A line of skaters on a waterway of Sweden was set for a race. The
skaters looked more like huge white birds than the young boys they were.
Each skater wore heavy skates and held tightly to a frame of a large
white sail.
[Illustration: SAIL SKATING]
Away they flew over the smooth ice! The strong wind which blows over the
lands carried them along swiftly. Most of the boys were skillful in
guiding their course with the wind and keeping on the clear ice. But
here and there a skater had trouble. One skater was tossed to the bank;
another was sent sprawling on the hard ice, for the wind does not deal
too gently with those who cannot follow its path.
[Illustration: SLEDS ON THE ICE]
When the race was over, the winner was hoisted in the air and cheered.
The skaters went their way to try again another day.
Skaters in Denmark use sails too. The flat lands have such strong winds
that sail skating is great sport for Danish children. But even in the
flat lands of Denmark there are days when the sail skaters are
disappointed. They gather for a race to find no wind that day; and, of
course, no wind means no race.
But sail skating is only a part of the skating fun in those northern
lands. Children all over Norway, Sweden, and Denmark skate during the
winter months. In many places playgrounds are flooded to make safe
skating grounds for the girls and boys. On the safe ice even the tiny
girls and boys slide on the ice and ride on the chair-like sleds which
are pushed along by the larger girls and boys.
The children of those northern lands learn early that outdoor sports
help to build strong and healthy bodies.