What, no shiny white tights?This is nothing compared to the diving attire. :handw:
Currently the essential way to win figure skating competitions is to have high value jumps. A slim body enabling fast rotations in the air is highly desired and a concern for those without a naturally small body frame. Skaters near the top but without breakthroughs are looking at all possible improvements they can make including becoming thinner. It is not a problem as long as they are healthy and not get over consumed with this issue such that it turns into an obsession and overdoing into an unhealthy realm physically and mentally. I don't feel sorry for anybody not getting to eat junk food as if suck consumption is normal and healthy or the only culinary treat there is.
I think skaters and other athletes should maintain the optimal body conditions within the healthy perimeters while pursuing all improvements they can make in all areas. A slim body is just one of the competitive advantages within a holistic and balanced approach to strive for one's best. I do hope skaters, coaches, as well as the fans are not obsessed with weight and push for the impossible or unnatural and unhealthy.
Uhm, one of the things that seems to be at issue is that there are different techniques to achieve great jumps.
And most crucially, not all jump techniques work well with all body types...
It has come up in the discussions of the Russian ladies, that there have been some schools that have been teaching pre-puberty girls jump techniques that won't really achieve the same rotations, height, distance etc. with a mature female body.
I've read a number of critiques on GS of the technique associated with the Eteri group for example. Observers note that Eteri skaters use their arms, stretched out far and then pulled in to get the rotations, but don't have much height. Once the body matures and the centre of gravity changes this doesn't really work well. A jump technique, with greater use of the legs, and with greater height to give the time for the rotations is reportedly needed. So, there are a lot of comments on the Russian focused threads about the challenge of retraining, and concern that a number of gifted skaters have had to face this.
But reteaching and relearning basic jump technique after puberty flies in the face of the science that says that for skating, gymnastics and diving, the foundations of sport specific technique need to be correctly laid down prior to peak growth. It's very challenging, and risks injury to take a part technique and relearn it later once body memory is established.
So the underlying question in my mind is, should female skaters feel obliged to try to maintain a pre-pubescent form in order to maintain their skill level in jumping, when this body type issue could have been avoided? And it should be acknowledged that there are other lovely elements like the layback spin are most achievable with a mature female body with a lower centre of gravity.
Granted understanding of jump technique has increased by leaps and bounds in the past decade, but my ideal would be for coaches to teach jump technique that is sustainable with a mature athletic female body, right from the start.
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