Evening star., 1902-01-04
Skating is the Blst Known Of the
Winter 0n@.
LEARN TO SKAFE) EARLY IN LIFE
Ice Hockey and Itd Attractions
to Boys and Men.
RINK CURRIERS' AND CURLING
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
From the 1st of December to the 1st of
March those who care for the exhilaration
of some kind of sport need not be disap-
pointed Not only those pastimes which
may be classed as recreative rather than
competitive, but all the excitement of in
tense contest can be readily found. The
public are most generally interested in
sports Of a competitive nature, although
the number indulging in such sports is
without question far smaller than the num-
Der taking some share in winter recreation.
Skating, while not classed as competf-
tive sport, although there are plenty of
competitions to which it leads, is the most
generally practiced of all winter pastimes.
When skating first began is something no
one has yet fully discovered. But at any
rate writer's in the twelfth century mention
the pastime and describe the skate then in
use as the brisket bone of an OK fastened
to the sole of the foot and bound around
the ankle, while the person thus mounted
pushed himself along the Ice by means OF
an iron-shod stick. And 1t is said that in
the museum at Cambridge, as well as in
the British museum, there are bones thus
ground for use as skates Later came the
wooden frame, with an iron or steel runner.
This was some time in the fourteenth CEN
tury. In the sixteenth century there Is
wel}-remembered record of the time when
the Dutch fleet was frozen in at Amster-
dam and Don Frederick attempted, with
his men, to take the vessels. His men
were put to route by the Dutchmen, who
came out on skates, and thus had every
advantage in mobility.
Russia, Canada, Norway and Sweden and
Holland have all been noted for skaters
and skating records. In the United States
some of the towns along the Hudson, es-
pecially Newburg, the home of the Donog-
h1,e t0 have had 1aftieular nrOuli-
nence in the skating line.
Can't Begin Too Early.
AS sport it Is well to begin early. A boy
might probably be trusted to begin his at
tempts at skating when seven or eight
years Old and he should wear a high shoe
to give support to the ankles. instruction
is good thing, but practice is better, and
it is only practice that strengthens the an
kles. But no boy is long contented merely
with skating about. He looks soon for
some game or contest, thus exhibiting at
once the competitive spirit, and almost
every pond is oVerrun with the shiny
player; later the more dignifed ice hook
eyist." for the most popular winter COM
petitive sport in this country is ice hockey.
1t is an imported game, coming down to us
from Canada. 1t first appeared in some of
the western and northwestern cities. That
was seven or eight years ago, but 1t has
now become recognized and popular in al
most all cities where indoor skating oppor-
tunities are furnished. The game is played
both outdoors and indoors, but the impor
tant matches in this country are almost al
ways rink matches. The sport has great
possibilities of brilliant play, as well as of
perfected team work, and the pace as we'll
as the variety Of action, makes 1t extreme
ly popular with both player and spectator
team is composed Of seven men, four
forwards or rushers, who practically make
up the attacking party, and three others,
who are called cover point point and goal
LOT nr'c UnrIr fS irnl n
fensive, as is also mainly that Of point.
Cover point, however, on occasions attends
to backing up and feeding the forwards.
The goals are posts erected at either end
of the rink, extending two or more feet in
height from the surface. The sticks Of the
players are usually made Of ash, slightly
bent at the end and forming a blade about
thirteen inches in length and three in
width giving it about a foot Of play along
the ice. The puck is a disc of vulcanized
rubber, three inches in diameter and one
inch thick, and is slid along the ice with
great speed and thus passed from player
to player. Lifting is also possible to the
skilled player. By a special motion of the
stick he lifts the puck from the ice, making
over the heads of intervening players, or
makes It particularly difficult for the goal
keeper to stop it.
How 1t fs Played.
The play is begun by facing the puck
at the center of the field between the sticks
of two opposing center forwards. The ref
cree calls play" whereupon each of these
men endeavors to gain possession of the
puck and pass it to players Of his own
side. The off and on side rule is similar
to that of foot ball, a player who is between
the puck and his opponents goal not being
allowed to touch it. The game continues
certain period of time, although not so long
as in foot ball, and there are two goal UNI
pires, one at each end to decide whether
the puck actually passed through and be-
tween the posts. Players are not allowed
to indulge in any roughness, or to lift the