Feel the wind in your hair, see the world rushing by in a blur, and imagine the ground rising up to meet you. Visualize the world spinning away while waiting for it to come back. Experience the sharp pain of falling, which will make you strive for the satisfaction of perfection. Welcome to the world of figure skating.

According to the dictionary, a sport is an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often is of a competitive nature. Most people will argue that figure skating isn’t a sport.

“It lacks intensity and serious competition.”

“You don’t need skill or power to skate.”

Actually, figure skating is one of the most exhilarating sports ever. At the professional level, men and women will do dangerous revolution jumps requiring massive amounts of skill and power. They will spin rapidly at high speeds, trying to achieve the highest score possible. Figure skaters have to be strong yet graceful.

Think about the Triple Axel. For this tough, revolution jump, you take off from your left foot while going forwards and spin three and a half times in the air. Finally, you have to land gracefully on your right foot. To be able to spin three and a half times in the air requires enormous power. Then, you have to have the skill to stop spinning and land gracefully on your right foot.

Before 1994, figure skating competitions had been included in the Summer Olympics. Now, it is an official competition category in the Winter Olympics. This should make the sport considered “serious competition.” Every four years, millions of people convene together to watch professional figure skaters compete for the Olympic gold medal. And even more people watch this sport on television.

It is obvious that people who judge figure skating don’t actually know much about this sport. Figure skating requires a combination of power, skill, and grace. So why don’t you give this sport a try?