Iulya
10th March 2009, 00:49
Deschi topicul cu un articol despre patinajul artistic si dezvoltarea acestuia din Turcia
Gliding into the future: the evolution of ice skating in Turkey
According to researchers at the University of Oxford, ice skating was probably not originally a pastime, but a means of transportation used in southern Finland some 4,000 years ago. Centuries later, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II constructed a large ice rink in his court in 1610 to make the sport more po****r. In 1892 the International Skating Union (ISU) was founded.
The development of the sport in Turkey, however, began as late as the 1940s in the cold eastern parts of the country as a means of transportation, similar to Finland's use, according to the Web site of İstanbul Technical University's (İTÜ) Ice Sports Club.
The practice soon evolved into a fun sport in Ankara and ice skating became po****r on the frozen lake in the city's Youth Park.
Among those who used to skate on that iced-over lake, there is at least one who still devotes himself to the development of ice skating in Turkey: Fehmi Tekelioğlu.
"I started skating 50 years ago on that frozen lake," Tekelioğlu said.
He was one of the first people to pick up the sport in the country and was amongst the founders of the Turkish Ice Skating Federation. Now he is the deputy chairman of the federation and teaches skating at his As Merkez facility in the western province of Bursa.
In Turkey the po****rity of the sport has increased a great deal in recent years and people have begun to show more interest in it. "During the last two years, the po****rity of ice skating has boomed. The show 'Buzda Dans' [Dance on Ice] -- which was shown on television in 2007 -- has drastically increased the po****rity of the sport. Nearly 30 small ice skating rinks have been opened. These things all happened in two or three years," Tekelioğlu said.
Contrary to common assumptions, Tekelioğlu does not think the sport only draws the interest of the wealthy. Noting that he and the head of the federation have been invited to the eastern province of Van by a university there, he said they visit eastern provinces to cooperate with local bodies and to share the sport with everyone.
Tekelioğlu further said Turkey is a great country for this sport and that in the colder parts of the country outdoor ice skating rinks can be run without any electricity for six months out of the year.
Noting that ice skating can easily be spread to eastern Turkey, Tekelioğlu said, "We, as the federation, attended a festival in the eastern province of Ardahan. The festival took place on Lake Çıldır and it drew considerable attention from the public. We also send ice skates to schools."
Increase in number of facilities
The recent increase in interest in the sport has also led to a rise in the number of ice skating facilities in the country. Tekelioğlu emphasized the crucial importance of such facilities for the future of ice skating.
Emphasizing that a sport without its infrastructure cannot develop, he said: "Ice skating rinks are the infrastructure of the sport. Until recently, there were only two Olympic skating rinks in Turkey. Now the number is increasing and the Universiade Winter Games, also known as the World University Games, to be held in the [eastern province of] Erzurum in 2011, is accelerating this trend. Three Olympic skating tracks will be opened this month: one in Erzurum, one in İzmit and another in İstanbul."
Tekelioğlu noted that four more full-size rinks will be opened before the Universiade Winter Games come to Erzurum in 2011.
He stressed that one rink is able to entertain many people at the same time, while the fields of other sports are usually more restrictive. "Four people can play tennis at the same time in a tennis court. However, on an ice skating rink, nearly 100 people can enjoy themselves at the same time. While a tennis court can take 20 people at maximum by the end of the day, an ice skating rink can take nearly 1,000 people in a day," he said.
Tekelioğlu said if the state supports the sport, all of Turkey can be introduced to ice skating.
Skating family
Tekelioğlu's children are also ice-skaters. His daughter and son are trainers for young ice-skaters. His daughter, Yeliz Tekelioğlu, calls ice skating a "family business."
"My father and mother met at an ice skating rink. My brother and I do not even remember when we first got on a rink," she told Sunday's Zaman.
600 skaters registered with federation
Turkish Ice Skating Federation Secretary-General Gülay Sanver said interest in ice skating is quite high in Turkey, but that there are not enough facilities. The federation is a branch of the Youth and Sports General Directorate, from which it receives financial support.
However, the number of skaters registered with the federation is not very high. "We have nearly 600 ice skaters and nearly 20 clubs," Sanver told Sunday's Zaman.
Karademir: ice skating star of Turkey
Turkish ice-skaters have recently been seeing international successes. The most famous ice-skater in Turkey is Tuğba Karademir. Karademir started skating in Turkey, but her family moved to Canada for the sake of her budding skating career.
Karademir finished 10th at the European Figure Skating Championship held in Helsinki with 84.59 points. She was 11th at the previous championship.
