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Show III ft "- (III f V 7 M"V1Tk v. 'I V tOV ; J ! villi S f j Ir V"n' ,,cst skalrs begin r J p 0 ft early," said an instructor in j j I tills fashionable winter sport 'Ir S lhe othcr "J"' "- ifivl of , jt seven is not too young to put I on the steel blades and be - IjIK taught how to guide herself over the ice. I III lie W"J dcvcloP nto a belter skater than ' I 01IC vvJ' UC'DS t0 learn when she Is 1 1 111: j prown up." Il Jt is quJtc truC tliat lhc youuS school- ! fit pirJ hns a srcat advantage over her older j K sister m learning to skate we'll and toj 1 skate gracefully. The strokes come to 'Wlw t,ie J0Ilns er nlorc easily, she is less ' Ik sensitive to bumps and more eager to try IK new and fancy figures. And usually her p enthusiasm reaches a higher mark than Jl docs that of the girl who has other pas- Ijlij tinics and interests to fill her mind. It " 11CW 'mliet"s has been given to ice 1 l skating since the New York Public ;l Schpols Committee on Athletics has de- J ' ' c t0 mtroducc it in public school trairi- Hill inp anc' lo arran6c for tie children to use 111 ,', l'ark !l'ccs, wuon they are frozen over r ton safe thickness and St. Nicholas Kink T "'ICU outdoor skating must be abau- ' ft doucd The movement promises to bc- lt conic general throughout the country , where cither natural or artificial ice of fcrs a chance for the practice and enjoy- p ment of this healthful sport. t Physicians say there is no more invigor. Ill rting exercise than skating. Every muscle I in the body is used, the lungs are expanded l" with each stroke of the skater nnd thc llj blood is sent tingling through tb'e Veins 1 until she fairly glows with excitement lit II L and warmth. f J r ECAUSE it is so invigorating and . 1 Pj exhilarating the skater should dress ;j 'M with the greatest care. The amateur I nsuallj puts on too many wraps for fear', I i of feeling cold in the crisp air, while the I, practised skater is apt to dress somewhat thiul.v Jn order to avoid becoming over- j ,( .heated. j S f A medium wpight costume is the best to' F choose to protect the wearer agajust the 6 cold and yet not feel too heavy when the MX. ilarer 3s-cxcrciatiip. 'Such a dress as one I ' rron' choose for a 'long, steady tramp Kf ,vou' bo of the correct weight for skat- f iug, but this would probably be cut on , H-f difforent lines for the ice sport. I " Even in this day of extremely nnrrow K skirts skating costumes arc made suffi- , B4 cicntly wide to allow of the greatest ease' r Hf of movement. Skirts that nre short look' ccn s',orlr when orn by the skater, so that It is unucccssary to wear one cut I ' - '' r yy r 3feS-S a ' ml Ready for a Turn -Around the Rink shorter than the fashionable walking length for comfort Stiff collars, tight belts npd even stays are abandoned by many young skateis now. Waists and blouses arc cut away nt the throat to facilitate breathing, and if corseis arc worn t all these are of the most flexible material made. The graceful skater must not be hampered ham-pered by anything tight at the waist, as many of the postures make bending necessary neces-sary nud a rhythmic swaying essential to the execution of the figure. I Expert skaters lay great stress on the 'bupts and skates which arc attached. The bopt .which laces down the front almost to th toolis preferred to any other this seas'on. It is made 'of the" best leather, reinforced nt the ankles so that straps are' not. required to give, the proper support and the shoes cairbe'fiuickly adjusted A I tfew girls at the rink, are wearing racing! skates whb?h project beyond the soles 6fi tbe shoes, but younger girls begin lessons1 'on the ordinary well sharpened steel 'blades. I Strokes "can be learned only on the ico. A beginner may read pages and pages of t.tuwvuntMivvntuuwtwivM " ' ' ' - - - - - - ' ' """ "',"'.. "',""7;"""""'" , I "' ICE SKATING-A FASCINATING. " I ; AND HLALTHTIJL SPODT ft e l. a j . ' , - v . j rink or the lake accompanied and sup- fe-v") jfr3 "or'tcd by an instructor the difficulties v J& 6C?m to 'l''!al)Pcar- -TZ T J$ T""0 graceful skater stands erect, knees Wf& " VvVV . apart and not rigid. Tdic rigid kneed RyyV 7'f cJ-rtg'Hsii '-qii. fekutcr can jiccr hone Iji achieve grace. ?y $r .'A l&i ?! r?M jSi; : J;f Beginners usually feel that they must f3 Wil'll-' keep their knees and their feet close to- r"- fwill: '-" Kether, us they learn to place them when 'A PWm&t- talking. This is something they must l f iiL unlearn, and the sooner they master the 'J.U J l first principles of the sport the belter. ifj . 5' iS Balanced thus, with the shoulders held ' cn;: r .- , . "fiB -V- Mill t&ssb ,fy mj tf ftp- "I1 : ' '' iBL '111 w wa'ii8B Finishing Figure on the Toes . -- material describing tliQ different poses and postures, but they will mean practically nothing until she has tried them herself on the ice'. 'After "that tho descriptions begin to have sonfe definite meaning and printed instructions on figures may be helpful. 