Remember the Pins are for the scout doing their best to learn about the sport or academic activity, and by putting the new techniques to practice with fellow scouts, in their community, or working with an adult.

1. Participate in a pack or community skating event.

2. Demonstrate how to sharpen your skates correctly.

3. Demonstrate how to lace, assemble, and disassemble your skates correctly.

4. On two occasions, spend at least 30 minutes practicing warm-up exercises before skating.

5. Play a skating game on the ice.

6. Learn two new figure-skating skills: forward Swizzles, Glides, Backward Swizzles, and Backward Wiggle.

7. Demonstrate how to "start" in a speed skating race.

8. Explain the difference between long-track and short-track speed skating.

9. Participate in a skating skill development clinic.

10. Tell about an Olympian athlete in figure skating or speed skating. What were some of his or her best traits?

* The Ice Skating belt loop and pin are for speed and figure skating on ice. See Roller Skating for information on roller blading and in-line skating requirements. *

Skating Rules

• Make sure your skates are laced firmly.

• Always watch where you are going.

• Skate in the same direction as everyone else.

• Do not skate too fast.

• Do not skate behind people and surprise them.

• Do not tease others who are learning to skate.

Ice Skating Games

• Noncompetitive:
  Racing on Ice, Relay Races, Sprint Races, and Lap Races.

• Competitive:
  Skill Competitions, and Obstacle Course Skills Competition.

Speed Skating on Ice:  The World's Fastest Self-Propelled Sport

Ice speed skating is composed of two styles: long-track (metric) and short-track speed skating.

Long Track

• Is skated on a 400-meter oval.

• Is a competition against the clock.

Two skaters on the track compete for time in distances from 500 to 10,000 meters. In addition to metric racing, the United States and Canada also skate pack-style long-track, with up to eight skaters on the track.

Short Track

• Is skated on standard (200-by-85 meter) or Olympic size (200-by-100 meter) hockey rinks.

• Is skated on a track of 111 meters.

Four to six skater start on the line, with the first skater across the finish line declared the winner.

Races are skated from 500 meters to 3000 meters for adults, with shorter races for children.

Lone and short track skaters can begin their ice experience as early as five years old, while many adult skaters continue through their 60's and 70's.

Your local library is an excellent source of information about skating, You can check with any skating centers in your area. There might also be a local skating club where you can obtain more information.