- Joined
- Mar 29, 2014
For the benefit of those, perhaps newer members, who do not know Alexander Rafailovich Lakernik: he has been appointed as vice president of the International Skating Union, the governing body of figure skating, in 2016. He is also one of the main architects of the new judging system (IJS/COP). He has judged and has been a member of technical panels for many years. From 2010-2016 he was the vice president of Russia’s skating federation (FFKR). Given this, he should be the most influential man in figure skating today .
Here is his interview for TASS.ru
http://tass.ru/opinions/interviews/5078235
Q: What changes will be made to the element grade of execution (GOE) starting next season?
A: The range of the grades will be expanded. If now an athlete receives marks in a -3 to +3 range for a poor to excellent element execution, then from next season it will be go up to a -5 to +5 range. This change was one of the concrete decisions during the last ISU congress. Therefore, athletes will now chase after element quality instead of element quantity. Now an excellently done element can get up to +5 yet, of course, can also lose those 5 GOE points given a serious mistake. If a jump is of average quality, the marks will remain as they are now.
Q: So now athletes will make a serious consideration before stuffing their programs with difficult elements?
A: They must understand that a poorly done element will be punished more severely than before. Yes, before there was reason to go for a difficult element [e.g - any quad jump], and get a -3 for a fall because you still decent points. This is why we commonly hear phrases “I fell but rotated”. If you fall now, you will only get half value for the element. This is more of a question for the coaches - should we go for a full set of quads or should we reduce their amount so that we have something left of the program.
Q: That exact decision that Kolyada made during the world championships, simplifying his short program?
A: Yes, and it was the correct decision. He skated cleanly, everyone liked the program and therefore it was scored rather well. During the long, the question is more towards Kolyada’s head which he, to be fair, correctly knocked one after the skate.
Q: There were a lot of falls during the world championships in Italy, especially in the Men’s. As I understand, it is due to the number of quads?
A: During the ISU congress in June, we will discuss an offer for limiting the number of each type of quad jump to one per program instead of two which we have right now. Yes, this is unfavorable for men who have few quads. However, the already mentioned Kolyada has a lutz, a toeloop and a salchow. Even though the salchow is unstable, that is already three types of jumps.
Q: What if a figure skater has only one in his arsenal?
A: Well, this is why many countries, especially European where people preform just one quad, may not support such decision. However, the next competitions will already have changes that were announced during our last congress in Croatia’s Dubrovnik.
Also, starting with this new season, men and pairs will have their long program length reduced form +/- 4:30 minutes to +/- 4 minutes. The programs will be constructed minding this change. Same goes for the change GOE range.
Q: Will base values remain the same.
A: It will be just slightly reduced. The reason is such because on one hand - it is necessary to have quality skating, on the other - we don’t need element attempts just for the sake of attempting.
Q: How will this affect women’s singles? Look at, for example, Alexandra Trusova’s two quadruple jumps.
A: Several days ago, Alena Kostornaia landed a triple axel during training and I saw the video myself. The GOE for that jump would be +4/+5. One of the ideas of Eteri Tutberidze’s group, where today’s leading women train, was the relocation of jumps into the second half of the program. Our congress could limit the value of such jumps. They will still cost more, just not as much as now.
Q: And how to beat competition then?
A: with clean skates.
Q: What if everyone else also skates cleanly?
A: Keep working. If boys can do quads then why can’t the girls. They’ve landed, although rarely, the triple axel. Midori Ito was the first. Then there were Ludmila Nelidina, Mao Asada, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva. Logic will push development in that direction.
Learning this is much easier at a younger age while the body is small and agile. Yet if one learns it correctly, they have a chance to maintain the ability through the growth of body. Take a look at Mirai Nagasu who jumps the triple axel. She is not at all young or small, therefore the question lies in technique.
Q: What about threat of injury? The more difficult the jump, the higher such threat.
A: I compare this to throw quads in pair skating and see no danger. People just have to properly warm up, prepare, not attempt jumps if you are not yet ready. You can get injured doing anything. Anna Sherbakova jumps the quad toe, yet she broke her leg on a triple loop. She has returned to skating but has not tried difficult jumps in competition, as far as I remember.
In sport, injuries are inevitable, but we have true and tried methods which help reduce the risk of injury. Avoiding them completely is impossible. Nathan Chen had a serious leg fracture two years ago but look at how he jumps now. Returning to pair throws, they are much scarier than single’s quads. Practically everyone who practiced throw quads got injured one way or another. Even the slightest misstep during takeoff on a throw, and your body flies who knows where. A twist is less dangerous as the female partner is supported throughout.
