Japan Open

antmanb said:

And transfer it to the knee and/or ankle.
Ant

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OK, this confused me so I took a moment and looked it up on Wikpedia and it said -
In August 1998, Lipinski suffered a hip injury in practice. After a string of other injuries, she underwent surgery to repair torn cartilage in her hip in September 2000. Many people have pointed to the repetitive stress of practicing the triple loop combinations Lipinski performed during her competitive days as the primary cause of her hip problems.

I guess I could of went here first anyway, but I never have trusted it as far as the editors and the bias there in.

BOT, this is supposedly Yagudin's issue?

What Antman is saying, is that the hinged boot may take the stress off the hip, but it might cause more ankle injuries to skaters who use it.

http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2004/NewSkate-02lg.jpg

According to boot manufacturer George Spiteri (his family owns SP-Teri), the issue is not really new. It is the just a new face on the same dilemma that skating boot manufacturers have always faced. If the boot is too stiff, jumping on it wrecks your hips. If it is too soft, you can't control the jump as well and you put your ankles at greater risk.

Spiteri says that he could achieve the same thing as the hinged design does (essentially cushioning the force of the jump at the ankle), just by using softer leather -- but the top skaters don't want it because they can't jump as well.

As Evenstar point out, Alissa Czisny is not the best test. Her jumps are a problem for her no matter what kind of boots she tries. She believes, though, that her jump technique has actually improved with the hinged design.

I hope it works out. If we can put a man on the moon, it seems like we ought to be able to improve the design of skating boots in a way that really does reduce injuries.

MM

seanibu said:

Wasn't there something about her saying she wanted to spend time with family and such, but then just went on traveling - doing endorsements and acting?

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IIRC one of the "official" reasons for Tara leaving competitive skating was that she wanted to let her family get back together like a normal family. Her Dad stayed home in Texas, while her mother accompanied Tara to Detroit to train. So there was a lot of separation and commuting.

She then skated with SOI for a few years before her hip situation forced her out of the sport altogether. BTW, it was also reported that it was Tara's mom that pressed her to take up the opportunity with SOI, leaving COI. This is rumor and conjecture, but people said that Tara enjoyed skating with COI and felt that everyone on the tour liked her, whereas she didn't feel at home with SOI, where all the principles where serious professionals twice her age.

Kurt Browning , however, supposedly went out of his way to befriend her.

I don't know how much truth there is to all this, but it is more or less the standard party line.

MM

PS. BTW, I have found Wikpedia to be pretty accurate and informative in its figure skating entries, dispite having (as far as I can determine) fairly lax editorial controls.

Mathman said:

What Antman is saying, is that the hinged boot may take the stress off the hip, but it might cause more ankle injuries to skaters who use it.

MM

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Yah, you were talking about that earlier. Just went there to make a clear picture being as the "addition" was vicariously referencing the earlier comments. You are all wiser then I and hope in some ways I can help clarify to those who aren't as knowledgeable as well. - like that is possible.

Mathman said:

... fairly lax editorial controls.

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More the way I was meaning by "bias," because the editors choose based on what I am not sure with consistency. I know from experience with animation issues in the past and one presently.

I think even in SOI, Tara began to have problems. Her last 'big' number was not much more than a march to patriotic music in a confederate color costume. I felt sad for her. I kind of knew it was the end.

Joe