Skating Pet Peeves & Moves You Dislike

[noskates]

I was sitting in the front row in Boston and he did that split literally almost in our laps. His legs came higher than the boards and we all cringed - thought he was going to end up in my lap! that's quite honestly the best one I've seen. Sorry Sasha fans!

 

[Spirals for Miles]

Ugh, another big one...

Charlotte spirals: Is anyone capable of hitting a vertical split? It's supposed to be as close to 180 degrees as possible but most people get no better than 130/140. The free leg doesn't go vertical enough, the knee is bent...it's fugly!

These girls need to take a lesson from 37 year old Michelle Kwan on how to do a Charlotte spiral.

have you seen Sasha Cohen's??

 

[noskates]

Yes, I've seen just about every Sasha program she skated. She had a beautiful split jump but it - to me - wasn't or isn't as exciting as Jason's. She's a close #2 though.

 

[Bcash]

have you seen Sasha Cohen's??

Sasha Cohen's many moves struck me as more acrobatic, more about her extreme flexibility than about creating an elegant line or hitting an emotional high point. Sometimes wowed by her physiology but never emotionally moved, which is what happens with a Kwan spiral. Also Sasha's arms are proportionally shorter than others, which creates a visual awkwardness.

 

[Mathman]

Jason: http://www.trbimg.com/img-52f4d496/...es-to-sochi-olympics-with--001/2048/2048x1366

Sasha: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...it_Jump.jpg/1200px-Sasha_Cohen_Split_Jump.jpg

I don't remember the year (2003?) when both Sasha and Michelle started doing the Charlotte in minor competitions, sparking a debate as to which skater deserves credit for bringing the move back into currency.

Sasha: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Sasha_Cohen_charlotte_spiral.jpg

Michelle now (still from the instagram video posted by Kwaniac above (post 156) -- note the clear outside edge ): https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/.../Michelle-Kwan-Ice-Skating-Instagram-2018.jpg

The original, one and only, Charlotte Oelschlegel (1916): https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_59Hb37g...-the-ice-show-on-Broadway-in-1916-272x300.jpg

 

[TunaKeem]

Maria Sotskova's "Tano"s where she like flexes her hand up.

Manic skating where you can tell they are behind and just rushing to keep up with the music (I noticed this from Elena Radionova in the recent season). Wish they would just skip over some choreography and start where the music is as opposed to rushing through and half efforting all the movements in between.

I'm not sure if this is improper technique or if it's just a stylistic choice or body limitations but the way some skaters use their toe-pick in a Lutz or Flip. Kind of like they refuse to bend their knee on the toe-picking foot and end up like awkwardly hunching over and their leg sticks out in a way that I personally don't like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu-yTug5PRE
https://youtu.be/PwIVHiGKajE?t=43s Mao Asada and Dabin Choi do this in clips here but I've noticed many do it this way. I feel like I see this more from women than men

 

[Basho]

Sasha https://www.pinterest.com/pin/297800594083904480/ Not so bad either.

 

[slider11]

I dislike slow, clunky looking spins with odd looking positions that have nothing to do with the music....and then get a level 4. I also dislike Ina Bauer's that are not a full stretch back and, again, are done in a very cursory manner to get a transition score.

 

[kwanatic]

have you seen Sasha Cohen's??

Sasha https://www.pinterest.com/pin/297800594083904480/ Not so bad either.

Well, duh guys. Obviously Sasha's is the standard in terms of extension and stretch. Her Charlotte was pretty much perfection, though my favorite spiral was that outside-inside skid fan spiral. Gorgeous! That girl couldn't buy a clean FS but she sure was lovely to watch.

I referenced Michelle's Charlotte to illustrate the fact that at 37 years old (basically twice some of these girls' age) she's executing this move better than they are. My favorite Charlotte is done by Fleur Maxwell. Perfect 180 split and the fact she lifts her back up while maintaining the split...amazing. Adelina Sotnikova has lovely extension on hers as well.

I don't remember the year (2003?) when both Sasha and Michelle started doing the Charlotte in minor competitions, sparking a debate as to which skater deserves credit for bringing the move back into currency.

It seems like they started doing them around the same time. I remember Michelle started adding it to her programs in the 1998-1999 season in her FS and exhibition. However, around that same time Sasha was on the junior level and had them in her program as well. There was basically zero coverage of juniors back then and Sasha didn't gain any attention until nationals in 2000. Michelle was the biggest name in the sport around the time she started doing it so I feel like Michelle started the trend...Sasha did perfect it though.

