The old boots from early 1900's

[Zena]

I was wondering if anyone know how they managed to jump in those old boots that for example Sonja Henie used? Judging by the photographs it seems as they don't offer any support at all. Not even a serious beginner's skate would look like that today. Anyone with thoughts about this?

[icedancer2]

Well, they didn't do much more than singles...

I would have to say that really she was a tremendous athelete to be able to jump and balance in those boots -- which is why she won all of those World Championships!

I can't imagine it!

[Kruss]

At the World Figure Skating Museum in Colorado Springs, they have a Skate Room with skates dating from the original bone skate from the 8th century all the up to today.

Back in the 1940's (I think that's the time), show skaters used stilt skates - I don't remember their exact name, but they were skate blades on long 1.5 to 2 foot stilts attached to boots - yikes! I can't imagine how they could skate on those!

[Alexeiskate]

The jump technique in Henie's days was also very different from today's technique, hence the boots in those days didn't need to provide the ankle support that skaters expect today. Henie's axel was done in a hunched position, and her landing would be considered underrotated by today standard. I'm sure today skaters in $25.00 skates from Sport Authority's could squeak out a Henie's axel if they wanted to.

[skatepixie]

there was also no backspin position for jumps as that was pioneered by Gus Lussi and Dick Button. (Hows that for trivia...lol)

[dbny]

Originally posted by skatepixie
there was also no backspin position for jumps as that was pioneered by Gus Lussi and Dick Button. (Hows that for trivia...lol)

In Dick Button's day there was still no padding in the boots. They came up considerably higher than they do now and were just plain leather.

[skatepixie]

they were better than henie skates. i still dont know how they did it. My point is that in Henies day they really had diffrent ideas about how to jump.

[Zena]

Does this mean that Ulrich Salchow and Axel Paulsen didn't do the Salchow or Axel as they look like today?

Wasn't the edges as deep as they are today? The Lutz and Flip must have been invented later when there were sturdier boots?

Do you mean that they looked more like landing on their toe-picks rather than on an outside gliding edge? Does anyone know of any sites that might provide some kind of video-clips to show these old skaters?

I have a pair of those 20 dollar skates and they are IMPOSSIBLE to do any deeper outside-edges in! And not to mention jumping! Not even smal hops seems safe.

Does this mean that most of the progresses in skating is also the progress of the equipment (as in many other sports as swimming and speed-skating)

[Alexeiskate]

Some of Henie's movies are out on videos. Check your local video rental store and see if you can check one out and take a look at Henie's axels.

[dr.frog]

The "modern" style of jumping is based on jumping up first, then pulling in to backspin position to do the rotations quickly in the air. OTOH, in Henie's day, the standard technique was to initiate the rotation before the takeoff and maintain a uniform rotational speed throughout the entire jump. This is why Henie's axels look so cheated -- more like jumped spins than true jumps.

[kayskate]

I don't have the book handy, but I seem to remember a pic of Peggy Fleming in her autobio wearing/holding(?) a very flimsy looking pair of skates. She did 2axels, but those boots did not look much sturdier than a present-day rec skate.

Kay

[Canskater]

I'm younger than Peggy Flemming, but was a child skater at the time that Peggy Flemming won her Olympic medal. The type of skates I had at the time Peggy won definitely did have padding in the ankle area as well as in the tongue. In fact, Reidell skates were what I wore. And the blades were MK Club Capri ... probably much like the Club2000 of today. But yes, the boot did come up a bit higher.

-- sheilagh

[skatepixie]

kay-could thay have been her skates for school figures?