Cross-country skiing is a cyclic winter sport in which they compete in speed over a specially prepared snow track using cross-country skiing and ski poles . Official competitions are held at distances from 800 m to 70 km. Cross-country skiing has been part of the Winter Olympics program since 1924.
For the first time, cross-country skiing took place on the territory of modern Norway in 1767 . Then the example of the Norwegians was followed by the Swedes and Finns , later a craze for racing arose in Central Europe . In the late XIX - early XX centuries, in many countries, national ski clubs appeared. In 1924, the International Ski Federation (FIS) was established. In 2000, FIS had 98 national federations.
Content
Technique
The main skiing styles are “classic style” and “free (skate) style”.
Classic style
Initially, the “classical style" refers to those types of movement in which the skier runs almost the entire distance along a previously prepared ski track, consisting of two parallel tracks. “Classic” ski runs are divided by sticks into alternating and simultaneous. According to the number of steps in one cycle, one-step, alternately two-step and stepless moves are distinguished simultaneously. The most common alternating two-way stroke (used on elevated sections and sloping slopes, and with very good glide - and on moderate steep slopes (up to 5 °) and a simultaneous one-step movement (used on flat areas, on flat ascents with good sliding, as well as slopes with satisfactory slip).
Free Style
“Free style” implies that the skier himself is free to choose a method of movement along the distance, but since the “classic” move is inferior in speed to the “skate”, the “free style” is, in essence, synonymous with the “ skate ride ”. Skating methods of transportation have been widely used since 1981, when the Finnish skier Pauli Siitonen, who was then already over 40, first applied it in competitions - in the 55 km race - and won. The most common are the simultaneous two-step skating course (used both on the flat areas and on the slopes of small and medium steepness) and the simultaneous one-step skating course (used on the starting acceleration, on any plains and gentle sections of the distance, as well as on the climbs up to 10-13 ° )
Climbing ups
The lifts can be overcome either by one of the types of skating, or by the following methods: a sliding step (on steep slopes from 5 ° to 10 °), a stepping step (from 10 ° to 15 °), a running step (15 ° or more), “half "herringbone", "herringbone", "ladder" (not used in competitions), in some cases, when the rise is quite sharp, the "herringbone" is used.
Descent
When descending, athletes use different types of racks, differing in the angle of bend of the knees. In a high rack, this angle is 140-160 °, for an average rack, the angle of bend of the knees is 120-140 ° (120-130 ° for the version of this rack, the so-called “rest” rack), both are used on uneven slopes. And on even slopes, the fastest low stand is used, for which the bend angle of the knees is less than 120 °.
Braking
The most common braking is “plow”. When descending obliquely, stop braking is often used. To prevent injuries in the event of unexpected obstacles on the track, it is sometimes necessary to apply fall braking, which also has its own, safest technique.
Turn
Very common in competitions is the way turning over, while turning with a “plow” is often used for tight turns. Sometimes methods such as turning with an emphasis, turning from an emphasis and turning on parallel skis are applied.
Main types of cross-country skiing
- Ski marathon
- Separate Start Competitions
- General start competitions ( mass start )
- Pursuit ( skiathlon , Gundersen system )
- Relay races
- Individual sprint
- Team sprint
Split-start competitions
With a separate start, athletes start at a certain interval in a certain sequence. As a rule, the interval is 30 s (less often - 15 s or 1 min). The sequence is determined by drawing lots or the athlete’s current position in the ranking (the strongest start last). A twin separate start is possible. The final result of the athlete is calculated by the formula “finish time” minus “starting time”.
Mass start competition
At a mass start, all athletes start at the same time. At the same time, athletes with the best rating occupy the most advantageous places at the start. The final result coincides with the finish time of the athlete.
Pursuit Races
Pursuit races (pursuit, English. Pursuit - pursuit) are combined competitions, consisting of several stages. In this case, the starting position of athletes at all stages (except the first) is determined by the results of the previous stages. As a rule, in cross-country skiing, grazing takes place in two stages, one of which athletes run in the classic style, and the other in the skating style.
