The skating competitions at the Winter Olympics are among the most popular figure skating events in the world
1 CHAPTER STEM ON ICE Emma ran to the living room and turned on the television The date was February 19 2014 She settled onto the couch Emma was following the Winter Olympics Tonight was the Ladies Short Program in Team Figure Skating Figure skaters from 10 countries were at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Sochi Russia Each had 2 minutes and 50 seconds to complete a routine
Ashley Wagner's skating skills earned her an Olympic medal
Emma loved figure skating After taking lessons she could glide and stop on the ice Her next goals were to spin and jump Now Emma watched as 22 year old American skater Ashley Wagner entered the rink The crowd in the stadium cheered and clapped as Wagner glided across the ice She moved gracefully This was possible because of low friction between the frozen water and the grooved blades of her skates Wagner used her leg muscles to push her skates against the ice She propelled herself into a triple flip triple toe loop combination Wagner followed this with a flying sit spin She pulled her arms in close to increase her spin speed Along with her US teammates Wagner won a bronze medal at the Sochi Winter Olympics STEM IN ACTION Olympic figure skaters are strong graceful and talented They provide entertainment to fans around the world