4 4 BALANCE is the important thing when learning to skate. At first the art of standing on two thin steel blades seems almost impossible to acquire, ac-quire, but after a few turns around the well up and the knees apart, the sknter is ready for the first 'stroke. "This is made by the entire body. ' Tho shoulders move in tune witlifflicufeebaiid legs7first one shoulder and then tho other, and even the wnist responds to the movement of the body. It is noticeable at any gathering of girl and women skaters that those whose waists are unhampered ninko the most graceful movements and seem to glide rhythmically, while the others who are stiflly corseted seem to move only Tit the knees, and therefore look ungainly un-gainly and unattractive. I r, OR instance, it is most important (o swing the arm when skating. The arms should not be hold above the waist line, but should be allowed to drop at the sides away-from the bodv. In ?i I vj j I ftfSEtmimMm 1111 W' Mil W ' l&ilrlfSiv WjLv fm ''iff wM -- im llfef'ty ESs8Ss -7 WmsF'-J WMw cJWUB?MK Sir;.; 3ryyzijr, Ibis position they swing easily with each forward or backward motion of the skater, while in straightaway skating they sway gentlj-, as if .wafted by a broezo. Unless tho waist, shoulders, legs nnd arms move iu harmony there can he no such thing as grace, and the young girl skater desires this distinction in her winter win-ter sport quite as much as anything else. The beginner is tempted to look at tho ice in front of her unless she is constantly con-stantly watched and warned against this error. The correct way is to look far ahead, to teach the cyo to judge distance quickly and accurately and thus avoid accidents nnd to let the body follow the direction of the eye almost unconsciously. uncon-sciously. At first this Is .difficult to do, E2vS7ssBsSmmmmMWKKlKSSI I IWSmmSmmmmmmmmWSS I rfiiN i mummm 1 rhmnmm I Learning to Waltz - but practice soon makes it easy. The girl skater should not be content to learn straightaway skating. This is an excellent accomplishment and is the foundation for fancy figures, which arc, after all, the Teal pleasure and goal of the Ice enthusiast. It has been said by an English woman visiting here that Americans Amer-icans lack ambition when it comes to skating; that they are too easily satisfied with having mastered a few strokes and do not yearn to know more about- the difficult art. In some of the larger rinks figure skating 5s taught to many o the younger girls, some of whom have accomplished ac-complished the most intricate ones used by professional exhibitors. The "roll" is one of the easiest of these, and is used in many of the fancy 'figures. A long fitroko h taken on the skating fool and fho balanco foot is brought over its mate as the skating stroke is finished. This foot takes the ice and makes a long, swinging stroke, at tho finish of wbjc.h,.tne othor foot, which has become, the, balance foot, is brought ovor the skating foot and takes its position for a stroke. THIS Is a popular figure for fancy pkating in pairs, and It is also wonderfully won-derfully graceful and effective when iAM.yjUAM.tlltUM,lMMMMMl AA ' M A : done by a skater alone.' As tho feet ar ' i H J swung first one over tho other and then M 1 tho movement reversed it is easy to see? 1 S3 1 how important it is to haTO the whole l body sway in inieon. With. a. stiff and I ; unbending waist Hne and knees that do ' 1 not yield to every slightest movement of 1 the body, a skater would resembje an in- i II ' animate mass of material Eliding over the I'll ice on steel runners. ' I One renson for recommendinj; the fancy M ' figures is on account of their value in ' M strengthening the ankles and improving 1 the balance. In all the fanciful motions, m which must be quick if they are to be ef- it fective, the balance is shifted almost in- I ' I ' j stantaneously from one foot to the other. ill! Ecn while the body is in an unusual pose- I V 11 the balance is often changed, and this Ifi' series of -movements requires the greatest " it 1 u skill, as -well as familiarity -with the sim- . II 1 plcet wa7 to gUde from one posture into (l another. " j Ij oung giris learn the waltzing step al- ( ' f II most as easily as they do tho "rolL" In 'I'll the dancmg figure 'each skater must turn f II at (intervals and" skate backward. Tne J El quick recovery from thet forward to tho ' II1 backward position 'is excellent practice . 1 and helps with the execution of the more II jntricate figures. , " Sr Skating clubs are always a delightful v ;SI feature of this winter sport. Girls who ' m lie in town can have their clubs meet at ' fjf tho rinks if the weather is not propitious , III for trying the exercise outdoors. Tho jl of tcner you skate tho more you Improve, ' III and usually the more enthusiastic you i grow. Some clubs meet once a week, , ! !tj while- others meet two or three times, be- p cause Ihe skating season Is comparatively ' (jf short and the girls feel that they must ." ' I make the most of each lesson. , ? ' l V- VELVET and velveteen dresses arer'be- i log worn by girls who have special costumes for skating. One of the : prettiest of these seen the othor day liad' ' ' K a plain skirt edged with fur, and at each l side a panel of pleating inset to increase ' the width whenthe wearer was in motion J nnd yet give the skirt a fashionably nar- , J row look at other timps. 1 1 The waist was mado with n soft, loose, j 1, i semi-fitted blouse trimmed with a deep ' 'ill collar of velvet edged with fur, and a '"jll 1 small velveteon hat with a furrband com' $1, ' pletcdtlie simple and-effccrivc-cosUrme, ! ' A dress made all in one piece recom- B mends itself to the girl skater on account R ' of its simplicity and tho ease with which if it can be adjusted. The skirt o such a: 'dress' ceen, the other 6ay had a tmalclika I" section, sloping trpward ia front; 'where it Vj bnttoned from belt to hem. Tho blouse Jh ala.o buttoned down (the front and had trimmings of velvet. H White is a- favorite colorf or vej'-yorrflg H girls. Somo of the-tiniestof these-ekartcTS H dress In all Tvhlto, with -whita or black sknting ehoes, white or black hat and H white gloves. The hat should bo small H nnd light and have a flexible brim that H . will bend in any shape nnd keep -any po |