever stop himself in this manner, no mat
ter at what pace he may be proceeding
tie knows that at the best it is a very
awkward proceeding, and damages the ice
sadly by blowing it into deep ruts.-
Moreover, it is possible to stop much
more abruptly, and with mucl, greater Ger
talnty, by pressing the outer edge Of one
skate and the inner edge Of the other
against the ice and so spinning round
In this manner good skater will stop
himself within circle Of six feet in diam.
eter, though dashing along with the speed
of race horse.
now TO GET TO WORK.
after passing some five or ten minutes
on the ice, by which time the skates will
have settled to the feet, it is better to loosen
all the straps half hole.
1.-TWO straps are quite enough for any
skater, namely, one across the toes, and an
other from the heel None should be per-
mltted to cross the middle of the foot, as is
the usual custom, for in that position they
10 not hold the skate to the foot, and only
interfere with the play of the numerous
tendons that run along the instep.
THE TRUE MOTION.
II do believe that skating is the nearest
approach to flying of which the human be-
ing is as yet capable. Gravity, which to
a man in boots seems to fetter him to the
earth, becomes to 4 man in skates the in
strument Of propulsion. A skater flies
over the ice as if by pure volition, the i'm
petus being obtained not so much by the
stroke Of the feet as by the judieous sway
Of the body. Therefore, to bystander, a
good skater seems to keep up his graceful
circles simply by his viii, the gentle oscil-
'atlons Of the body appearing to be, not
the cause, but the consequence of his
GAMES AND RACING.
He who wishes to put his skates to their
legitimate use will never waste his time bv
playing at any game whatever. He will
either run races, or learn to perform the
figures, the latter beng, of coure, the more
advisable plan; for racing on skates is the
SureSt way to ruin the style, and to give an
ungraceful department to the body. A
figure skater is all ease and grace and CON-
pact elegance. His arms never project
from the body, his back is upright as a
dart, and his feet are managed as deicately
as those Of a dancer; whereas, one who
runs races is forced to abandon all pre-
tensions to grace. and looks about as awk-
ward an object as can we'll be conceived. -
lie stoops until he is bent nearly double,
Ike an intirm old man; his legs work like
the crank of locomotive engine: his
arms are tapped backward and forward to
help him on his course.
LADY SKATERS.
Skating is an art to which all ladies sho'd
attain. 1t is especially feminine in its
graceful, elegant. requiring little
apparent force, and yet atfording good ex.
erclse. Ladies soon learn to skate. |
have had the honor Of initiating several
ladies' into the art, and have been surprised
by the facility with which they learn it
W neither from some innate quality of the
feminine sex know not, but it is invariably
the case that. if boy and girl, or gentle
man and lady, ~f ~Yuui ages ann having
enjoyed equal advantages, are put upon
skates for tie first time in their lives, the
lady always manages to skate independent
ly sooner than the gentleman. OF course
the costume must be adapted to the occa-
sion, and lady can no more skate while
ENGAGED in the modern fashionable wire-
work than she can ride while surrounded
with those mysterious and voluminous pro-
ductions of the iron-monger. There are
few dresses more thoroughly becoming
than the riding habit, and the best skating.
dress is neither more nor less than rid
ing habit with short skirts.
THE BEST SKATE.
do not recommend fluted skates, or
those with a groove or channel along the
bottom Of the steel. They certainly take
an easier hold Of the ice than the ordinary
kind, but they can only be worn by ligh,
weights, and, in any case, are treacherous
The tiny shavings Of ice which
are cut up by the edge are sure to collec,
in the groove, where they become impacted
into a solid maSS Mhich can hardly ha chi