Rules
Fast Facts:
Short track made its official Olympic
debut at the 1992 Winter Games, having
been a demonstration sport in 1988. It is
contested in indoor rinks on a 111
overall meter track - an international
size hockey rink (30 x 60 meters).
Short track races are fast and thrilling -
skaters can reach speeds up to 30 mph.
A pack of four to six skaters race
against each other, rather than the
clock. Times are kept in short track
racing only for the purpose of
establishing local, national and world
records. Spectators relish the
compressed action of a fast-moving
pack on a small track, anticipating spills
and occasional contact between
competitors.
Skaters not only possess a
combination of incredible power and
speed, but also must be masters of
technique and strategy. Endurance is
also a factor because skaters compete
in a series of elimination heats,
quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.
Churning, and burning, they race for
the cup...
The ability to read a race and its
competition is vital to getting positioned
for the win. A typical strategy might
involve one competitor taking the lead
quickly and setting a fast pace in an
effort to "burn out" the other skaters. Or
a slow pace is set with skaters
jockeying for position in anticipation of
a sprint for the finish line during the last
three or four laps.
Equipment:
Skin suits and beyond. Because of the
small track and sharp turns, the walls of
the rink are padded to minimize injuries.
Skaters wear protective equipment
such as hard shell helmets, gloves,
knee pads, neck guards and shin
guards.
Short track skates, unlike long track
skates, are molded to the foot and
reinforced in the ankles to counteract
the centrifugal force of the sharp turns.
Blades are offset to provide greater lean
blade on the left boot is set on the
outside of the boot and blade on the
right boot is set on the inside of the
boot.
The Rules:
Usually, competitors skate a series of
heats or elimination rounds for the
individual events. Heats have up to six
skaters, with the top two finishers from
each heat advancing to the next round.
Each skater is allowed one false start
and is disqualified after the second. The
start is crucial to the skater, especially
in the shorter distances, since the start
is not staggered and a skater can move
to the inside immediately. Skaters must
skate outside the blocks during the
entire race, although a finger can skim
the surface of the ice inside the blocks
as long as the skater rounds the blocks.
Passing - The Artful Dodgers
Passing must be done cleanly and
without body contact. Passing is tricky,
and skaters take advantage of key
areas to pass. If the lead skater strays
too far from the track markers, he or she
can be passed on the inside by an alert
competitor. If the track is skated tightly
by the pack, passing must then be done
on the outside.
The rules on passing other skaters are
strict. One infraction and a skater is out.
The lead skater has the right of way and
the passing skater must assume
responsibility for avoiding body
contact. The most frequent passing
occurs when a skater passes on the
inside near the first or second block of
the corner.
Intentionally pushing, obstructing or
colliding with another racer calls for the
offender's disqualification and a chance
for advancement to the next round by
the victim of the offense. Improperly
crossing the course ("cross-tracking")
is also prohibited, as is kicking your
skate across the finish line. A bell warns
the skaters when they are one lap from
the finish.
Falls:
Given the frequent contact between
skaters in short track racing, falls are
not uncommon. Although a competitor
is not disqualified for a fall, to come
from behind and win after a fall in any
individual event is nearly impossible.
Skaters may still do well in the final
classification of the competition by
recording strong finishes in the other
individual events.
Scoring - U.S. & World Championships:
Winners are determined by order of
finish, not by time. Skaters can earn
points according to their order of finish:
five points for first place, three for
second, two for third and one for fourth.
Points earned in all rounds leading up
to the final are called performance
points. Points earned in final
competition are called final points, and
have preference over performance
points. The overall winner of an event is
the skater with the greatest number of
final points. If a skater qualifies for a
final but does not score points, he or
she will be ranked ahead of any skater
not competing in a final. This instance
is designated on the result sheet by
zero final points next to the skater's
name.
This system is not used in Olympic
competition.
Distances:
Meters = Laps
500 = 4.5
1000 = 9
1500 = 13.5
3000 = 27
5000 = 45
Team Selection & World Competitions:
U.S. National Short Track Team:
The U.S. National Short Track Team is
based out of Colorado Springs, Colo.,
but there is no mandate that the skaters
reside with the program there. Annually,
13 team members have chosen to live at
the Olympic Training Center in
Colorado Springs. Selection of the U.S.
