Speed skating has become a very popular winter sport, but some critics claim it is simply too dangerous for people to be engaging in. Many people enjoy watching speed skating during the Winter Olympics and then want to engage in the activity on their own without proper training. The speed of a person in this type of sport can be more than 30 miles per hour so when they fall down or collide with someone else it is quite powerful.
In order to reduce the risk of injuries during speed skating, it is vital that safety gear is worn at all times. This includes a helmet that fits properly, knee pads, and elbow pads. It is best for this sport to take place on an ice rink that has been specifically designed for it instead of out there on a frozen pond somewhere.
In professional speed skating there are pairs of competitors on the ice. Each track has two lanes and each person in a pair will get a colored band. This tells the judges which lane they started at for the beginning of the competition. The skaters have to change lanes at a given location along the track to ensure both skaters are covering the same amount of distance.