Quote Originally Posted by Olympia View Post
So what you're saying, which makes sense, is that the weaker your technique is, the more likely you are to have certain injuries. If there were ever a reason for coaches of very young skaters to insist on good technique, this is is. A coach may never have the chance to more than leisure-time skaters, but he/she can't know that. One of those eight-year-olds may turn out to be a champion, with a twenty-year skating career, and it's the first coach's job to teach technique that (as far as can be helped) won't tear the skater's body apart.
Skaters with better technique do tend to last longer in this sport. But in addition to technique, I would add that not pushing yourself beyond your limit is another way to stay healthy. Alissa was trying to be competitive and I really admire that, but given her technique, the fact that she's never been a strong jumper, and her age, I think training those difficult combinations was unnecessary and ultimately the cause of all of her problems. If she'd just tried to maximize her points doing what she did well (maybe adding another triple or a sequence or something) she may have avoided some of these injuries.

That's why I don't get why people fuss about Carolina Kostner not doing certain jumps. She's "old" by skating standards and she already has knee issues. In order to keep competing, you have to do what you're able to do and do it well. Granted Carolina's much more of a natural jumper with better technique than Alissa, but the same principle applies. Do what you can do without pushing yourself too far.