SKATING PONDS AND RINKS.
There should be encouragement of skating on the part of every community
by the maintenance of skating ponds and rinks. No better exercise can be
provided for by any city or town. It is almost a universal pastime in
all northern climes and would be even more popular than it is if
facilities for its enjoyment were increased.
Deep lakes and ponds require from three to five inches of ice to be safe
for any considerable crowds. It is better to flood tennis courts or
parade grounds than to wait for continued cold weather to furnish
sufficient ice for the sport. Even a small area, no larger than a couple
of tennis courts, will provide sufficient space for a dozen people
skating the largest of the school figures or for several pairs of
skaters.
In localities where it is not often below 15° F., flooding the surface
is not wise. It is better to spray from the hose after nightfall or just
as the severe cold spell arrives. Bad spots and cracks should be cut
into and a putty made of snow and hot water should be laid in them. Snow
ice, or shell ice, should be broken with the foot or shovel and putty of
snow and water pounded into the holes. When snow falls sweep it off at
once and make it into an embankment at the sides of the rink. Strong sun
melts thin ice much quicker than thick ice. By keeping track of the
weather reports splendid skating can often be obtained by very little
attention to the skating pond. A large watering pot is sometimes a
sufficient implement with which to renew the surface of a badly cut
skating area.
Ponds and small lakes should be swept occasionally by the skaters
themselves if paid help is not available. Drift of dust and dirt spoils
skating and sticks or chips from hockey sticks or old wood often cause
the worst of falls. Sweep the snow toward the lower end of the pond so
that if rain comes there will be a bank to hold the water and form a new
surface of ice. Set off a small portion of the lake for figure skating
if hockey is being played.
Encourage games and races and figure skating competition. Get up
moonlight skating parties on the ice. String lanterns about and have a
costume skating carnival. If the circumstances permit make a gigantic
bonfire and provide hot coffee and other refreshments. In some parts of
northern Europe large parties of young people skate great distances on
the rivers, stopping at various towns for lunch and dinner and returning
by train.
[Illustration]
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[Illustration]
[Illustration:
“Charlotte” on the Hippodrome Ice Pond, Where She Achieved Her Great
American Triumph.
]
[Illustration]
ESTABLISHED 1856 INCORPORATED 1886
THE SAMUEL WINSLOW SKATE MANUFACTURING COMPANY
FOR SIXTY YEARS MAKERS OF
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THE BEST ICE AND ROLLER SKATES
MAIN OFFICE AND FACTORY:
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BRANCHES IN LONDON, PARIS, SYDNEY, BRISBANE, DUNEDIN, AUCKLAND,
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling.
2. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed.
3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.
End of Project Gutenberg's Hippodrome Skating Book, by Charlotte Oelschlager