08 March 2009, Sunday
ESRA MADEN İSTANBUL
Gliding into the future: the evolution of ice skating in Turkey
According to researchers at the University of Oxford, ice skating was probably not originally a pastime, but a means of transportation used in southern Finland some 4,000 years ago. Centuries later, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II constructed a large ice rink in his court in 1610 to make the sport more po****r. In 1892 the International Skating Union (ISU) was founded.
The development of the sport in Turkey, however, began as late as the 1940s in the cold eastern parts of the country as a means of transportation, similar to Finland's use, according to the Web site of İstanbul Technical University's (İTÜ) Ice Sports Club.
The practice soon evolved into a fun sport in Ankara and ice skating became po****r on the frozen lake in the city's Youth Park.
Among those who used to skate on that iced-over lake, there is at least one who still devotes himself to the development of ice skating in Turkey: Fehmi Tekelioğlu.
"I started skating 50 years ago on that frozen lake," Tekelioğlu said.
He was one of the first people to pick up the sport in the country and was amongst the founders of the Turkish Ice Skating Federation. Now he is the deputy chairman of the federation and teaches skating at his As Merkez facility in the western province of Bursa.
In Turkey the po****rity of the sport has increased a great deal in recent years and people have begun to show more interest in it. "During the last two years, the po****rity of ice skating has boomed. The show 'Buzda Dans' [Dance on Ice] -- which was shown on television in 2007 -- has drastically increased the po****rity of the sport. Nearly 30 small ice skating rinks have been opened. These things all happened in two or three years," Tekelioğlu said.
Contrary to common assumptions, Tekelioğlu does not think the sport only draws the interest of the wealthy. Noting that he and the head of the federation have been invited to the eastern province of Van by a university there, he said they visit eastern provinces to cooperate with local bodies and to share the sport with everyone.
Tekelioğlu further said Turkey is a great country for this sport and that in the colder parts of the country outdoor ice skating rinks can be run without any electricity for six months out of the year.
Noting that ice skating can easily be spread to eastern Turkey, Tekelioğlu said, "We, as the federation, attended a festival in the eastern province of Ardahan. The festival took place on Lake Çıldır and it drew considerable attention from the public. We also send ice skates to schools."
Increase in number of facilities
The recent increase in interest in the sport has also led to a rise in the number of ice skating facilities in the country. Tekelioğlu emphasized the crucial importance of such facilities for the future of ice skating.
Emphasizing that a sport without its infrastructure cannot develop, he said: "Ice skating rinks are the infrastructure of the sport. Until recently, there were only two Olympic skating rinks in Turkey. Now the number is increasing and the Universiade Winter Games, also known as the World University Games, to be held in the [eastern province of] Erzurum in 2011, is accelerating this trend. Three Olympic skating tracks will be opened this month: one in Erzurum, one in İzmit and another in İstanbul."
Tekelioğlu noted that four more full-size rinks will be opened before the Universiade Winter Games come to Erzurum in 2011.
He stressed that one rink is able to entertain many people at the same time, while the fields of other sports are usually more restrictive. "Four people can play tennis at the same time in a tennis court. However, on an ice skating rink, nearly 100 people can enjoy themselves at the same time. While a tennis court can take 20 people at maximum by the end of the day, an ice skating rink can take nearly 1,000 people in a day," he said.
Tekelioğlu said if the state supports the sport, all of Turkey can be introduced to ice skating.
Skating family
Tekelioğlu's children are also ice-skaters. His daughter and son are trainers for young ice-skaters. His daughter, Yeliz Tekelioğlu, calls ice skating a "family business."
"My father and mother met at an ice skating rink. My brother and I do not even remember when we first got on a rink," she told Sunday's Zaman.
600 skaters registered with federation
Turkish Ice Skating Federation Secretary-General Gülay Sanver said interest in ice skating is quite high in Turkey, but that there are not enough facilities. The federation is a branch of the Youth and Sports General Directorate, from which it receives financial support.
However, the number of skaters registered with the federation is not very high. "We have nearly 600 ice skaters and nearly 20 clubs," Sanver told Sunday's Zaman.
Karademir: ice skating star of Turkey
Turkish ice-skaters have recently been seeing international successes. The most famous ice-skater in Turkey is Tuğba Karademir. Karademir started skating in Turkey, but her family moved to Canada for the sake of her budding skating career.
Karademir finished 10th at the European Figure Skating Championship held in Helsinki with 84.59 points. She was 11th at the previous championship.
08 March 2009, Sunday
ESRA MADEN İSTANBUL