131. 1st Grade SSR. Sports Played on Ice

​It gets so cold in some places! Lakes and ponds freeze in winter. People who take part in ice sports can train on this ice. It is key to make sure that the ice is thick.

What do people do in places that are not cold enough for ice to form? Can they play ice sports, too? They can train inside ice rinks that stay cold through hot summers.

​Ice skating is a fun ice sport. Ice skates are boots with sharp blades on the bottom. Blades let people jump, spin, twirl, and glide on ice. Ice skating is a good way to stay fit.

In some ice sports, people skate to music and get points for fine, fancy foot moves and high jumps. People toss roses onto the icy rink to thank them for skating so well.

In speed skating, people race on an icy track to see who goes the fastest.

In short races, people line up at the starting line. They skate fast, and then the first person to cross the finish line wins.

In long races, two people skate at a time. They skate lap after lap around the track, trying for fast times. The fastest time wins.

​What ice sport is this? It’s called curling. Curling teams slide large stones on ice. A person slides the big flat stone. Two others sweep in front of it with brooms. The small brush marks on the ice are enough to get the stone to move left or right and speed up or slow down. The key for each team is to get their stone close to the center to win.

​Ice hockey is another team sport. People who play hockey use sticks to hit a hard rubber puck while skating. They are smart to use padding and helmets when they play. These things help keep them from getting hurt by hockey sticks, sharp skates, or flying pucks. A team scores when the puck goes past the other team’s goalie.

​Sleds that go down snowy hills are played with like toys, but bobsleds are not like toys at all! A bobsled has sharp steel blades and can fit two or four people inside.

Bobsleds race down an icy track that twists and turns. The team’s chief job is to shift back and forth to move into turns and go faster. Teams with the fastest time win.