Emily Hughes' spiral
- Thread starter Johar
- Start date
Emily hardly trounced Katy Taylor at Nationals. Emily just got overmarked on the PCS side (she doesn't get scores nearly that high from the ISU judges) to keep her ahead of Katy, who IMO outskated Emily in the FS at Nationals.
Katy went on to become 4CC Champion. Where are Emily's international medals this season?
Next year, I have no doubt that Katy will beat Emily at Nationals, and if Kwan returns, that would leave Emily off the World team.
Katy went on to become 4CC Champion. Where are Emily's international medals this season?
Next year, I have no doubt that Katy will beat Emily at Nationals, and if Kwan returns, that would leave Emily off the World team.
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2005
While I admire Emily's ability to get her leg up high and deep edge, she needs to have her back up higher and arched and her free leg straighter.
Alsace said:
I don't know the exact degree of Michelle's split, but it's not that far off from a split! I know Sasha gets more of a split, so does Alissa, so did Nicole, and others. There is no you gotta lower your body to get a perfect split. There's no absolute reason you HAVE to lower your body to get a perfect split. Actually, at the Dec. Cheesefest, Michelle looked to have more extension on her spirals than ever, so she is capable of a perfect split, I think she "sacrifices" some split for more lean in the body, which goes to edging, which leads to more speed.
Here's a couple more pics:
Alissa gets her leg way up there, not the best picture, but she can get as much split as Sasha without dropping her body/head:
http://www.figureskatersonline.com/AlissaCzisny/photos/2004sa/18.html
People who are new to eligible skating believe that Sasha is the inovator when it comes to extended spirals, pointed toes. IMO, Nicole Bobek deserves that credit and her extension, pretty position blows just about anyone's away:
http://www.drrelax.com/BOBEK2.jpg
Here's another Michelle one, just because I love this picture!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/lakersgirl712/aaaaaaaaaaaaa.jpg
I agree. I have a similar body type, but not as much leg muscle. It would be hard for me to lose much weight, and it probably wouldn't do anything for my skating. As for her spiral, I agree with Alsace, if she'd arch her back, it'd look a whole lot better. Sasha's body goes just as low, but because she arches her back, it looks really good.
"Here's Sasha's from the front, and I think this is one of the better shots, good edge, body/head not as low as it sometimes is:
http://www.sashafans.com/media/galle.../ap_short3.jpg
Here's Michelle in comparison, higher body/head than Emily and Sasha:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports...allery2-20.jpg"
-MKSFfan
I think it should be taken into account that in these pictures Michelle is on an inside edge and Sasha's is on an outside edge. I have my "high leg" (LFO spiral), and it is much easier to get it up on an outside edge as opposed to an inside one.
http://www.sashafans.com/media/galle.../ap_short3.jpg
Here's Michelle in comparison, higher body/head than Emily and Sasha:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports...allery2-20.jpg"
-MKSFfan
I think it should be taken into account that in these pictures Michelle is on an inside edge and Sasha's is on an outside edge. I have my "high leg" (LFO spiral), and it is much easier to get it up on an outside edge as opposed to an inside one.
dewey said:
Which skater, Emily? I know Alissa has received criticism over her spiral being jutted out to the side, much like AP.
After reading Sk8Gr808 comments regarding OE vs IE, which is easier to get more extension, I decided to look up some pictures! I didn't find many good IE pics of Sasha, all her deeper edges were on OE spirals. Her extension seems the same to me, maybe more so on the OE.
Here are 2 IE pics of Sasha:
http://www.sashafans.com/media/gallery/2004nationals/short-15.jpg
http://www.sashafans.com/media/gallery/2003nationals/long/adeff3.jpg
And 2 of Michelle's OE spirals-I think she's slightly better on her IE spirals, but both edges and extension look pretty good to me!:
http://www.webwinds.com/kwan/kwan85333.jpg
http://heatherw.com/mk/pics/rach/gpf_sp.jpg
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Saundy said:
I'm with Saundy. Emily looks like an athlete. She doesn't need to lose any weight.
It's a good thing, actually for us all to be reminded that you don't have to be a stick figure to skate at the world level.:agree:
We have gotten used to seeing Sasha and Kimmie (and, Goddess help us, Ching Pang) on television, thermometer-shaped freaks of nature that they are. In years past, most women skaters did in fact look like athletes.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
Comparing Sasha's spiral to Michelle's, it seemes to me that Michelle achieves her amplitude by rotating her hips. Sasha, having greater natural flexibilty, is able to lift her leg straight back.
I don't know that one is better technique than the other, just different.
Dewey made a good point. Sarah's spiral position does remind me of AP's. (Come back, Ann Patrice!
)
I don't know that one is better technique than the other, just different.
Dewey made a good point. Sarah's spiral position does remind me of AP's. (Come back, Ann Patrice!
)I think it's the angle of the pictures, because when you look at Sasha from the side view, she looks like she rotates her hip as well. But I think she's narrower or something because there is a difference. Here's a couple of examples to compare side by side of OE spirals of both:
http://www.sashafans.com/media/gallery/2005nationals/short-ap5.jpg
http://www.webwinds.com/kwan/kwan85333.jpg
A ballet fan friend of mine was telling me how many people who do ballet would find our skaters' arabesque spirals "wrong", that they shouldn't rotate their hips. They see a good arabesque position to be when the hips are squared, like parallel to the ground, and the leg raised directly behind. The examples she showed me look to me like a traditional camel, just more extension.
http://www.sashafans.com/media/gallery/2005nationals/short-ap5.jpg
http://www.webwinds.com/kwan/kwan85333.jpg
A ballet fan friend of mine was telling me how many people who do ballet would find our skaters' arabesque spirals "wrong", that they shouldn't rotate their hips. They see a good arabesque position to be when the hips are squared, like parallel to the ground, and the leg raised directly behind. The examples she showed me look to me like a traditional camel, just more extension.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
MKFSfan said:
Excellent post on spirals v. arabesques.
Joe
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2004
Mathman said:
And also in figure skating you should never have the hip closed on an extension move - the toe should always be pointed and turned out to keep the line and the edge.
In teaching me spirals and camel spins my coach always makes me turn out...in fact if i don't the camel spin doesn't work.
Ant
Mathman said:
Probably not! There are some moments that skaters do skate on a flat and lift their legs stright up behind them, more parallel to the ice, or above hip line and many fans probably would think it was poor extensions. Sasha used to do this at the beginning of her Rach LP (I think) when she glided forward on a flat. I remember fans criticizing her for not getting full extension or any edge, but it was obviously intended that way.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
Figure skating is NOT ballet. It doesn't matter how you stick your leg up in the air in figure skating as long as it looks pretty. In ballet it does matter.
Joe
Joe
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2004
Mathman said:Why should she quit? She beat Bebe Liang. She trounced Katy Taylor. She outpointed Alissa Czysny. She's went to the Olympics and the World Championship. She's been featured in Time magazine. She's having the time of her life!
MM
ITA... as for her spiral, I think her position, while really really forward, is an extenstion of her personality... happy, forward and "look at how cool this is!" The thing about spirals is that you sometimes get a glimpse into a skater's true personality...
Michelle: I love skating & skating loves me!
Irina: I'm strong and I will fight!
Sasha: I am fabulous!
Emily: Don't you wish you were out here competiting? Its soo much fun! WooHoo!
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