In all winter sports, especially in Canada, the custom is to wear gaily colored goods. A mackinaw jacket made from the same material as a blanket, with very prominent stripes or plaids, is often worn. Closely woven goods are better than a thicker loose weave as they are lighter, warmer, and more waterproof.
Chief among winter sports is skating. There is no healthier recreation, provided that the ice is safe. Even in the coldest weather with the ice a foot thick or more we must always be sure to be on the lookout for air-holes or thin places over springs. It is said that ice an inch thick will hold the weight of a man, but it is better to be sure than to be sorry, and three or four inches are much safer.
The club skate model
A few years ago the height of the skater’s art was so called “fancy or figure” skating, but recently the tendency has been for speed rather than for grace and the old-fashioned club skates have been replaced by racing or hockey skates with much longer runners. Fancy skating for prizes is governed by rules just as any other game or sport. The contestants do not attempt figures of their own invention but strive to excel in the so-called “compulsory” figures. A fancy skater can practice from diagrams and directions just as one might practice moves in a game of chess. In printed directions for fancy skating the following abbreviations are used for the strokes:
R—right
L—left
F—forward
B—backward
O—outside
I—inside
T—three
LP—loop
B—bracket
RC—rocker
C—counter
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