The action or sport of moving on skates is known as ice skating or roller skating. Figure and speed skating Additional instances I adore winter activities such as skiing and ice skating. These activities are very popular in cold countries like Canada and America. In English, the word "skate" comes from Swedish katta which means "to cut". In German, it's schneiden ("to cut"). In Dutch, it's snijden ("to cut"). And in French, on coupe ("he cuts"). Therefore, to skate is really just to cut something out with your foot! Skating has been around for many years and was originally used by Swedes as a form of exercise. A famous skater named Karl Johan Fahlström invented the first pair of ice skates in 1770. Today, people use different types of equipment such as blades, wheels, and fins to go skating. There are two main types of skating: figure skating and hockey. Figure skating is when you move through the art of dance-like actions on ice to achieve certain moves and positions. This activity is most popular among young girls and women because it involves beautiful dancing motions. Hockey is a team game that you can play either on ice or in the snow.