Hundreds of years ago, men and women attached animal bones to their feet and used these early “skates” as a mode of transportation on frozen rivers and lakes. Not until the 1800s did ice skating become a significant recreational pastime. By the late 1800s, men and women took to the ice dressed in their best winter finery, while their children played games on the ice. Skaters traced complicated figures on the ice, drawing complex geometric shapes with their blades. The body positions required to execute these figures often were precarious and contorted. The artistic style, introduced by Jackson Haines in the 1860s, brought spins, simple jumps, and elegant body lines to the sport.

Sonja Henie is credited for giving rise to sweeping changes in figure skating. She brought athleticism, short skirts, and white boots to women's skating. She also brought the attention of the media when she competed in her first Olympic Games in 1928, and then won Olympic titles in 1932 and 1936. Her Ice Revue and Hollywood movies exposed millions to figure skating for the first time. Her blurred spins and balletic style were legendary, but she could barely complete the one- and one-half revolutions of an axel jump.

Two-revolution jumps for men and women followed quickly. Triple jumps developed more slowly and at first included only male skaters. A few men could land some of the three-revolution jumps in competition in the 1950s, but triples still were relatively uncommon in the 1950s and 1960s. Women succeeded in the quest for successful triple jumps much later. Dorothy Hamill, however, won the 1976 Olympic gold medal without performing even one triple jump. Now World Championship medal contenders possess all the three-revolution jumps in their repertoires. Men competing at the World Championship level must now include triple axels (three and a half revolutions) to reach the final round, and perform at least one quadruple-revolution jump to be a medal contender. These jumps require perfect body position and great strength.

Recent successes in United States ice hockey (men's and women's) and speed skating have led to substantial growth in both sports. The increase in numbers of recreational and competitive figure skaters of all ages has been phenomenal, owing, in part, to the saturation of television coverage of figure skating competitions and special programs. The United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) counts approximately 150,000 members, 3000 of whom participate in USFSA competitions on the qualifying track for World and Olympic contests. Hundreds more compete in nonqualifying competitions and exhibitions.