Canada's Francois Hamelin, skates during the semi-final of the men's 1000-metre event at the short track Speed Skating ISU World Cup in Montreal, Sunday, Nov., 8, 2009. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press) Short-track speed skating has been called "roller derby on ice" but most skaters scorn that comparison because it implies mayhem and lawlessness.
As in long-track racing, the ideal short-track skater will have immense physical strength, powerful thighs and buttocks, and tremendous aerobic and anaerobic capacity. But short track racing also requires agility, explosive speed for passing, and a calculating mind.
"You have to be a good thinker," says former speed skater Neal Marshall. "You have to have your wits about you when you're skating short-track. The top guys, like (Montreal's Marc) Gagnon, make it look so easy. It's not easy. It really takes a lot of skill to do that. (You have to) be an opportunist in short-track: you can have a plan, but something can change completely, and you have to be ready to take advantage of that."
Short-track races are skated counterclockwise on an oval track 111.12 metres in circumference around the inside, marked out on an ice surface the same size as a hockey rink with safety padding around the edges.
That's how short-track speed skating derives its name, but it differs from long-track speed skating in many other ways. Instead of racing in pairs as in long-track, short-track races feature a mass start with four to six skaters on the starting line. Positions are drawn by lot, and skaters are pitted against each other rather than against the clock. Times are kept only for the purpose of establishing records.
Events
There are two types of events in short-track racing: individual and relay. In the individual races, men and women skate the same three Olympic distances: 500m, 1,000m and 1,500m. In the relay, distances are 3,000m for women and 5,000m for men. Relay races usually involve four teams of four skaters per race, and each skater must take at least one turn out on the track.
Skaters generally take their turns in rotation. Those not actually on the track wait in the area inside it, "covering" the skater currently on the track in case of a fall or waiting to take over from that skater.
No baton is passed in short-track relay races; rather, the skater on the track must touch the next skater's body to complete an exchange. Usually the incoming skater waits in a crouch position and the finishing skater gives him or her a push from behind so that no momentum is lost.
When three laps are remaining in the relay, a gun sounds: at that point, each team is allowed only one more exchange. One skater must complete the final two laps, except if he or she falls. In the event that a skater falls during a race, a covering skater may tag the fallen skater and continue the race.
Passing
Tania Vincent, left, Amanda Overland, centre, and Anne Maltais, round the circuit during a short-track speedskating practice session last year in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press) Passing is the name of the game in short-track. As Marshall says, "You can be the fastest [skater] out there, but unless you know how to pass someone, you won't do well."
Aggressiveness is necessary, but it's not a free-for-all and infractions of the rules in passing situations is a common cause of disqualification.
The skater in the lead must not interfere with the other skaters by using his or her arms or body to prevent them from passing. Skaters must pass each other cleanly, without forcing the overtaken skater to slow down. The passing skater is also responsible for avoiding any body contact or obstruction: the lead skater retains the right-of-way even while being passed.
The most frequent cause of disqualification, called charging the block, happens when a skater passes on the inside of the congested area near the top of the corner. A savvy skater won't let anyone sneak by on the inside, and can force overtaking skaters to back off or go around the outside simply by sticking to his or her line along the inside of the track.
Other infractions
But the leader must skate in a straight line from the end of the turn to the finish line: veering to the inside or outside to maintain the lead is grounds for disqualification. Intentionally pushing, obstructing or colliding with another skater also means disqualification for the offending athlete and a chance for advancement to the next round by the victim of the offence.
Improperly crossing the course (cross-tracking) is also prohibited, as is kicking one's skate across the finish in an attempt to break the line first.
Skaters can also be penalized simply for being slow. If a skater is lapped, he or she may be moved to the outside track by the referee. Skaters who are lapped twice must leave the race.
Skates and protection from skates
The ice is crowded in short-track races and there is a much higher risk of collision or falling than in long-track races. Accordingly, short-track skaters wear kneepads, shin guards and hard-shell safety helmets resembling bike helmets. To protect against flying razor-sharp blades, skaters also wear cut-proof gloves and a neck guard.
The lycra skin-suits are similar to the ones worn by long-track skaters, but lack the aerodynamic hood and thumb loops. Manufacturers are still trying to develop more cut-resistant suits. Kevlar, the material from which bulletproof vests are made, has been tried, but it's proven to be too heavy and inflexible to be suitable for racing.
The skates are also slightly different from those worn in long-track racing. The blade is similar in length to a long-track blade — up to 46 centimetres — but to help the racer maintain speed and control in the turns, it has more "rocker," or curve, and is attached to the sole of the boot diagonally and slightly off-centre. This helps the athlete lean further into the corners and push more effectively without the boot of the skate dragging on the ice. Short-track boots are made of fibreglass which is molded to the exact shape of the athlete's foot, and the blades are curved at each end.
Clap-skates, used in long-track competitions, are not permitted in short-track racing. "It's dangerous enough in close quarters with those long blades," Marshall explains. "With the clap mechanism and all those blades flapping around in close proximity to other people, [they have] been banned."
Technique
Skaters use three main strides during the course of a race: the start stride, the race stride and the crossover. The start is a series of choppy running steps that the skater uses to gain speed.
The race stride, a series of long, powerful strokes, is used in the straightaways, and the crossover is used in the turns to help the skater counter centrifugal force. This, in particular, is a hard step to master, as it consists of crossing the outer skate over the inner — no easy task with blades nearly a half-metre long.
The basic position of a short-track skater is a slight crouch, with the body leaning forward and knees bent slightly. It provides better weight distribution, a more complete extension of the leg during a push-off, and a lower centre of gravity.
In the curves, skaters crouch so low that their knees almost touch their chests, and lean so far over the ice that they appear in danger of falling over. Competitors are permitted to touch the ice with their hands inside the track markers to help maintain balance at this point, but they usually do so only briefly to avoid being slowed down by the added friction of such contact.
It's not just speed, it's using speed smartly
Short-track speed skaters use many of the same strategies employed by cyclists or runners: some try to lead right from the gun, in hopes of wearing out their competition, while others choose to conserve energy for the final sprint. Some skater will sprint several times during a race to try to confuse their opponents or to test their ability to respond to such a challenge.
Regardless, every skater's basic tactic is to try to be in second or third place when there are four to five laps left to go: any farther back and there's little chance of taking the lead. This results in plenty of passing, as racers jostle to improve their position in the pack.
"You're racing head-to-head, so it's not just about how fast you go," says Marshall. "You have to be able to go fast, but it's how you use that speed. The hardest part is being able to do a successful, clean pass when you're sprinting full-out: suddenly you have to gain three metres on a guy when you're already traveling 45 kilometres per hour!"
