Questions About Jump Names | Golden Skate

Questions About Jump Names

SoundtracksOnIce

On the Ice
Joined
May 16, 2013
Two things have bugged me for a long time and I was wondering if anyone could answer them.

1) Why are the Axel, the Lutz, and the Salchow all named after people but the flip, the toe loop, and the loop aren't? And why is it the Axel and not the Paulson, after his last name like the other two jumps?

2) Who the heck decided the flip jump should be called a flip? This drives me crazy, because it's not a flip. A flip is a somersault. I'll never forget reading the Silver Blades books growing up and trying to figure out how twelve-year-old girls were supposed to be learning a double flip and land one foot, especially when I'd read the author's description.

Thanks in advance.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
The loop is called the Rittberger in Europe, because it was invented by Werner Rittberger. However, the jump may be older than that, hence the generic name may make some sense. In roller skating, it is called an Euler jump.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop_jump

The toe loop was invented by Bruce Mapes.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toe_loop_jump#Toe_loop_history

The jump is called a Mapes in roller skating. I have no idea why it is not in figure skating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhB5aL6hU4g

As to why Axel rather than Paulsen, it is perhaps a case like that of the old patent medicine:

They had to call it something, so they called it Hadacol.

i.e. who knows?
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
The loop is called the Rittberger in Europe, because it was invented by Werner Rittberger. However, the jump may be older than that, hence the generic name may make some sense. In roller skating, it is called an Euler jump.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop_jump

I thought Euler referred to half loop, not a normal back outside-to-back outside loop jump.

As mentioned on the wikipedia link above, loop is named from its similarity to the loop compulsory figure.

More specifically, if you start on a back outside edge, make one rotation on the ice without leaving that edge, and exit still on the back outside edge, you'll draw the shape of a loop on the ice. If you jump into the air at the start of the rotation and land as you're checking out of the rotation, you'll perform a single loop jump (although the body actions are not completely identical to drawing the loop on the ice) -- hence the name. It's a jumped loop. And then of course, with further modifications to the in-air body action, you can rotate more than once to perform a double or triple loop jump.

As to why Axel rather than Paulsen,

Well, it was originally called an Axel Paulsen jump, and it was the first jump invented that was about spinning in the air.
I imagine that the similarity between the name Axel and the word axle, which also involves a kind of rotation, led to people shortening the full name of the jump to the inventor's first rather than last name.
 

leafygreens

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
2) Who the heck decided the flip jump should be called a flip? This drives me crazy, because it's not a flip. A flip is a somersault. I'll never forget reading the Silver Blades books growing up and trying to figure out how twelve-year-old girls were supposed to be learning a double flip and land one foot, especially when I'd read the author's description.

I feel you on this one. I hate telling non-skaters that I can do a flip. Or when they ask me "can you do a flip" and I say yes, you know that's not the same flip they're thinking about.
 

vlaurend

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
I can see why it is called the flip. You are on the left foot, then you use your toepick to flip yourself around (horizontally) and land on the right foot. Flips don't always have to be vertical. Interestingly, Wikipedia says it was the flip jump that was originally called the Mapes.

"Starting in 1913, the jump was known for many years as a Mapes (now applied to the toe loop in the jargon of artistic roller skating), but it is not known for certain if Bruce Mapes was the inventor. It was certainly being commonly performed by the 1930s."
 
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