Allround
A championship competition in which skaters race at various distances (typically four). In major events, men race 500, 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 metres, while women race 500, 1,000, 1,500 and 3,000 metres.

Armband
A swatch of fabric worn on the athlete’s arms so judges can distinguish one from the other. The skater who starts on the inner lane wears white and the skater who starts in the outer lane wears red.

Block
See marker.

Clap Skate
Introduced to the sport in 1997, the clap skate has a hinged blade that detaches from the heel, allowing the full length of the blade to remain on the ice for a longer period of time, lengthening the stride. When the skate is lifted off the ice, the blade snaps back into its original position by a spring-loaded hinge located under the ball of the foot.

Crossover
On the back straight of each lap in pairs competition, the two skaters must change lanes in this designated area called the crossover. Crossover also refers to the motion used by skaters to negotiate curves, in which the outer foot crosses over the inner foot to help maintain balance and speed.

False Start
A premature start. If a skater false starts, a warning is provided to both skaters. If there is a second false start, the skater who commits the premature start is disqualified.

Lane
A lane is the corridor that a skater moves in around the track. Athletes change lanes each lap on the back straight, in the crossover area.

Marker
A small plastic or rubber pylon used to indicate the lane boundaries.

Pairs
The racing system usually used in (long track) speed skating competitions, with two competitors skating the track at the same time. The winner is the skater with the fastest time after all pairs have skated.

Right-Of-Way
If both skaters approach the crossover area at the same time, the skater in the outer lane has the right-of-way.

Sammelagt (or Samalog)
A scoring system in which a skater’s times for races of various distances are converted into points to determine an overall champion. The number of points awarded for the 500-metre event is the same as the time in seconds; the number of points for the 1000-metre event is the time in seconds divided by two, the number of points for the 1,500-metre event is the time in seconds divided by three, and so on. The skater with the lowest point total is the winner.

Straight
The long, straight section of a speed skating oval track. Also called the straightaway.

Team Pursuit
Two teams of three athletes start simultaneously at the middle of either side of the track. Team members take turns leading or “pulling” his/her teammates who all follow closely behind one another to draft. The team skates six laps (ladies) or eight laps (men). Time is stopped when the third member of the team crosses the finish line.

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