Emily Hughes' spiral

[MKFSfan]

I have thought on several occasions that her free leg was going out to the side too much - kind of like AP McDonough used to do. Anyone else notice this?

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/galle...s/short-15.jpg

http://www.sashafans.com/media/galle...ong/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

[pollyls]

I think Emily is just fine the way she is. I wouldn't mind being her size actually..

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.

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.

[Mathman]

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! )

[MKFSfan]

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/galle.../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.

[Joesitz]

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/galle.../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.

Excellent post on spirals v. arabesques.

Joe

[Mathman]

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.

But can you do that and maintain your edge? I think that's the other thing. It seems like the more you are on the flat, the easier it is to get the amplitude.

[antmanb]

But can you do that and maintain your edge? I think that's the other thing. It seems like the more you are on the flat, the easier it is to get the amplitude.

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

[MKFSfan]

But can you do that and maintain your edge? I think that's the other thing. It seems like the more you are on the flat, the easier it is to get the amplitude.

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.

[Joesitz]

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

[Kwanford Wife]

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!

[MKFSfan]

Very true, Kwanford Wife! Spirals can be done so expressively and show off a skater's strengths.

[Doggygirl]

Emily: Don't you wish you were out here competiting? Its soo much fun! WooHoo!

This TOTALLY captures the vibe I get from Emily!! Oh the freshness of youth!!

[julietvalcouer]

You can do it with your hips squared in skating, it's just really hard to get your leg high. I have some bad ballet habits in my spiral position that I'm trying to break (though I will never have a huge angle on my spiral--my hips and the angle at which the femur joins them simply are not built to do that.)

[SeaniBu]

The point where the Femur joins to the hip via the Acetabulum, which some have lower "pockets" allowing much more "angle flexibility." Also the Ilio femoral liggaments have to be either longer or ripped at early ages to grow back at longer lengths to allow for this "capability" or they just naturally posses this. I believe that this may have been some of what happened to Sara H. But I think that was more due to the triples in conjunction with her wider hips and shallow Acetabulum.

[Joesitz]

The point where the Femur joins to the hip via the Acetabulum, which some have lower "pockets" allowing much more "angle flexibility." Also the Ilio femoral liggaments have to be either longer or ripped at early ages to grow back at longer lengths to allow for this "capability" or they just naturally posses this. I believe that this may have been some of what happened to Sara H. But I think that was more due to the triples in conjunction with her wider hips and shallow Acetabulum.

WOW! There's no way I could possibly dispute the above. Great post Seanibu.

Joe