A star was born: Oscar Mathisen
The skating results of Oscar Mathisen are quite clear. He became 5 times world champion, one time second. He was 3 times European champion, 2 times he won silver and once bronze. He realized 14 world records and one, on the 1500m realized in Davos, remained the World record for 23 years.
It is for us nowadays difficult to realize how different the life of a speed skater was in the past compared with the life of the present skaters. Some idea we can get reading the report of the skating life of Oscar Mathisen that has been reconstructed by Lars Finsen.
It is for us nowadays difficult to realize how different the life of a speed skater was in the past compared with the life of the present skaters. Some idea we can get reading the report of the skating life of Oscar Mathisen that has been reconstructed by Lars Finsen.
Differences in Background
The present top skaters are coming from middle class families and they are professionals with a sufficiently good financial situation so that they can dedicate all their time to training for their sport. They get all their travel organized and paid by their team or the skating association of their country. This situation differs quite a bit from the life of Oscar Mathisen.
He was born in 1988 in Kristiania, later called Oslo, as the youngest son in a family with 7 children. His father died when he was 15 and his mother when he was 17. Some of his older brothers and sisters had work and provided an income to the family. Two of his brothers went to sea to earn some money for the family. Oscar worked temporarily in a bicycle shop to earn some money. Also an uncle helped the family financially.
Skating was a sport that was very popular in Norway. His brother Sigurd, who was 5 years older, was so good in it that he had become world champion in 1904. Oscar followed in the footsteps of his brother. He skated his first race in 1905. In 1906 he was already succesfull but in 1907 he became national champion (19 years old). That gave him the right to go to the international championships. In the 1908 the European Championship was in Klagenfurt and the World championship was in Davos. The Norwegian skating association firstly decided to select only his older brother for the championships because of lack of money. Oscar did not have the money to pay for the trip himself. Later the association decided to select also Oscar and Martin Saeterhaug for the championships but with only a very minimal budget as we will see. For Oscar it was a complete new experience to go to the center of Europe. He had never travelled outside Norway.
The present top skaters are coming from middle class families and they are professionals with a sufficiently good financial situation so that they can dedicate all their time to training for their sport. They get all their travel organized and paid by their team or the skating association of their country. This situation differs quite a bit from the life of Oscar Mathisen.
He was born in 1988 in Kristiania, later called Oslo, as the youngest son in a family with 7 children. His father died when he was 15 and his mother when he was 17. Some of his older brothers and sisters had work and provided an income to the family. Two of his brothers went to sea to earn some money for the family. Oscar worked temporarily in a bicycle shop to earn some money. Also an uncle helped the family financially.
Skating was a sport that was very popular in Norway. His brother Sigurd, who was 5 years older, was so good in it that he had become world champion in 1904. Oscar followed in the footsteps of his brother. He skated his first race in 1905. In 1906 he was already succesfull but in 1907 he became national champion (19 years old). That gave him the right to go to the international championships. In the 1908 the European Championship was in Klagenfurt and the World championship was in Davos. The Norwegian skating association firstly decided to select only his older brother for the championships because of lack of money. Oscar did not have the money to pay for the trip himself. Later the association decided to select also Oscar and Martin Saeterhaug for the championships but with only a very minimal budget as we will see. For Oscar it was a complete new experience to go to the center of Europe. He had never travelled outside Norway.
Another big difference
The present Norwegian speed skaters who go to European and World championships go by plane and train or bus if necessary. For example if they had to go to Klagenfurt they would take the plane and possibly a taxi. This trip would take maximally 4 hours. To Davos it would take a bit longer, flying first to Zurich and next with the train or the bus to Davos. This could take up to 8 hours and all would be organized by people from the skating association or a member of their professional skating team.
How different was that for the three Norwegian speed skaters in 1908.
The trip from Kristiania (Oslo) to Klagenfurt had to be done by train. This was the fastest way to move around even though the train did not go very fast and one had regularly to change. Because they received very little money, they travelled second or third class. At that time the trains consisted of the so called compartment carriages which means that each compartment had its own entrance and there was no corridor in the train. In the first and the second class there were large windows and the banks were soft. In the third class the banks were of wood and there was only a small window in the door and the light came from above. It will be clear that one had little space, let alone that one could sleep in the train. However in such trains they had to travel from Oslo to Klagenfurt which took not 4 hours, as would be the case these days, but nearly four days and four nights.
The present Norwegian speed skaters who go to European and World championships go by plane and train or bus if necessary. For example if they had to go to Klagenfurt they would take the plane and possibly a taxi. This trip would take maximally 4 hours. To Davos it would take a bit longer, flying first to Zurich and next with the train or the bus to Davos. This could take up to 8 hours and all would be organized by people from the skating association or a member of their professional skating team.
