| Ice events like figure skating and speed | | | | as Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Poussin, |
| skating are some of the most-discussed and | | | | Rembrandt, and Goya all painted pictures of |
| watched events in the Olympic Games, time | | | | men and women enjoying public ice skating. |
| after time. Much of the appeal of this | | | | While ice events were popular among the |
| graceful winter sport must come from the fact | | | | nobility, the sport was not confined to the |
| that so many people love it and engage in | | | | classes. Everyone, from peasants to dukes, |
| public skating every year, waiting for those | | | | duchesses, queens and kings loved ice |
| numbing mornings with excitement and | | | | skating, and this was especially true in the |
| anticipation, because it means the local lake | | | | Netherlands. |
| will be open as a winter wonderland. The love | | | | |
| of ice skating covers all social strata, | | | | James II was one of the first to bring ice |
| though, and there are many famous faces that | | | | events to England, from the Netherlands. |
| hold the sport in the highest esteem. Here we | | | | James II's reign was from 1633 to 1701 - so |
| look at some of ice skating's most well-known | | | | the sport has had quite a time to develop in |
| proponents. | | | | the Western world. He was famous for his |
| | | | attempts to create religious freedom for his |
| Queen Victoria was Britain's longest serving | | | | subjects, a luxury we take for granted |
| monarch to date, being in power for over 63 | | | | nowadays. He also brought the sport of ice |
| years. She was also the first Empress of | | | | skating to France, where his friend, Louis |
| India - although this hot country, with | | | | XIV, helped popularize it. Following in Louis |
| temperatures covering tropical, desert and | | | | XIV's tradition were several other French |
| arid, but little in the way of fresh or | | | | monarchs or political figures, including |
| chilly, offers little opportunity for ice | | | | Napoleon I, Napoleon II, and Madame du |
| events! The Victorian era is famous in | | | | Pompadour. |
| Britain as the height of the Industrial | | | | |
| revolution, and showed great progress in | | | | Of course, there are many people that have |
| social, economic and technological areas. | | | | risen to prominence because of the beautiful, |
| During Victoria's reign the British Empire | | | | free and graceful ice events. One of the |
| expanded to become the globe's foremost | | | | sport's most famous women, and the first |
| power. It is said that Queen Victoria got to | | | | woman to land a triple axel in a major |
| know her husband, Prince Albert through a | | | | international competition, was Midori Ito. |
| series of ice skating trips, although these | | | | This Japanese woman started skating when she |
| monarchs would have no doubt enjoyed their | | | | was 5, and developed her jumping abilities to |
| skating in the great outdoors, rather than at | | | | the point where she was nicknamed 'The |
| ice rinks, as we would. | | | | Tsunami Girl', and 'The Japanese Jumping |
| | | | Bean' affectionately by the judges. She won |
| The importance of public ice skating in the | | | | several large competitions several years |
| centuries prior to ours is evidenced in a | | | | before finishing high school, and helped |
| beautiful, and very artistic way, in many | | | | bring ice events to Asia. |
| paintings by the Old Masters. Painters such | | | | |