With the developments of Ulrich Salchow, figure skating quickly evolved into a sport incorporating more athletics as opposed to just dance elements.  An accomplished skater himself, Salchow was considered to be the best figure skater of his time, having won the world championships ten times.  During the first Olympics in which figure skating was recognized as an Olympic sport (London, 1908), Salchow was crowned the champion of his event.  Outside of his success on the ice, Salchow has been recognized for his invention of ice skates with slightly serrated blades.  This gave ice skates more traction on the ice, so skaters were able to launch themselves into several rotations once Salchow's improvements to the blade were made. 

Ulrich Salchow

After enabling his fellow skaters to complete jumps on ice, Ulrich Salchow invented a jump widely used today in competition: the salchow.  Female figure skaters performing at the national level often complete a triple salchow, while male figure skaters competing at the national level often complete a quadruple salchow.  As indicated by their respective names, a triple salchow is three rotations while a quadruple salchow is four rotations, and both have a backwards takeoff. 

The first ice skating association, known as the Edinburgh Skating Club, carried figure skating into more modren times when it was developed in 1742.  American Jackson Haines is the sole receiver of credit given for founding modern figure skating.  A superb skater himself, Haines won the first Championships of America held in Troy, New York in 1864.  He is known as the first figure skater to incorporate ballet and dance moves into his skating programs, as opposed to simply tracing patterns on the ice.  Haines invented the sit spin as well, which has taken on many variations still used today in competition.  Aside from his personal accomplishments, he took figure skating to a new level by creating a shorter, curved blade that made turns easier for the skater.  This artistic way of skating developed by Haines was challenged by the more rigid figure skating forms of the British that were dominant throughout America. 



Jackson Haines

 Haines found success in spreading his artistic skating style to European countries such as Sweden and Austria, yet his colleagues back in America still despised his form.  An incredible performance given by Haines in Vienna in 1868 full of dance elements intrigued the crowd, and ultimately led to the establishment of the Vienna School.  This school continued to advocate and teach the artistic stylings of Jackson Haines.  Despite passing away in 1875 at the age of 35 due to tuberculosis, Haines' legacy lived on through this school.  In 1892, his students established the International Skating Union, which was the first international ice skating organization and one of the oldest sport organizations still existing today.  The Union developed the first codified set of figure skating rules.