How different was that for the three Norwegian speed skaters in 1908.
The trip from Kristiania (Oslo) to Klagenfurt had to be done by train. This was the fastest way to move around even though the train did not go very fast and one had regularly to change. Because they received very little money, they travelled second or third class. At that time the trains consisted of the so called compartment carriages which means that each compartment had its own entrance and there was no corridor in the train. In the first and the second class there were large windows and the banks were soft. In the third class the banks were of wood and there was only a small window in the door and the light came from above. It will be clear that one had little space, let alone that one could sleep in the train. However in such trains they had to travel from Oslo to Klagenfurt which took not 4 hours, as would be the case these days, but nearly four days and four nights.
4 days and nights in trains
A brief summary based on the story of Oscar Mathisen and reconstructed by Lars Finsen is presented below
January 25 at 4 p.m they went from Kristiania to Hälsingfors via Gotenborg where people got in the carriage ( they tried to sleep sitting)
January 26 early in the morning they arrived in Denmark. There they had to take ferries and trains to get through Denmark and to get a train to Germany arriving midnight in Neumünster
January 27 at 2 a.m.they arrived in Hamburg. There entered again passengers so they could not sleep. Then they went via Magdenburg to Leipzig where they detected a dining carriage while doing exercises in the station. Sigurd and Martin went to eat Oscar continued to eat the Christmas cakes that they had taken with them from home. They reached Dresden at 4a.m. where they had to change in a 3class train which had only very small windows and wooden banks. At 9pm they arrived in Prague. To prevent the that new passengers would enter they smoked some big cigars so that people would choose another carriage and they could sleep. This was a success: they could sleep till 5 a.m two on the banks and the youngest, Oscar, on the floor.
January 28 at 5.a.m they changed in Brno the train to Vienna where they arrived early in the morning. There was no direct train from Vienna to Klagenfurt. So they changed to a train that crossed the Semmering to reach Graz and went via Maribor (now Slovenia) to Klagenfurt where they arrived late in the afternoon.
Comment
This does not look like a very good preparartion for the championships but fortunately they had three days free to recover again. Besides that several participants made a similar trip except the people living in Klagenfurt. Three days later, Februari 1 and 2, on the Wörtherse close to Klagenfurt the European Championships took place The winner was the Swede Öholm. Oscar became second.
I am wondering whether the present skating stars would be willing and able to survive such a trip. They travel certainly more but even the longest trips to the other end of the world will not take more than one day in an airplane with much more comfort. These skaters are mainly worried whether they will get back their skates when they arrive because they are not allowed to keep them with them in the plane anymore.
A brief summary based on the story of Oscar Mathisen and reconstructed by Lars Finsen is presented below
January 25 at 4 p.m they went from Kristiania to Hälsingfors via Gotenborg where people got in the carriage ( they tried to sleep sitting)
January 26 early in the morning they arrived in Denmark. There they had to take ferries and trains to get through Denmark and to get a train to Germany arriving midnight in Neumünster
January 27 at 2 a.m.they arrived in Hamburg. There entered again passengers so they could not sleep. Then they went via Magdenburg to Leipzig where they detected a dining carriage while doing exercises in the station. Sigurd and Martin went to eat Oscar continued to eat the Christmas cakes that they had taken with them from home. They reached Dresden at 4a.m. where they had to change in a 3class train which had only very small windows and wooden banks. At 9pm they arrived in Prague. To prevent the that new passengers would enter they smoked some big cigars so that people would choose another carriage and they could sleep. This was a success: they could sleep till 5 a.m two on the banks and the youngest, Oscar, on the floor.
January 28 at 5.a.m they changed in Brno the train to Vienna where they arrived early in the morning. There was no direct train from Vienna to Klagenfurt. So they changed to a train that crossed the Semmering to reach Graz and went via Maribor (now Slovenia) to Klagenfurt where they arrived late in the afternoon.
Comment
This does not look like a very good preparartion for the championships but fortunately they had three days free to recover again. Besides that several participants made a similar trip except the people living in Klagenfurt. Three days later, Februari 1 and 2, on the Wörtherse close to Klagenfurt the European Championships took place The winner was the Swede Öholm. Oscar became second.
I am wondering whether the present skating stars would be willing and able to survive such a trip. They travel certainly more but even the longest trips to the other end of the world will not take more than one day in an airplane with much more comfort. These skaters are mainly worried whether they will get back their skates when they arrive because they are not allowed to keep them with them in the plane anymore.