Consistency - Is it Real?

[Joesitz]

I think you need to look at a skater's body of work to be able to apply the term inconsistent. Because a skater has a bad week with a jump during Worlds this year but has landed it 90% of the time previously does not make them inconsistent. If a skater has a body of work that is more than 50% of the time marred by mistakes, they can be labeled inconsistent.

Exactly!!

[R.D.]

I think you need to look at a skater's body of work to be able to apply the term inconsistent. Because a skater has a bad week with a jump during Worlds this year but has landed it 90% of the time previously does not make them inconsistent. If a skater has a body of work that is more than 50% of the time marred by mistakes, they can be labeled inconsistent.

Agreed. But where does one draw the line? 80%? 75%?

70%?

60%?

You see where I'm going with this.

[BravesSkateFan]

Very OT
I think it was because I saw part of the Braves-Mets game on Fox on Saturday, and he looked like someone who should not be attempting jumps of any kind (he should stick to what he does best ). Although it's still amusing if I try and picture Jair Jurrjens or Chipper jumping triples. I'll leave you to figure out which Braves player would look funniest in the attempt.

I will admit the thought of McCann doing a triple anything (well other than the baseball kind of triple) is quite amusing. :D

[mskater93]

Agreed. But where does one draw the line? 80%? 75%?

70%?

60%?

You see where I'm going with this.

I know, and it's still a subjective thing that's an eye of the beholder kind of answer. I would say if you've seen a skater compete with an element 10 times and at least 7 of those they have landed it, the skater is consistent on that element. Most coaches don't put in elements that have a hit rate < 70% (although some coaches require a higher hit rate). Also, if a skater is more than 50% of the time making 1 or more major mistakes in a competitive level program (even if they are all different mistakes), they are an inconsistent COMPETITOR which is different than having an inconsistent element.

[Mathman]

It is really hard to do 8 jumps in a row. If your success rate is 90% on each jump, the probability of hitting all 8 is only 43% (.9 to the 8th power. )

[Spun Silver]

It is really hard to do 8 jumps in a row. If your success rate is 90% on each jump, the probability of hitting all 8 is only 43% (.9 to the 8th power. )

That's an eye-opener. Ouch!

[R.D.]

it may be even lower than that though, because as the skater skates and fatigue sets in, the success rate for the later jumps may be < 90% ...

[Ladskater]

I think the term "consitency" has sort of become a redundant term in figure skating - mainly because of the amount of injuries these skaters incur in a couple of seasons. Mathman touched on it a bit in his comments.

Years ago the term was often heard. In those days, figure skating was more about tracing perfect figures than landing quads. Also the ladies stuck to perfecting graceful moves in the field like the Bauer, spiral and landing double jumps. So it was easier to banter the term "consistency" around.

Skaters also compete a longer period of time and more often now as well than their counterparts did. One does think of Emanuel Sandhu as a skater who could be categorized as not being consistent; however, I believe with Emanuel it was his lack of discipline in training that was his downfall. Maybe that is a better term to use than consistent.

Speaking of consistancy, perhaps this best explains the meaning of the word and figure skating:

This is about Brian Orser and his famous Triple Axel jump. The article talks about Brian's "consistancy" with the jump.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Orser

[Joesitz]

I think the term "consitency" has sort of become a redundant term in figure skating - mainly because of the amount of injuries these skaters incur in a couple of seasons. Mathman touched on it a bit in his comments.

Years ago the term was often heard. In those days, figure skating was more about tracing perfect figures than landing quads. Also the ladies stuck to perfecting graceful moves in the field like the Bauer, spiral and landing double jumps. So it was easier to banter the term "consistency" around.

Skaters also compete a longer period of time and more often now as well than their counterparts did. One does think of Emanuel Sandhu as a skater who could be categorized as not being consistent; however, I believe with Emanuel it was his lack of discipline in training that was his downfall. Maybe that is a better term to use than consistent.

Good post LS. The 6.0 was all about perfection (10) and the degrees away from it. CoP is all about building up the score for the most rewards or tearing it down with the most punishment.

[Tonichelle]

there are skaters who are consistent in landing 90-100% of their jumps during a competition

there are those that consistently miss one or two jumps during a program

and there are those that are consistent in falling apart when the pressure's on

there are many forms of consistency

oy, I need sleep.