Female Skaters Research Articles

Cardiopulmonary Responses to Slideboard Exercise in Competitive Female Ice Skaters

Cardiopulmonary Responses to Slideboard Exercise in Competitive Female Ice Skaters

The effects of a goal-setting package on the performance of speed skaters

The purpose of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a goal-setting package on objective and subjective measures of speed skating performance. Participants were four female skaters ranging in age from 12–17 years. A single-subject design, the multiple baseline across individuals, was used to evaluate the intervention package. One participant remained at baseline for the duration of the study to control for training effects. The results provide support for utilizing a goal-setting package in an athletic setting. During practices, laps and drills completed increased, while off-task behaviors decreased. Racing times obtained in practice and competitions improved for all three experimental participants. A social validity assessment provided further support for the effectiveness of the intervention.

Calcium Intakes of Adolescent Female Gymnasts and Speed Skaters: Lack of Association with Dieting Behavior

Calcium intake and its association with dieting behavior were assessed in female adolescents competing in an aesthetic and a nonaesthetic sport (gymnastics and speed skating). Athletes were 25 skaters and 32 gymnasts competing at a provincial level or higher. Calcium intake was assessed by food frequency questionnaire; dieting behavior by the Eating Attitudes Test Dieting subscale; and body composition by skinfolds, height, and weight. Mean calcium intakes of both groups of athletes exceeded Canadian recommendations, and skaters' mean intakes exceeded U.S. recommendations; however, many individuals had low intakes. Gymnasts were leaner than skaters and had lower calcium intakes, but this difference was not associated with Dieting subscale scores, which were similar between sports and were not correlated with calcium intake. Athletes had higher mean calcium intakes than normally active adolescents studied (measured with a similar protocol) and had lower Dieting subscale scores. Thus, although calcium intakes of some athletes require attention, sport participation was associated with increased intakes. Also, for these athletes, dieting behavior did not directly interfere with calcium intake.

Aerobic, Anaerobic and Isokinetic Measures of Elite Canadian Male and Female Speed Skaters

This study was conducted to evaluate the physiological parameters of elite speed skaters after a period of summer training, and to examine the relationships between these measures and speed skating performance. The subjects were eight male and eight female members of the Canadian National Speed Skating Team. The tests performed included assessment of body composition, aerobic power, anaerobic power and isokinetic peak torque measures for knee and hip flexion/extension and hip abduction/adduction. Mean values obtained for O2 max were 61.9 ± 2.7 and 53.5 ± 2.0 ml·kg−1·min−1 for male and female skaters, respectively. Male sprinters were found to have significantly higher five-second peak anaerobic power than all-around skaters (16.6 ± 0.9 versus 14.4 ± 1.1 W·kg−1 of body weight). Anaerobic five-second peak power was significantly correlated with both relative knee extension at 180°·sec−1 for male skaters (r = 0.78) and 500-meter velocity (r = 0.81). These results demonstrate a relationship between laboratory measures and sprint speed skating performance. However, because O2 max was unrelated to distance performance, further research is required to determine the underlying determinants of endurance performance in speed skating.

Aerobic, Anaerobic and Isokinetic Measures of Elite Canadian Male and Female Speed Skaters

This study was conducted to evaluate the physiological parameters of elite speed skaters after a period of summer training, and to examine the relationships between these measures and speed skating performance. The subjects were eight male and eight female members of the Canadian National Speed Skating Team. The tests performed included assessment of body composition, aerobic power, anaerobic power and isokinetic peak torque measures for knee and hip flexion/extension and hip abduction/adduction. Mean values obtained for JOURNAL/jscr/beta/00124278-199108000-00001/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2017-05-04T192841Z/r/image-pngO2 max were 61.9 ± 2.7 and 53.5 ± 2.0 ml·kg−1·min−1 for male and female skaters, respectively. Male sprinters were found to have significantly higher five-second peak anaerobic power than all-around skaters (16.6 ± 0.9 versus 14.4 ± 1.1 W·kg−1 of body weight). Anaerobic five-second peak power was significantly correlated with both relative knee extension at 180°·sec−1 for male skaters (r = 0.78) and 500-meter velocity (r = 0.81). These results demonstrate a relationship between laboratory measures and sprint speed skating performance. However, because JOURNAL/jscr/beta/00124278-199108000-00001/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2017-05-04T192841Z/r/image-pngO2 max was unrelated to distance performance, further research is required to determine the underlying determinants of endurance performance in speed skating.