Pursuit races with an interval of two days, less often with an interval of several hours. The first race is usually held with a separate start. Based on its final results, the lag behind the leader for each of the participants is determined. The second race takes place with a handicap equal to this gap. The winner of the first race starts first. The final result of the pursuit race coincides with the finish time of the second race.
The non-stop pursuit ( skiathlon , until June 2011 - duathlon , later officially renamed the FIS Skiing Committee [1] ) begins with a general start. After overcoming the first half of the distance with one style, athletes in a specially equipped area change their skis and immediately overcome the second half of the distance with a different style. The final result of the pursuit race without a break coincides with the finish time of the athlete.
Relays
In relay races teams consisting of four athletes compete (less often - three). Ski relay races consist of four stages (less often - three). Relays can be held in one style (all participants run their stages in the classic or free style) or in two styles (stages 1 and 2 participants run in the classic style, and stages 3 and 4 in the free style). The relay starts with a mass start, with the most advantageous places at the start determined by the draw , or they will be awarded to the teams that took the highest places in previous similar competitions. Relay transfer is carried out by touching the palm of any part of the body of the starting athlete of his team, while both athletes are in the relay transfer zone. The final result of the relay team is calculated by the formula “finish time of the last member of the team” minus “starting time of the first member of the team” (usually zero).
Individual Sprint
Individual sprint competitions begin with a qualification (prologue), which is organized in a separate start format. After qualification, selected athletes compete in the sprint finals, which take place in the form of races of a different format with a mass start of four people (changes). The number of athletes selected for the final races does not exceed 30. First the quarter finals, then the semi-finals, and finally the final A are held. The table of the individual sprint final results is formed in the following order: results of the final A, participants in the semi-finals, participants in the quarter-finals, non-qualified participants.
Team Sprint
Team sprint is held as a relay race with teams consisting of two athletes, who alternately replace each other, running 3-6 laps of the track each. With a sufficiently large number of announced teams, two semi-finals are held, of which an equal number of the best teams are selected in the final. Team sprint starts with a mass start. The final result of the team sprint is calculated according to the rules of the relay.
Distance Length
In official competitions, the distance ranges from 800 m to 70 km. In this case, one distance may consist of several circles [2] .
| Race format | Distance Length (km) |
|---|---|
| Separate Start Competitions | 3, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 30, 50 |
| Mass start competition | 10, 15, 30, 50, 70 |
| Pursuit | 5, 7.5, 10, 15 |
| Relays (length of one stage) | 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 |
| Individual Sprint (Men) | 1 ÷ 1.4 |
| Individual Sprint (Women) | 0.8 ÷ 1.2 |
| Team Sprint (Men) | 2 × (3 ÷ 6) 1 ÷ 1.6 |
| Team Sprint (Women) | 2 × (3 ÷ 6) 0.8 ÷ 1.4 |
Cross Country Finish
When using the manual countdown, the finish time is fixed at the moment when the athlete’s leg, which is in front, crosses the finish line. When using the electronic time system, the time is fixed when the contact is interrupted. The measuring point of the light or photo barrier should be located at a height of 25 cm above the snow surface.
Notes
- ↑ Changes in the rules of cross-country skiing - serious and not so. | cross-country skiing and athletics
- ↑ The rules of the sport "Cross-country skiing" (Inaccessible link) . Official website of FLGR . Date of treatment January 14, 2017. Archived January 10, 2017.
Literature
Skiing: Textbook. for in-to and tech. physical Cult / Ed. V. D. Evstratova, B. I. Sergeev, G. B. Chukardin. - M .: Physical education and sport , 1989 .-- 319 p.
See also
- skiing
- Cross-country skiing
- Cross-country skiing at the Olympic Games
- World Ski Championship
- Ski World Cup
- Russian skiing championship
- Russian Ski Cup
Links
- International Ski Federation
- Ski Federation of Russia
- Moscow Ski Federation
- Ski technique. Training film . Soyuzsportfilm . 1984. 23 minutes.