Speed skating has long been an Olympic sport that is enjoyed by men and women of all ages in many parts of the world. The sport is considered to be the fastest human powered sport on the planet. Speed skating takes place on an outdoor or indoor 400 meter oval shaped ice pad where the competitors skate counter clockwise in specially designed ice skates. Other sized tracks are sometimes used in speed skating as well. There are both short track and long track speed skating events and they are determined by the distance skated. In short track speed skating, the skaters compete against each other and in long track speed skating they skate in pairs and race against the clock. There are also relay speed skating events. Speed skating originated in the Netherlands hundreds of years ago as people often used to get around town by skating over the many frozen canals in the country. In 1863, the first official competitions were held. Most speed skaters join clubs to skate competitively and all you really need to enjoy the sport are skates and a tight aerodynamically designed uniform. If you want to speed skate for fun, just find a frozen stretch of water and enjoy yourself.
