skating research

[skatrgrl]

Hi. I am a sciency/math person who loves to apply this technical background through research. I am wondering if there are people or labs studying the physics/math behind skating moves or optimizing the effectiveness of blades/boots using math. If so, I would love to work for them over the summer (since I don't plan to do much skating over the summer). Do you know of such programs?

[Isk8NYC]

University of Delaware's "Ice Skating Science Development Center" sounds like it's what you're looking for: http://www.udel.edu/icearena/issdc/about.html

I believe Jackson's hinged boot benefitted from research done by the Center. (I attended a presentation at their school.)

[deannathegeek]

Have you ever seen Disney's Ice Princess? Same principle-math/physics student trying to quantify skating. I haven't heard of any programs like that, though I do upload my own videos to my computer, break them down frame-by-frame, and analyze what I need to do to improve my spins, jumps, etc. For example, in some frames I can tell exactly where I start losing my balance by switching edges or moving my body wrong, and can make corrections when I get on the ice again.

[mikawendy]

Other places to look for potential research gigs might include universities with health sciences departments (especially those offering courses of study in kinesiology or sports science).

If you couldn't find a place already doing blade/boot or skating research, you might be able to talk to a sports medicine orthopedist to see if they have any research interests similar to yours (and a need for an assistant). For example, an orthopedist near the university I went to has done a study of dancers in pointe shoes using some of his gait analysis equipment (and one or two dancers had jobs or internships w/him).

[techskater]

Dartfish, the software company, does research in that area.

[Query]

Make what you will of these. Don't know if they all work. Some of these people may study the right things.

http://web.hep.uiuc.edu/home/g-gollin/dance/dance_physics.html
Physics of dance - doesn't mention skating, but some relationship

http://hero.nmsu.edu/~4cs/laws/

http://physics.dickinson.edu/~podance/podance_homepage.html
The physics of dance

http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~gcoch/jumpphysics/jumpphys.html
Jump Physics

http://satchmo.as.arizona.edu/~jrigby/skating/main.html
The Physics of Ice Skating

http://www.netsurf.com/nss/nss.05.02.html
Physics of Skating

http://www.exploratorium.edu/hockey/skating1.html
More skating physics from a hockey web site

http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/phys/projects/yep/sports/spinet.html
[Glenbrook] The physics of sports

http://btc.montana.edu/olympics/physbio/biomechanics/bio-intro.html
The Science of Jumping and Rotating

[mikawendy]

http://physics.dickinson.edu/~podance/podance_homepage.html
The physics of dance


I've met Ken Laws before--he came to my university to do some lecture demonstrations--very nice man. I don't know if his research interests are strictly with dance or include skating.