Before the icy elegance of figure skating became synonymous with the Winter Olympics, the sport actually made its Olympic debut in a much warmer setting — the 1908 Summer Games in London.

According to reporting by KGW, figure skating featured again during the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, before shifting permanently to the Winter Games when those began in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Since then, it has remained one of six sports to appear at every Winter Olympics.

The sport’s early presence in the Summer Games reflected the lack of a separate winter competition at the time — the International Olympic Committee had not yet created a distinct stage for cold-weather athletics. Once the Winter Olympics were established, figure skating naturally found its home among disciplines like skiing, speed skating, and ice hockey.

While Cowlitz County may seem far from Olympic ice, local skaters and regional skating clubs continue to take inspiration from these global traditions. Lessons and events at rinks across the Pacific Northwest keep alive the skills that first dazzled audiences more than a century ago.