Editing Ice skating (section)

===Figure skating===
{{Main|Figure skating}}
[[File:Jackson Haines.png|thumb|Jackson Haines|291x291px]]
[[File:NSAPINY9 EXTR.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Central Park]], Winter – The Skating Pond'', 1862 lithograph by [[Currier and Ives]]|200x200px]]
The first instructional book concerning ice skating was published in London in 1772. The book titled ''The Art of Figure Skating'', written by a British artillery lieutenant, Robert Jones, describes basic [[figure skating]] forms such as circles and figure eights. The book was written solely for men, as women did not normally ice skate in the late 18th century. It was with the publication of this manual that ice skating split into its two main disciplines, speed skating and figure skating.

The founder of modern figure skating as it is known today was [[Jackson Haines]], an American. He was the first skater to incorporate ballet and dance movements into his skating, as opposed to focusing on tracing patterns on the ice. Haines also invented the [[sit spin]] and developed a shorter, curved blade for figure skating that allowed for easier turns. He was also the first to wear blades that were permanently attached to the boot.

The [[International Skating Union]] was founded in 1892 as the first international ice skating organisation in [[Scheveningen]], in the Netherlands. The Union created the first codified set of figure skating rules and governed international competition in speed and figure skating. The first Championship, known as the Championship of the Internationale Eislauf-Vereinigung, was held in [[Saint Petersburg]] in 1896. The event had four competitors and was won by [[Gilbert Fuchs]].<ref>Hines, p.75</ref>
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