Adelskalender (skating)

As an example, the points for the current leader in the men's Adelskalendern ranking Patrick Roest are calculated as follows:

The Adelskalender score is calculated over a skater's entire career and not for a single tournament. Theoretically, this would make it possible for a skater to lead the Adelskalender without ever having set a 4 distance championships samalog record, or even having won - or participated in - such a tournament.

Speed skating records have improved dramatically over the years due to a combination of larger participation, introduction of professionalism, improvements in training and selection, and, especially, technical developments, distorting the comparative accomplishments of skaters over time.[1] For comparison, the ranking leader on 1 January 1900 (Jaap Eden) had a score of 202.226,[2] "averaging" 35.6 km/h. In 1925 Oscar Mathisen led with 192.860[3] (37.3 km/h), in 1950 Åke Seyffarth led with 188.678[4] (38.2 km/h), in 1975 Ard Schenk led with 166.241[5] (43.3 km/h), and in 2000 Rintje Ritsma led with 150.720[6] (47.8 km/h).

Among major technical developments were the introduction of artificial (refrigerated) 400 m ovals, the first opening in Gothenburg in 1958, aerodynamics suits in 1976 (by Franz Krienbühl), indoor, climate-controlled ovals in 1986, and the clap skate in 1996.[1] Also, over time, more high altitude skating rinks have been built; the lower air pressure at higher altitude greatly benefits the skater's speed -the rule of thumb is 0.1 points at each distance for every 100 m of increased altitude- and world records generally are set at high altitude.[7]

Even the ranking points of concurrent skaters can be strongly affected by the opportunity skaters have to train and compete on fast rinks. For example, before the 1960s, skaters were dependent on long periods of frost, less common at more southerly latitudes. The effect of access to high altitude rinks was especially notable from 1973 to 1986, when most world records were set at Medeo in Kazakhstan, a rink at 1,691 m that also enjoyed an unusual all-around tailwind, but was rarely accessible to non-Soviet skaters.[8] In 1977–78, the Adelskalender top 10[5] consisted almost entirely of times set at Medeo, while several skaters in the top 10 never reached the podium at international meets. Currently, the two fastest speed skating rinks are, by a long way, the high altitude covered ovals at Calgary and Salt Lake City, both in North America. Indeed, after the 2014–15 season, 65 of the last 67 new world distance records and the 264 best times ever on the men's 1000 m were recorded at one of these two venues.[9][10]

• Adelskalender Small Combo women up-to-date
• Adelskalender Big Combo men up-to-date