Why is flexibility so appreciated? | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Why is flexibility so appreciated?

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
who's that wonderful Chinese gymnast again?
He is Wei Yang, took the gold medal in individuals.:)
remeber anyone the battle between Nemov and Li Xiaos..omething?:rock:
ROHENE WARD

hello:) how i ve never seen this guy?
 
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Joined
Jun 21, 2003
For example, Irina's hydrant is what we'd all agree to be run for the hills. Sasha's hydrant is the ideal, IMHO, being the originator, she's the best at it.

Besides Sasha, I think Alissa and maybe Kimmie are the only girls who can make this position look OK and "not run for the hills."

http://www.freewebs.com/noarlungaicesports/JacksonImage_28.jpeg

Medusa said:
How about male gymnasts...

But can you see their tubercula pubica? (Or don't boys have that?)
 
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Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Most posters are talking about extreme flexibility but only in terms of figure skating - not in Asian self defence movements. correct?

There is a form of flexibility that is called contortionism - being able to manipulate the joint and muscles in ways a non contortionist could not possibly do.

But skating fans seem to adore over-the-top-out-of-whack leg positions. it's really just another trick and not a skating trick but an acrobatic trick. So be it. I just wish posters would say She is so acrobatic instead of balletic.

Nothing wrong with being an acrobatic dancer. Cirque du Soleil has a bevy of both male and female acrobatic dancers who perform ballet-like. No?
 

Medusa

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 6, 2007
But can you see their tubercula pubica? (Or don't boys have that?)
Of course they have those too. Look here, it's the seventh structure on the left from the bottom. But there are several muscles / ligaments that begin in that area, so it's quite possible that you don't see this part of the bone in a grown muscular man. (you can feel it though on nearly everybody, except for really obese people)
 

Alicja

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 17, 2009
But skating fans seem to adore over-the-top-out-of-whack leg positions. it's really just another trick and not a skating trick but an acrobatic trick. So be it. I just wish posters would say She is so acrobatic instead of balletic.


For me, you hit the nail. This is exactly what I felt when I started this thread but I didn't know how to express it. :thumbsup:
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
She is so acrobatic instead of balletic
its not a skating trick but what amazes people is that they can do this flexible moves while on a blade, so it makes it more spectacular than gymnastics.I think it s the combination they adore.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2006
My gosh, that pic of Rohene Ward's layback is to die for. Seniorita, he's a skater from Minneapolis who is amazingly gifted but never quite made it at the top levels. He has a lot of fans on skating boards. I wish he were in SOI.

Back to that icky position that people always praise Shiz for. Here's Caroline doing the first part of it. Does anyone really think that's beautiful? (Note: I consider Caroline one of the most exquisite skaters ever.) Hard, maybe. But run for the hills!
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090615&content_id=5341480&vkey=ice_pressrelease

PS re: all MM's pictures of men: notice they're all wearing black. Men have too much business going on downstairs to be doing this stuff, IMO. Rohene's was the only position I liked. Now Shawn Sawyer, that's another story. Can't wait to see him at SA. Even if he wears white. : )
 
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Joined
Jul 11, 2003
its not a skating trick but what amazes people is that they can do this flexible moves while on a blade, so it makes it more spectacular than gymnastics.I think it s the combination they adore.
So is jumping over barrels which was the original and still going competition on skates.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Back to that icky position that people always praise Shiz for. Here's Caroline doing the first part of it. Does anyone really think that's beautiful?

Well, she is 13 in that picture, so I would say she is doing the best she can. (I don't know why they used such an old picture for that announcement. Also, I think that's a spin(?))

Here she is last year, in a spiral position sort of like Shizuka's. (I hope she is skating forward.)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Caroline_Zhang_Spiral_2008_Skate_Canada.jpg

Here is the mature Shizuka.

http://www.olympic.org/upload/torino2006/coulisse/119_galery_big.jpg

So is jumping over barrels which was the original and still going competition on skates.

I guess barrel jumping would be the equivalent of the vault in gymnastics. :)
 
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seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
My gosh, that pic of Rohene Ward's layback is to die for
his layback and himself is to die for.:p
PS re: all MM's pictures of men: notice they're all wearing black. Men have too much business going on downstairs to be doing this stuff, IMO. Rohene's was the only position I liked. Now Shawn Sawyer, that's another story. Can't wait to see him at SA. Even if he wears white. : )
plushenko wore total white once upon a time for a whole season full of bielmans :laugh: and thanx god never again. http://www.kingonice.com/photo/9922736.jpg
his bielman spiral always looked effortless unlike his bielman spin. http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/4905/14zzr.jpg, http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/4885/aoi03014.jpg

I guess barrel jumping would be the equivalent of the vault in gymnastics.

actually if you train in gymnastics you call the vault barrel as nickname when on young age, at least in greek:) it looks less scary that way.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2006
OK, mea culpa re: Zhang's I-spin pic. I can't find one of her in a Y pose. (MM, I think the pic you posted is more of an extreme classic spiral - another of her inventions? - her knee is pointed down, not up as in a Y spiral.)

To me, Yu Na can pull off that Y pose. Scroll down for a gorgeous pic.
http://images.google.com/imgres?img...&sa=N&start=80&um=1&ei=ZdM2SvOQJuSGmQeQ5PmgCg

But Shiz's legs are not as long and that clunky skate right next to her head, combined with her wider hips, make that pose unattractive, to me, in spite of her grace. She's a beautiful skater, just not for that, IMO. But I know many (if not most) fans really like it, so be my guest.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
But to answer your q: it's schoolgirls who want to be ballerinas, cheerleaders, gymnasts, and figure skaters - ie most girls (at least in my day).

I have NEVER been that flexible. and was severely punished for it in gym class tests...
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2006
That's another I (not Y).

Sasha's I-spin is pretty hard to argue with, even if I don't like the basic pose on its own. It goes so fast - you notice the speed and how high the leg is more than the pose. She doesn't look like she's killing herself to get in that position, either. Here's another shot. Look at her perfect fingertips. And that cool (albeit steely) look on her face. (This is from 06 Nats). :rock:
http://www.sashafans.com/media/gallery/2006nationals/short-ap3.jpg

Here's Sasha in a Y. The turnout of her leg is remarkable. Scary.
http://www.sashafans.com/media/gallery/2006nationals/long-ap4.jpg
 
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