- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
That's the thing. I don't think he needs it. In this system, it's far better to execute the elements you know well but keep your base value high with strong combinations with triple toes.
I agree that he needs a quad to podium at Worlds, but not every competition is Worlds. I would rather see him build his reputation as a consistent jumper on the triples and triple axels, than risk it with a quad that he has trouble fully rotating.
In this system, I would only recommend the quad if a skater can be sure to get credit for all four revolutions, because a fall on the element still earns around 6 points overall. But once a skater underrotates the element, it destroys its worth. In this case, he'll probably earn about two points for the attempted quad. If he did a 3F+3T instead, which can he do with little effort, he would have gotten closer to 9 points, plus positive GOEs.
The problem is that the Zayak rules prevent a skater from using this strategy. If you don't do a quad, then you can't take advantage of all your jumping passes.
Suppose Jeremy follows your advice. He leaves out the quad and changes his 3F+2T to a 3F+3T. Now his program is
3Lz
3F+3T
3A
3A+2T
3Lz+3T
3Lo
3S
He has already violated the Zayak rules by repeating 3A, 3Lz, and 3T, and he still has one more jumping pass to fill with nothing but a 2A available.
The rules make it tough on a skater who doesn't have a quad.