Year: 1865

Ol tue lelN lOOt lhlo thc ice y push gwen |
by the right foot, which is immediately taken
on the ice, and brought parallel with its
fellow, sends the skater forward for few |
feet, The same thing is repeated with the |
left foot, and so alternately, until the aka. |
ter is able to get along, although very clum.
silly, and with his hands flying about. but
getting on. When he can skate easily, aud
keep his hands still, lie should try to skate
backwards.


There are several modes Of learning to
skate backwards, of which the hest in as
follows Let the pupil stand quito still up-
on the ice, place his right foot well in ad.
vance,, the toe turned inwards. Ills weight
must bo almost entirely on tho left foot.
Then with the right foot lot them describe
u semi-circle on the ice, and he will thereby
force himself few inches backward. This
movement is repeated with the other foot
and l'y degrees the skater finds himself at
some distance from the spot on which he
started. AT first he soems to make no pro
gress whatever, and appears fixed to the
spot, But after little practice, he over.
comes tile difficulty and begins to glide
backwards in sinuous course rather pretty
to look at, Being familiar with this, his
next lesson is the outside edge.


llitht rto, the inside edge of the skate hns





good skater entirely disdaius the use OF the
inside edge, and so we must proceed to the
outside. The best mode of learning this
feat is by m. r,ting circle on the ice, some
eight feet in diameter, and putting some ob
ject to mark the center. Tho learner iheu
stands on the outside OF the circle his right
foot upon the line with its outside edge
firmly pressing it, and his right shoulder
| turned towards the center In this pc sition
ho pushes himself around the circle by
means of the left foot keeping tho right
skate on the line. After going around once
or twice so as TO learn the direction--al-
ways being careful to hang his head well
over his right shouldcr--he puts himself to
speed and, still Keeping the right skate on
the ice, tries to cross his left over his right.
| lie will certainly fall in this, but alter few
trials will succeed in getting the foot over.
After he has done SO once or twice, he
should turn his loft side to the ice, aud go
round in the opposite direction, trying TO
cross the right foot over the left When
he can go round tho circle either way by
continually crossing the feet, he is ready
for the next movement.


/ TO skate tue "Cross.Roll" " the skater
stands as in learning tho outside edge, and
starting on tho right foot, crosses the left





ment, and so forming circle, he immedi-
ately crosses the right foot again over the
left, aud Sc or,. Theu instead of making one
largo circle, he performs succession of
arcs Of circles, by which he is carried for
ward. The legs should cross over each
other as far as possible, and the skater
should not be content until he can even
cross the knees. This is u very pretty
movement when neatly dCne. and one of the
most graceful on the ice The hands must
hang quite easily and quietly, and the body
carried uprishty without being stiilened.
Care must be taken that in doing this figure,
the outside edges of the skates are pressed
| firmly into the ice when they touch IT, or the
skater will be liable to slip.


We now come 10 the first step in tho real
| figure skating, which is the very quintcs.
sence of the art. We care little for mere
rapidity, or for racing on skates, but we do
value very highly the exceeding grace of
good figure skating. The first figure learned
! is generally the or the s. Some prefer
the former, but the latter figure is the bet
ter on which to begin. The skater starts
as in the last figure, but makes an entire
circle before he crosses his feet, so that il
his right foot starts on the upper circle, his
left makes the lower one. Always start
from the point where the circles cut each
other. At first the skater will find somo
difficulty in getting quite round the circles.
but he will soon accomplish that object if
he slightly swings the off leg round towards
the toes of the other. lu good skating the
course is entirely stcered by the foot that
is off the ice, that which is on it only serv-
ing TO sustain the skater.


No pains should be spared upon the fig
lttr 10 laty, a nd 10
besides the key to all figures. When the 3
is once mastered, other figures become
quito easy The mode Of doing 1t is this {:
Start on the right foot as if going to make
al g. but DO rs gently as possible. But
instead Of swinging the left foOl round SO
as TO make q circle, let it remain at east u
| foot behind the right foot. The consequence
Of so doing is, that when thrcc-lourrhs of
! the circle are completed, the off foot gives
curious sway to the body and the skater
! spins round on his right foot, changing at
/ The same time from the outside to the inside
edge, aud cuts the second half of The three
| backwards. When the skater can do this
cas- ly with the right foot, he should prac-
/ tice it with the left and when he can cut
! the three with equal ease with either foot,
| lie should cut two together. He begins
with the left hand g. starting with his
! lett foot on the outside edge; when lie gets
TO the twist of the he spins round and flu
| ishes the figure (stll with the left FOOT on
the inside edge baco wards. Ills right foot
is now at llbcriyto pass 10 the top of the
right hand 3, which he cuts in like manner,
! Especial care must he taken TO keep the
knees straight, and to preserve graceful
carriage of the body. II tie skater should
| be so tar of his balance as to find any diff
yulty in spinning round he will gain his Oh
ject by throwing his weight very little
toward the toe Of tho skate. The reason
why the skater curves round in this twist
is, that the steel of the hkate has a curved
form aud when for a moment the body is
quite upright, the whole skate spins round
on its center, as on pivot.


When the skater is quite at home in his
3 y and 9s he shoull begin to skate back.
wards on the outside edge. The best mode
of learning to do so is by cutting II 3, Then
Immediately after the twist the skater pla.
ces the outside edge Of the foot on the ice,
at the same time lifting the other foot.


Any one who can do the Back Cross
Roll " figure properly may couil, himself a
good skater. 1t seems worse than the Ass
Bridge, for many who car cut all the pre-
ceding figures beautifully are yet quite un-
able to skate this one. The cause OF failure
in this figure is, that too great an impetus
is given TO the body at starting In fact,
the position of the head is the great secret
in all these mannuvres, tie difference of an
inch IN lis attitude making just the differ
anca hethVpeni "A laroe ior a small circle Tho