Museum

Every child in Holland learns to skate on doorlopersbefore moving into real boots once their feet stop growing so fast. Doorlopers are wooden skates with a metal blade that strap to your shoes. They force you to learn good balance before graduating to high-tech equipment. Even Gianne Romme, the Nagano 10,000 meter gold medalist, used to skate on doorlopers. To read about Romme, check out the article on '98 Winter Olympic Coveragein Fitness and Speedskating Times.