Clap skate

Clap skates (also called clapskates, slap skates, slapskates, from Dutch klapschaats) are a type of skates used in speed skating. Unlike in traditional skates where the blade is fixed to the boot, the clap skates have the blade attached to the boot by a hinge at the front.

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Clap skates were developed at the Faculty of Human Movement Sciences of the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam, led by Gerrit Jan van Ingen Schenau, although the idea of a clap skate is much older; designs dating from around 1900 are known.

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The clap skate was first used in the 1984/1985 skating season. It was however not until the 1990s that the idea was taken seriously. In the 1996/1997 season, the Dutch female team started using the skates, and with great success. The rest of the skating world soon followed suit, causing a rain of World Records in the following seasons, including the 1998 Olympic Winter Games at Nagano, Japan. Nowadays, all top level skaters use clap skates.

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Dutch: Dutch usually refers to:...

Skates: There are two main forms of skates:...

Speed skating: Speed skating or speedskating is a form of ice skating in which the competitors attempt to travel a certain distance over the ice as quickly as possible. Related sports are short track speed skating and inline speed skating....

Clap skate related Images and Photos (experimental)

Winged Skate	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah CD
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah CD	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Some Loud Thunder	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Some Loud Thunder	Polly Pocket Roller Skate Soccer Playset
Adjusting her Skate	Rob Dyrdeks Wild Grinders Skate Spot Case	How to Make It in America 'Skate Deck Graffiti Art' Mug	How to Make It in America 'Skate Deck Graffiti Art' T-Shirt