Ice skating and hockey go toe to toe

The most common on-ice sports portrayed in media are ice skating and hockey. From that comes the question; Which of the two is more vigorous, or which one involves the most injuries and work?

Hockey accidents are the most often seen in media and are more likely to be seen in articles. However, statistics-wise, it is debatable which sport is more dangerous.

From 2010 to 2019, statistics stated that ice skating had more recorded injuries than hockey. Ice skating had contained 11,817 more in those nine years. Does this mean ice skating is a more complicated sport than hockey? Not necessarily. When looking at these reports, it would probably come down to ice skating being rougher than hockey, but there is more to it than just the disclosed injuries.

When it comes to training, hockey takes up to two years to perfect; however, ice skating, also known as figure skating, can take up to two-five years to perfect.

Ice skating is a dance with a partner. Moves must be precise and perfected before they are performed and presented, meaning the skill sets must be perfect along with said partners’ skills. However, this can also go for hockey. Since hockey is a team sport, working alongside the team and confirming everyone is in accordance with each other and not working separately is crucial.

Ice skaters need to have an effortless and clean glide on ice with little to no mistakes, as people expect. Unfortunately, it is not as easy as it looks.

Both sports are effortful and require tons of training, but just like a regular dance performance, ice skating requires perfecting the dance with balance and precision.

The debate can go on for centuries on whether hockey or ice skating is more vigorous, but in the end, both sports take plenty of time and effort to perfect.

Written by Jennifer Landaverde | Graphic Designed by Angel Santiago

Published September 12, 2022 | ePathfinder | Perspectives