Omaha daily bee., 1916-02-08

not the unavoidable pauses that turn the grace
full poiso even for a moment into rigid pose This
superiority OF akating means OF physical self
expression IL simple justification for the effort needed
TO Svere0Hs tne technical handicap Of skates hand
cap. however. which In these days OF improved tools
and instruction. f. reduced 70 a minimum. Balance
the skate-sdgo acquired. however. the freedom
Of action IA skating quite complete in swfmming
~ than In dancing TO the perfect freedom OF
flying; which. alas. IL yet attanabe by This
possibility Of physical selfexpresson. therefore.
through the freedom OF skating Is practically
limited.
The recent revelation possibilities by the
European professionals. erpatriated by the war
strikes the American public something There
Is. however nothing new about the skating they rep
resent except its simple system. The elements OF all
figure-skating have been reduced to two the curve
and the turn Con foot Combinations OF these
side and inside edges and turns forward and back
ward together with loops prouetes and jumps. make
up all the figures skatable. The fine art OF the
skating In the international style. however is chiefly
In the manner Of execution. in good fOrm-arms
and legs slightly BENT and all members Of the body
contributing artisficaly beautiful performance
the ice. which BY the and charm of its has
monous movements. may satisfy the aesthetic Of
both performers and spectators Experience has proved
that for the execution OF figure there IL usually
position ana movement that ~ easiest and most
conducive TO success These positions often strike the
beginner a. unnatural: but the fine balance required
by the difficult figures makes II economical for
the beginner to learn the correct positions the
start even they seem at first like artificial
To make these positions and movements easy and
natural IL the challenge and the charm OF the art
Gracs - the pssfcet responsive obedience OF
psrson's body 10 his WIN. the perfectly adequate
prsasion Of that win in his positions and movements
Not. however. untn ths positions and movements
quirU4 BY the nav skating be assumed uncon-
scouaiy ana automatically, the skater be graceful
No physical attribute u more to be desired than
rhythnaie grace. Some never acquire H. None
acquire q quickly more effectively than in
modern artistic skating. Modern artistic skating,
thsrsfers. 10 shs finest Of physical arts
Some Of hs esaatses Of this fine art are being daily
revealed BY professional skaters chiefly from Berlin
Their evoiutions however. too much OF the
kind OF skating that fifty years jackson Haines
revolted from in the New York Skating club He
red to Europe in great repertory figures
rocking had hardly been dscovered-and he died
$50 before the first bracket skated but he
dancing master BY profession. and though he al
skated alone" he introduced into Vienna long,
graceful. sweeping and dance steps music
style which the dsncs-Iovins Niennese devel-
oped into pairskating The Jackson Haines American
style and the Jackson HRnes two-stanchion. round
toed skate Immediately spread all over Europe
The British. meaMwhHe had brought their big fiat
curved stiff combined skating TO high state Of
fectiou. During the So the continental style
pounded by the vlennese school modified by the
addition of the rocking turns on big (English)
olrces that when the International Skating union
formed In the early 'sOs style Of skating
and worlds championship competitions that thu union
began The holding OF the worlds championship
for 1873 IN London cpsusd the eyes OF the British
the resources OF the continental style. and the Ma
tional Skating association adopted in 1900 In
published. In my Handbook OF Figure Skating.
exposition OF the continental style from the Of
fetal documents and from correspondence with Eu-
ropeau skaters; and IN the winter OF 1929 saw IT
for the first time. On my return published a fun
exposition of the International style $500 and began
to demonstrate II pair of Jackson Hanes skates
which Salchow. the worlds champion. sent from
Stockholm. My crude efforts undoubtedly deserved
| the hdicuis ] endured Il IS years old; but
stuck to IT, and the laugh Is my side. Irving
| Brokaw who won the United states championship In
1895, took up the international style the next year,
4 and February. 1903. with Karl Zenger champion
/ % Germany In 1880. gave on Greater Boston Kinks
the first exhibition OF pairskang in the international
style in this country, He is today most
| pished skater IN this style
! No European or worlds champion has ever come
the United states: but thanks 20 the generous
| forts OF MT. Brokaw, the Skating Union OF America
held first competition I'm the international style
! at New Haven In March 1914 In which Norman Scott
| of the Winter club Of Montreal the mems cham
pionship. Miss Theresa Weld OF the Skating club OF
Boston ne ladies' championship. MI scott and Miss
Chevaiier OF Montreal the par-skating championship
| and Mr. Nat w Niles ana Miss Weld of Boston the
wsitzfng championship. Last there In
ternationAl competition either here abroad: but
/ the New England association held competition in
Boston In which the mems championship by
| william p chase.
The sensations OF these exhilaratlng big
spirals IN graceful form. the accurate striking
gliding partners coming together and separating
perfect rhythm with each other and with the beat Of
thu music the lmitless combination OF figures.
troll Of which challenges the intellectual and phys.
| cal skan and ingenuity OF young and old alike-pro-
vide variety Of physical ana esthetic pleasure
| a free opportunity for self-expresson such no
other Out-Of-dOOr sport provides; for skating of this
| kind IL sport and art in one. and be acquired
earlier and pursued later In life than any other,