Haha, that may sound strange, since it is 25°C, which is not really an ice-skating temperature. But this week the skating rink Thialf in Heerenveen opens. It is the Ice Palace of Holland and is only opened for three weeks.
I will perform experiments with top skaters. As a student at the biomechanical engineering section, I developed an ice-skate with flexible blades. The rear sides of the blades have a suspension. This adjustment improves the steering properties of the skates and reduces the friction. But each skater needs these skates to be adjusted to their personal way of skating, which is quite difficult, because the dynamics of ice-skating are not well understood.
With pressure sensors on the skates and sensors that constantly monitor the position of the skater, I’m trying to understand what kind of movements and forces skaters exactly make and what effect this has on the skates. This research is a continuation of my graduation project.
I thought hard before I decided to become a PhD student. It took me ten years to graduate, because I combined my undergraduate studies with a career as a professional ice skater. Until a few years ago, I had skated for the Dutch national team in short track skating. I wasn’t sure I wanted to study for another four years, but thanks to this research I’m able to stay connected with the sport. I get a great amount of freedom and love to work with students.
The scientific world needs to take great leaps in the sports world. Nowadays, if you want to win you had better listen to your coach and not to scientists. As scientists, we have to develop knowledge on a much more detailed scale, so that scientists can counsel individual athletes. We have to bring formulas like ‘f equals m times a’ to another level.
Another interesting aspect of my research is the interaction of the blade with the ice. There are different theories about why ice is slippery. One is that if you press hard on it, it liquefies, resulting in a thin layer of water which acts as lubricant. When developing blades we have to keep in mind that a broad blade that has a bigger contact surface has less friction than a thin blade, because it sinks less in the ice. But at the same time a broader blade might create less liquid water, because the pressure on the ice is distributed over a larger area. But we don’t really know yet what happens exactly. The research is very broad. I like that.”
Jager begint komend weekend aan haar theatertour ter promotie van haar nieuwe album ‘Celia Trigger’. De singer/songwriter met eigen platenlabel timmert hard aan de weg. Met haar vrolijke band met vintage-instrumenten verovert Marike Jager al haar publiek. Het optreden begint om 20.15 uur en na afloop draait er een dj in het theatercafé om de avond af te sluiten.
Marike Jager is de afgelopen tijd al veel in het nieuws geweest. Ze werd genomineerd voor twee Edisons en trad op bij ‘De Wereld Draait Door’ en ‘Pauw en Witteman’. Ze noemt haar songs ‘Marikeliedjes’ waarin de thema’s angst en verlangen centraal staan. Haar stijl houdt het midden tussen een meisje met gitaar en een popgroep. De muziek kan variëren van stoere gitaar tot dromerige pianoliedjes.
De naam van het album verwijst naar een foto van een 87-jarige vrouw die met een pistool zwaait. De foto intrigeerde Jager: “Zo’n oude vrouw die er zo agressief bij staat, wat gaat er in haar om?” Ze gaf de foto een naam, Celia Trigger, en ze verzon er zelf een verhaal omheen. Volgens de pers is dit verhaal, haar album, vol, veelzijdig, roestig, sexy en ontroerend tegelijk. Dit mag je niet missen dus.
www.marikejager.com
www.theaterdeveste.nl
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