23. Skating

With reference to skating not simply as a recreation, but as a sport (amateur or professional), the expression "ice-skating" is generally used. One reason for this may be to distinguish it from roller-skating. Thus newspaper articles about this sport are headed "Ice-Skating" and it is used in the names of championships, for

example "The World Junior Ice-Skating Championships". In such cases ice-skating corresponds to фигурное катание. "Figure-skating" sometimes occurs, but does not appear to be widely used, and is not given

in any of the three English dictionaries consulted. "Figure" alone, with reference to skating, is

defined in the Concise Oxford Dictionary as "movement, series of movements, beginning and ending at centre" and by Chambers as "a series of steps or movements in a dance or in skating". It occurs in this sense in newspaper articles about ice-skating. Ice-skating competitions or championships usually include the following events:

compulsory programmer-portion, or compulsory

figures

tree-skating event, or free skating

(ice-) dance event,_ or ice-dance/ice dancing

The use of these expressions can be illustrated by the following (adapted) quotation from an " English newspaper about the World Junior Championships:

"Barbara Under bill and Paul Martini (Canada) made several errors in the compulsory portion and Barbara left the ice in tears ... . However, in the free skating they demonstrated powerful lifts ... . <...> Kira Ivanova (USSR) maintained first place in the girls' ice-dance event." Speed skating — скоростной бег на коньках. "Skate, skating" are used in such sentences as:

a) I can/can't skate.

b) She skates (very) well or She's a (very), good skater.

c) I'm very keen on skating.

d) We went skating yesterday.

A special place for skating is called an ice-rink, or, less often, a skating-rink. In England they are always indoors. There are comparatively few ice-rinks; for example, London has only two and Birmingham one. Many smaller towns have none.

III. Places for various sports

Here is a summary of the words used for those places where various sports take place.

Field

a large, flat, grass-covered area for:

football — football field

Rugby — rugby field

cricket — cricket field

hockey — hockey field

Playing-/games/_sports field.

Playing-/games/sports field is used of a field for two or more of any of the above sports. (See also "field events", Part II, No. 11.) Pitch

the area marked out on the field for a par­ticular game, and within which the game takes place. There may be several pitches, for the same or different games, on a large field.

Football/rugby/cricket/hockey /rounder pitch. Ground

an enclosed area for particular game, includ­ing the field (with pitches/courts), stands (трибуны), changing rooms, etc.

football ground rugby ground _cricket ground.

Note that-these are specialized, for one sport only,

not like a stadium (see below).

There are some "sports-grounds", or "recreation

grounds", with facilities for various sports, but

these are for playing rather than watching, and

generally have no stands.

Stadium

a large sports-ground where special matches

are played.

As far as it has been possible to ascertain, there is only one stadium in England: Wembley Sta­dium. This is because there are specialized grounds for each sport.

An Olympic stadium is built for each Olympic Games.

Track— for races

. running track (see also "track events", Part II, No. 11) race track

for car and motor-cycle racing, dog racing greyhound/dog track. Court

an area marked out, and often enclosed, for: tennis — tennis court, grass/hard court net-ball — net-ball court basket-ball — basket-ball court. Course race-course

Links golf-links

an alternative to "golf-course". Rink ice-rink

for ice skating. The most common name. skating-rink

for ice skating, or sometimes roller-skating, although in that case it is clearer to use "roller skating-rink".

Pool/baths

swimming-pool/baths (see Part II, No. 13).

Gymnasium (pi. gymnasiums)

usually abbreviated to "gym". For gymnastics.

"Sports hall" is not used.

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