US SPEEDSKATING
LONG TRACK BASICS
Long track speedskating has been an Olympic event for men since 1924, with the ladies’ events joining in at the 1960 Olympic Games. Originally, skaters raced “pack style” events on an outdoor 400-meter oval. Competition was in a single lane, with competitors making turns in the counter-clockwise direction. This made for fast and exciting races, with each competitor jockeying for position on the ice around each turn, concluding in a fi nal fi eld sprint at the end of the race. As the sport evolved, skaters continue to skate in the original counter-clockwise direction but with technological advancements in equipment, racing suits and ice arenas, today’s athletes exceed speeds of almost 40 mph. Skaters race each other in separate lanes at blinding speeds and although visually the race looks like it pits skater against skater, the two competitors are not racing each other but rather the clock. The gracefulness of the sport can oft en make a spectator forget how fast they are really going.
THE RULES
Skaters compete in separate lanes; each lane is divided by snow or markers. The inside lane is shorter than the outside lane so in order for each racer to skate the same distance, they must change lanes during each lap at the crossover point in the backstretch. The skater crossing the outer lane to the inner lane has the right of way since he would have opened a large lead to arrive at the crossover earlier than his opponent in the shorter inner curve.
Any collision with or obstruction of an opponent during the crossover can result in a disqualifi cation of the off ender and a chance to re-skate by the injured party. When entering a curve, the skater may not cross the lane markers, though referees usually permit the skater to nick the lane markers with his or her left foot. Skaters compete in several heats called “pairs.” However, unlike other sports, winning the pair does not necessarily mean the skater will move up to another “bracket,” “place” or have won the event. The winner of the event is determined strictly on time. The fastest competitor of the day wins the event. Pairs and lane assignments are determined by a drawing conducted before the event. Names are drawn two at a time from each seeding pool, forming a pair. Each pair skates in the order in which it was drawn. Usually, the fastest skaters are paired last.
THE START
Skaters start either side-by-side or staggered, depending on the distance of the race. The 500m and 10,000m are side-by-side starts, and the rest are staggered. The skater starting on the inner track wears a white armband; the skater in the outer lane wears a red armband.
When the starter orders “Go to the start,” both skaters move to the starting area. At the word “Ready,” both skaters assume their starting positions, holding until the starter fi res the gun. The pair is allowed one warning for a false start before disqualifi cation.
The fi rst false start is given to both skaters, no matter who is at fault. If a skater has another false start, he/she will be disqualifi ed and the remaining skater of the pair skates alone.
THE FINISH A skater has completed the distance when he/she has touched or reached the fi nish line with his/her skates, as 2011-2012 US SPEEDSKATING meDIA GUIDE 27
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