Speed Skating - Environment
Before starting the race, it is necessary to know about environment. The ground is to be set according to the rules and environment. Depending upon the type of race, its features are defined. For speed-skating, the design is completely different from rest of the sports.
Speed Skating − Ground Design
The speed skating is played on ice tracks. Generally, a country where snowfall is higher and the grounds are covered with snow most of the time is chosen. For countries where snow fall is low, dry grounds are made for training and races are implemented by arranging artificial ice tracks using coolers. Olympics conduct this sport in winter to create ice for skating.
Speed Skating – Ground Dimensions
The track is made of ice and is a closed circuit type which may be a circular or any other typical shape. Length of the track may vary based on the level of the sport played. The beginning level is 111mts. It’s a race of one way track with a start position and finish line. The second level gets its length higher than the previous. Likewise, the length goes on increasing from 111mts to 5000mts as desired by the judges.
Most of the competitions never have the same distances. They may vary from one competition to other and it too can’t be guaranteed. It is the choice of the judges or the rules of the sport but internationally Olympics lengths are as follows −
500 meters (4.5 laps) is the shortest length sport taken as beginning for warmup.
1000 meters i.e., 9 laps for giving skaters the spirit for final rounds.
1500 meters i.e., 13.5 laps, is the longest and final laps in the competition.
The winner will be taken into account based on the time required to cross the finish line. It is mandatory that levels are to be designed before the race is announced and the track should be made ready for the race. The planned lengths are to be discussed by all the judges and finalised. Sometimes, during training the track length varies.