National Short Track Team is based on
performance at the World Short Track
Championships and the World Team
Championships. Skaters must finish in
the top 20 individually or participate on
a relay team that finishes in the top four
at the World Short Track
Championships, or participate on a
team that finishes in the top four at the
World Team Championships.
Category I:
Category I designation is given for both
men and women, chosen on the basis
of performance at two events. The top
eight finishers at the U.S. Short Track
Traveling Team Trials are the first to be
selected. An additional eight skaters are
later named by order of finish at the U.S.
Short Track Championships, among
those who have not already qualified.
World Championships
Events: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m
and 3000m relay (women), 5000m relay
(men). Five men and five women are
selected to compete for the U.S. at the
World Short Track Championships,
based on their final classification at the
U.S. Short Track Championships. The
top two men and women will skate
individual events, and the remaining
three are eligible to skate the relay.
Each skater will compete in the 500m,
1000m and 1500m events. Only skaters
who earn final points in at least one of
those events will be eligible to
participate in the 3000m final
(participation in the relay does not
count toward the skater's individual
final classification). Medals are awarded
only for the overall classification.
Junior World Championships:
Events: 500m, 1000m, 1500m and
1500m super-final. Two men and two
women are selected to compete for the
U.S. at the Junior World Short Track
Championships, based on their
performance at the U.S. Junior Short
Track Championships. Each skater will
compete in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m
events. Only skaters who earn final
points in at least one of those events
will be eligible to participate in the
1500m super-final. Medals are awarded
only for the overall classification.
World Team Championships:
Events: 500m, 1000m, 3000m (only two
skaters from each country may
participate), 3000m relay (women),
5000m relay (men). The top five skaters
from the U.S. Short Track
Championships will comprise the U.S.
squad at the World Team
Championships. Of these five skaters,
only four skaters compete in each
event. Only one round of races are run
for each event - there are no semifinals
or finals. Skaters earn points per race.
After points from the 3000 meter event
are tallied, the top four nations will
compete in the relay. The team having
the most points - including all three
individual events and the relay - is the
overall World Team champion.
World Cup Competition:
Beginning in the 1995-96 season, six
world cup competitions are held per
year. From 95-96 to 97-98, these races
were called world rankings. These
events, plus the results from the World
Short Track Championships where
double points are awarded, determine
the seeding of skaters at World
Championship events. In the past,
skaters were seeded at the World
Championships in accordance with the
seeding of their country, rather than
their individual world ranking, often
resulting in unfair and inequitable
pairings. The world ranking system
allows for a more accurate international
ranking for the skaters.
Each of the world cup meets follow the
same format as the World Short Track
Championships. Of the seven meets,
the top three finishes for each skater
will apply toward their final world
ranking.
Olympic Competition:
Individual Events:
The 500 meter and 1000 meter events
are held at the Olympic Games, with
medals awarded for each. The heats
usually have four skaters, with two
skaters from each heat advancing to
the next round. The semifinal and finals
also usually have four competitors in
each race.
Relay Competition:
For the women's 3000 meter relay, eight
pre-qualified teams compete, including
the host country. Two heats are skated
with the top two finishers from each
advancing to the final. For the men's
5000 meter relay, eight pre-qualified
teams compete, including the host
country. Two heats are skated with the
top two finishers from each advancing
to the final.
Each team has four skaters on the ice
and each must skate at least one
exchange. The relay has a mass start
with each team's first skater. Each team
determines how many laps its skaters
will skate. The skaters can exchange as
often as decided by their team,
provided the exchange to the last
skater is started prior to the last two full
laps. Normally teams skate one, one
and a half or two laps per turn.
Relay exchanges are performed at high
speeds and are usually done with a firm
push. The relay exchange can be done
in any area of the track; however, the
last exchange must start prior to the
center line (finish line) with two laps
remaining in a race. A gun shot warns
the skaters that the last exchange is
coming up.
