Did you know speeding is legal? Well, sort of. Speed skating is a form of speeding on skates, which is a sport in which competitors attempt to cover a specified distance going as fast as possible. The different types of speed skating include long track and short track speed skate, inline speed skate and quad speed skate.  

Not only is this form of speeding legal, it’s quite popular worldwide and is even held as a competition in the Winter Olympic Games. Speed skating originated in the Netherlands, where it is still a popular sport and a lucrative one for contract skaters.  

In the 90’s, the sport was impacted by the creation of “clap skates.” Clap skates are a type of ice skate that has the blade attached to the boot by a hinge, rather than fixed to the whole boot. Why was this important? These types of skates allow for faster times, because with every stroke the skate maintains contact with the ice a little bit longer. The result is that leg energy is distributed more efficiently and skating times are improved by as much as one full second.

These special types of skates use long straight blades to travel; this is required for speed skating, but not always necessary for other ice skating sports. Blades are usually 1 mm thick and come in lengths from 12 to 18 inches in size. Blade size differs according to body size and personal preference. As a general standard, the professionals use large blades around 17 inches long.

They can also be used on the ground with inline or quad roller skates. Many speed skaters choose to both inline and ice speed skate depending on the season.

As for price that can vary. If you buy a pair of skates at the rink, you might expect to pay up to $200.00 for a pair of quad speed skates. An inline speed skate will cost slightly less, about $35 for each, tallying a total of about $70.00. A high quality ice speed skate will be more expensive; a short track used for indoor rinks could cost between $200-400.00. A long track speed skate is slightly less expensive and averages between $200.00 -$300.00. And the famous clap speed skate? Expect to pay anywhere from $400.00-800.00 for a brand name model pair.

You can also buy them at discounted prices. Expect to pay anywhere from 25-50% of the total price of an in-rink purchase. Sure, in-rink skates are expected to be expensive, but can you afford it? By shopping smart and buying skates ahead of time, you can save money and start speeding away whether on ice or on land.