Remember the amplitude of Stolbova and Klimov’s quad throw salchow. Remember Natalia Zabiyako’s crash on a throw triple axel where she hit her head against the ice.
Q: So quads in women’s skating will appear, and not just as a one-time thing?
A: Yes, and relatively fast. Right now they are landed in Tutberidze’s group. But pretty soon, others will see that it is possible. If an athlete has good amplitude and fast rotation, anything is possible. I also don’t see why girls are any less capable than boys.
Q: For the men, quads were considered something extraordinary before.
A: Figure skating continues to develop. Today quads are learned by people for whom they were seemingly impossible before. The German, Paul Fentz, does triple axel and quad toe. Given his size (his height is 179 cm) and relative lack of agility compared to, for example, Moris Kvitelashvilli. Nontheless he jumps cleanly.
Q: What about the artistic side? With a large amount of elements, may it be relegated?
A: Correct. When you have a lot of hard jumps you need time to prepare them. So the programs of some skaters start to remind the “run up - jump” situation. This is why, on one hand, the need to be more than two types of quads, on the other - the skate must remain a complete program. And te further development of figure skating will be formed by a conception of uniting the athletic and artistic components.
Q: This will prevent skaters from “running themselves into the ground”?
A: This is a philosophic question/ Some criticize Alina Zagitova and her coach for having 6 second half jump elements in a row. Yet it is incredibly hard, not just physically but also psychologically. When just one card flies out of this card house, the whole construction goes dow. This is exactly what happened at worlds. People chose such a path to victory and it doesn’t always work. Do not consider that everything is easy.
Q: Why reduce the long program time? [men and pairs]
A: There is a tendency for reducing the time of lengthy competitions. Instruments for that may be reduction of program time, judging time, warm-up time. For example, we’ve raised a question that 16 pairs in the long program is too little of a number given the fact that the level of pair skating, in part thanks to the work of the ISU, has risen. As a result, during these worlds we had 28 pairs all skating on a worthy level. But if we ourselves block their passage through SP qualification, how do we help them out.
Another dilemma: we get offers to raise the number of singles in the long program form 24 to 30. In that case, the competition schedule will be so loaded, that it’ll become completely inflexible. We must weigh all pluses and minuses, then decide in what direction do we continue moving.
Then there are more prosaic things than time, they are TV ratings and sponsors. This is the money that keeps figure skating alive. If we are to make changes, we must also must get mutual approval. Many questions remain regarding objective reality. Yet we cannot stand still because our main goal is raising the entertainment value of the sport and, as a result, viewer interest.
Here is his interview for TASS.ru
http://tass.ru/opinions/interviews/5078235
Q: What changes will be made to the element grade of execution (GOE) starting next season?
A: The range of the grades will be expanded. If now an athlete receives marks in a -3 to +3 range for a poor to excellent element execution, then from next season it will be go up to a -5 to +5 range. This change was one of the concrete decisions during the last ISU congress. Therefore, athletes will now chase after element quality instead of element quantity. Now an excellently done element can get up to +5 yet, of course, can also lose those 5 GOE points given a serious mistake. If a jump is of average quality, the marks will remain as they are now.
Q: So now athletes will make a serious consideration before stuffing their programs with difficult elements?
A: They must understand that a poorly done element will be punished more severely than before. Yes, before there was reason to go for a difficult element [e.g - any quad jump], and get a -3 for a fall because you still decent points. This is why we commonly hear phrases “I fell but rotated”. If you fall now, you will only get half value for the element. This is more of a question for the coaches - should we go for a full set of quads or should we reduce their amount so that we have something left of the program.
Q: That exact decision that Kolyada made during the world championships, simplifying his short program?
A: Yes, and it was the correct decision. He skated cleanly, everyone liked the program and therefore it was scored rather well. During the long, the question is more towards Kolyada’s head which he, to be fair, correctly knocked one after the skate.
Q: There were a lot of falls during the world championships in Italy, especially in the Men’s. As I understand, it is due to the number of quads?
A: During the ISU congress in June, we will discuss an offer for limiting the number of each type of quad jump to one per program instead of two which we have right now. Yes, this is unfavorable for men who have few quads. However, the already mentioned Kolyada has a lutz, a toeloop and a salchow. Even though the salchow is unstable, that is already three types of jumps.
Q: What if a figure skater has only one in his arsenal?
A: Well, this is why many countries, especially European where people preform just one quad, may not support such decision. However, the next competitions will already have changes that were announced during our last congress in Croatia’s Dubrovnik.
Also, starting with this new season, men and pairs will have their long program length reduced form +/- 4:30 minutes to +/- 4 minutes. The programs will be constructed minding this change. Same goes for the change GOE range.
