Figure skating is the most popular televised sport at the Olympic Winter
Games and is the oldest of the winter sports, having first been
contested at the Games of the fourth Olympiad in London in 1908. No
other sport creates such a perfect balance between athleticism and
artistry, and the athletes--many of them household names like Oksana
Baiul, Brian Boitano, Nancy Kerrigan, Evan Lysacek, Katarina Witt, and
Kristi Yamaguchi--spend years in training to make it look effortless.
The Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating relates the history of the
sport through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive
bibliography, appendixes, and over 800 cross-referenced dictionary
entries on hundreds of skaters, past and present, but also on skating
countries, governing bodies, skating disciplines, technical elements,
skating styles, and many other subjects. This book is an excellent
access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more
about the history of figure skating.