UN

NTIL one is sufficiently expert on the ice to become a good figure skater, he has not acquired the true art of the sport, nor can he appreciate its fascinations. It is only by a natural balance and hard, intelligent work, that one is able to reach anything like championship form.

The building of artificial ice rinks in this country during the last two or three years has given a great impetus to the sport, and made the development of excellent figure skaters possible. At present, New York, Brooklyn, Baltimore, Washington and Chicago have rinks; and seven or eight others are projected for next year in as many different cities.

New York city has been particularly unfortunate in the past, owing to its changeable climate and a very limited number of outdoor skating days. But now that its skaters can count upon good ice under cover, irrespective of wind and weather, for a period of five consecutive months, it is fair to presume that in the next two or three years this city will more than hold its own in producing firstclass figure skaters. Records of the past show that the vicinity of New York has been the home of more than its share of the figure-skating experts of the country. But to the old Philadelphia Skating Club belongs. the honor of the first figure-skating contest held in this country, which was about 1863. The first competition in New York was at "Mitchell's Pond," Fifty-ninth Street and Fifth Avenue, in 1867. This site is now occupied by the Plaza Hotel.

To Robert Edwards, of the New York Skating Club, is due the credit. of the first regular figure skating programme ever properly introduced, and it is now partly in use by the National Amateur Skating Asso

Previous to 1891, the Canadian and Boston skaters who competed in New York were seriously handicapped by their unfamiliarity with our programme. Likewise, the New York skaters were hadicapped in were hadicapped in other localities, for the same reason. All foreign competitions are skated by a programme that calls for a certain number of set figures, each having its own value, and the competitors are allowed five minutes each for specialties, the score for which ordinarily is about one-third of the total amount of possible points. Our form of scoring gives each section on the programme an equal value. This has been frequently discussed among skaters, and it seems to us on this side of the water much fairer to have a programme wherein a man's general ability is proven and his average reached.

It is only fair to admit that foreign figure skaters have improved very much in the last ten years. Their ability to skate "to place" is very marked; but when it comes to a matter of grace and ability to skate the plain rolls-the very basis of all figure skating-we find the foreigners very weak and anything but graceful. A man who is naturally awkward can never make a successful figure skater. Supple joints and a natural balance can not be acquired.

In his article on figure skating, T. Maxwell Witham claims to have known an instance of a man's practicing upon the floor of his room, before a cheval glass, and then, with very little outdoor practice, become

brilliant and graceful skater. This country has as yet failed to produce such an example. Nothing but hard work and the use of a man's brains will make a successful skater. I would call attention to Herbert S. Evans, of Boston, as an example of what hard and intelligent work will do for a figure skater. In 1891 Mr. Evans finished last in the amateur championships held in Albany; but in 1896 he not only won the cham

pionship, but he had also acquired the most absolute and complete control of his balance of any skater that I have ever seen. During the five intervening years, he had devoted a great deal of time and intelligent study to the art, and certainly deserved the championship and all the glory that went with it.

Louis Rubenstein, of Montreal, who won the championship of the United States and Canada on several occasions, and the world's championship at St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1892, used to devote several hours each day to practice, and for this reason only has he been able to excel all competitors in competitors in "place" skating. His double one-foot eights are marvels of accuracy, and no one with a compass could make a more beautiful figure upon the ice. figure upon the ice. His control of the "anvils" is also remarkable.

One style of figure skating that promises to be very popular in this country is termed "hand-in-hand skating." This was instituted by the London Skating Club, and they have published numerous works and diagrams regarding it. The greatest attraction of this style of skating is the social side of it. A lady and a gentleman skating their changes of "edges," "threes," "rocking turns and "Q's," will find infinite amusement, and hard work is forgotten in the pleasure of social intercourse. This has already taken a firm hold on the skaters of New York, and promises to be quite a feature in the future.

A proper outfit for one who wants to become a good figure skater is an absolute necessity, and strong, lace shoes, with stout soles are an important part of it. In this country and in England, the majority of good skaters have their skates screwed to the soles of their shoes. In fastening the plate of the skate to the sole of the shoe, it will be found advantageous to have the runner about one-eighth of an inch on the inside of the centre, and the skate itself should have its bearing just back of the ball of the foot.

yet understand the toe movements, though they comprise a large percentage of our programmes, and an ingenious skater can originate many new ones. Furthermore, they can be executed with extreme grace.

Figure skating in Europe is now controlled by the International Skaters' Union, which is composed of all the National Skating Associations of foreign countries. The only member in this part of the world is the Canadian Association. In the United States, our contests are entirely governed by the National Amateur Skating Association, which was organized in 1885, and it is still the ruling body for both figure and speed skating championships. An effort was made. this year to form what was termed an International Skating Association, but as it had no standing of any description, it was promptly "laughed down" by the associations of Europe, the United States and Canada.

Figure skaters should bear in mind that the first step toward success is gracefulness. I have seen in competition several foreign skaters who failed to understand why they were marked so low in many sections of the programme. They did not seem to appreciate that flying arms and legs make grace and beauty of action. an absolute impossibility.

It is not always the brilliant skater that is the most successful in competition. Quite frequently the public is carried away by seeing a man in the championship execute three or four most brilliant movements, and they fail to realize his extreme weakness in many other sections. It is the man who executes the figures with the least possible effort, and looks as though every one of the sections of the programme were perfectly easy and under his control, that generally makes the winner.

To be a successful competitor, one must have considerable muscular endurance. When it is considered that it takes each skater at least an hour to

make all the necessary figures on the programme, it will be seen that, with an entry list of nine, as in the championship this winter, it means nine hours of almost continual skating, as every section is executed in turn. It is certainly a very tiresome undertaking.

Good judges for figure skating contests are not numerous. A man should thoroughly understand when a skater is executing all his movements, both forward and backward, and upon right and left foot alike, and upon inside and outside edges, wherever it is possible. Even then, deception can be used at times. A notable instance of this occurred in 1868, when Frank Swift, who was then champion, was discovered to be onefooted in his figure eights. He had already won the championship and numerous matches. He would execute his one-foot eight on his good foot, then skate off, turn around a few times and come back, and do it over again on the same foot; and this escaped the notice of the judges on a great many occasions. It is not likely that such a thing could ever happen during the present regime.

The man who has probably done. more to foster figure skating in this country than any other is Eugene B. Cook, who has been a delegate to all the various conventions where action has been taken upon the formation of programmes, and whose ideas are largely followed to-day' by all figure skaters. Mr. Cook has been, to my knowledge, a first-class figure skater for thirty-five years, and he is considered practically the father of figure skating in this country.

If figure skaters would first give their attention to plain rolls, both outside and inside, forward and backward, and master them completely, they would then be able to take up the rest of the programme successfully; but most beginners do not like to go through the hard work necessary to control these simple edges.