Q: Will base values remain the same.
A: It will be just slightly reduced. The reason is such because on one hand - it is necessary to have quality skating, on the other - we don’t need element attempts just for the sake of attempting.
Q: How will this affect women’s singles? Look at, for example, Alexandra Trusova’s two quadruple jumps.
A: Several days ago, Alena Kostornaia landed a triple axel during training and I saw the video myself. The GOE for that jump would be +4/+5. One of the ideas of Eteri Tutberidze’s group, where today’s leading women train, was the relocation of jumps into the second half of the program. Our congress could limit the value of such jumps. They will still cost more, just not as much as now.
Q: And how to beat competition then?
A: with clean skates.
Q: What if everyone else also skates cleanly?
A: Keep working. If boys can do quads then why can’t the girls. They’ve landed, although rarely, the triple axel. Midori Ito was the first. Then there were Ludmila Nelidina, Mao Asada, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva. Logic will push development in that direction.
Learning this is much easier at a younger age while the body is small and agile. Yet if one learns it correctly, they have a chance to maintain the ability through the growth of body. Take a look at Mirai Nagasu who jumps the triple axel. She is not at all young or small, therefore the question lies in technique.
Q: What about threat of injury? The more difficult the jump, the higher such threat.
A: I compare this to throw quads in pair skating and see no danger. People just have to properly warm up, prepare, not attempt jumps if you are not yet ready. You can get injured doing anything. Anna Sherbakova jumps the quad toe, yet she broke her leg on a triple loop. She has returned to skating but has not tried difficult jumps in competition, as far as I remember.
In sport, injuries are inevitable, but we have true and tried methods which help reduce the risk of injury. Avoiding them completely is impossible. Nathan Chen had a serious leg fracture two years ago but look at how he jumps now. Returning to pair throws, they are much scarier than single’s quads. Practically everyone who practiced throw quads got injured one way or another. Even the slightest misstep during takeoff on a throw, and your body flies who knows where. A twist is less dangerous as the female partner is supported throughout.
Remember the amplitude of Stolbova and Klimov’s quad throw salchow. Remember Natalia Zabiyako’s crash on a throw triple axel where she hit her head against the ice.
Q: So quads in women’s skating will appear, and not just as a one-time thing?
A: Yes, and relatively fast. Right now they are landed in Tutberidze’s group. But pretty soon, others will see that it is possible. If an athlete has good amplitude and fast rotation, anything is possible. I also don’t see why girls are any less capable than boys.
Q: For the men, quads were considered something extraordinary before.
A: Figure skating continues to develop. Today quads are learned by people for whom they were seemingly impossible before. The German, Paul Fentz, does triple axel and quad toe. Given his size (his height is 179 cm) and relative lack of agility compared to, for example, Moris Kvitelashvilli. Nontheless he jumps cleanly.
Q: What about the artistic side? With a large amount of elements, may it be relegated?
A: Correct. When you have a lot of hard jumps you need time to prepare them. So the programs of some skaters start to remind the “run up - jump” situation. This is why, on one hand, the need to be more than two types of quads, on the other - the skate must remain a complete program. And te further development of figure skating will be formed by a conception of uniting the athletic and artistic components.
Q: This will prevent skaters from “running themselves into the ground”?
A: This is a philosophic question/ Some criticize Alina Zagitova and her coach for having 6 second half jump elements in a row. Yet it is incredibly hard, not just physically but also psychologically. When just one card flies out of this card house, the whole construction goes dow. This is exactly what happened at worlds. People chose such a path to victory and it doesn’t always work. Do not consider that everything is easy.
Q: Why reduce the long program time? [men and pairs]
A: There is a tendency for reducing the time of lengthy competitions. Instruments for that may be reduction of program time, judging time, warm-up time. For example, we’ve raised a question that 16 pairs in the long program is too little of a number given the fact that the level of pair skating, in part thanks to the work of the ISU, has risen. As a result, during these worlds we had 28 pairs all skating on a worthy level. But if we ourselves block their passage through SP qualification, how do we help them out.
Another dilemma: we get offers to raise the number of singles in the long program form 24 to 30. In that case, the competition schedule will be so loaded, that it’ll become completely inflexible. We must weigh all pluses and minuses, then decide in what direction do we continue moving.
Then there are more prosaic things than time, they are TV ratings and sponsors. This is the money that keeps figure skating alive. If we are to make changes, we must also must get mutual approval. Many questions remain regarding objective reality. Yet we cannot stand still because our main goal is raising the entertainment value of the sport and, as a result, viewer interest.