A while back I found a video on YT where Michelle was on a talk show (I want to say it was Leno, Letterman or some other late night show) and was asked about it. She gave the backstory on it about Charlotte Oelschlegel and then actually demonstrated it on the stage. It was around 1999--her hair was still really short. Here's where it gets funny...In 2006 after Torino Sasha was on a late night talk show (I think the exact same one Michelle was on when she demonstrated it) and the host held up a picture of her doing a Charlotte and asked her about it. She didn't demonstrate it but she explained it the same way Michelle did (both of them fumbled with the last name). I thought that was really funny

If anyone remembers the talk show or can find a clip please help me out. I couldn't find either one on YT.

Point is none of the ladies competing today is doing the move any justice. When done properly it's lovely...everyone doing it today makes me cringe.:gaah:

 

[Mathman]

My favorite Charlotte is done by Fleur Maxwell[/URL]. Perfect 180 split and the fact she lifts her back up while maintaining the split...amazing. Adelina Sotnikova has lovely extension on hers as well.

 

[kwanatic]

I knooow, right?!

Fleur was gorgeous: beautiful straight back, lovely arms, perfect lines, stunning spins... I hate that she wasn't that strong of a skater overall.

 

[LandShark]

Sorry , haven't read the whole thread , but has anyone mentioned when skaters run on the ice as part of the choreography?

Ugh , awful. Skaters - please do not run. We do not either pay our cash or switch on our TV'S to watch you run , we want to see the beautiful gliding of skating flow.

I've just always disliked it. It looks inelegant and clumsy. Very difficult to run , in skates , on ice , and make it look attractive.

 

[LandShark]

I knooow, right?!

Fleur was gorgeous: beautiful straight back, lovely arms, perfect lines, stunning spins... I hate that she wasn't that strong of a skater overall.

She was absolutely glorious on the ice. The most lovely posture of recent times when at her best. Her Cinema Paradiso routine of some years back was really rather beautiful.

 

[Ares]

Sorry , haven't read the whole thread , but has anyone mentioned when skaters run on the ice as part of the choreography?

Ugh , awful. Skaters - please do not run. We do not either pay our cash or switch on our TV'S to watch you run , we want to see the beautiful gliding of skating flow.

I've just always disliked it. It looks inelegant and clumsy. Very difficult to run , in skates , on ice , and make it look attractive.

Well ... Anissina / Peizerat were able to do it masterfully though I think. Especially in Carmina Burana program with great dramatic effect. Chait / Sakhnovsky on the other hand were abusing it, they used it to gain speed that they would otherwise lack and to disguise lacking skills (including skating skills) otherwise.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Well ... Anissina / Peizerat were able to do it masterfully though I think. Especially in Carmina Burana program with great dramatic effect. Chait / Sakhnovsky on the other hand were abusing it, they used it to gain speed that they would otherwise lack and to disguise lacking skills otherwise.

I agree, there were some skaters that could do it masterfully and not make it look abused or awkward. Paul Wylie is one that comes to mind.

 

[epicdreamer]

I hate choreo sequences that just contain what seems to be one field move or last for half second and then that's it. Like this is one of the elements that allows a skater to be creative because of the lack of restrictions on it but that kinda just lets skaters get away with not doing anything particularly interesting with it which is such a disappointment.

 

[formersk8ter]

I dislike slow, clunky looking spins with odd looking positions that have nothing to do with the music....and then get a level 4. I also dislike Ina Bauer's that are not a full stretch back and, again, are done in a very cursory manner to get a transition score.

Amen.

 

[KwanfordWife]

Backloading jumps
Weird spins
Tano jumps
Ina Bauers on flat edges

 

[viennaskater]

Sorry , haven't read the whole thread , but has anyone mentioned when skaters run on the ice as part of the choreography?

Ugh , awful. Skaters - please do not run. We do not either pay our cash or switch on our TV'S to watch you run , we want to see the beautiful gliding of skating flow.

I've just always disliked it. It looks inelegant and clumsy. Very difficult to run , in skates , on ice , and make it look attractive.

I thought it looked cool when Brian Joubert did it!

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Not a fan of spins with forced positions in a strained attempt to get levels up (see: illusions/Biellmanns when the skater isn't flexible enough), when transitions are constantly "tacked on" to the end of jumps when the jump itself should be the highlight, entirely backloaded programs or mostly frontloaded programs, crazy ornate/ostentatious costumes, when skaters don't hold their landing edge, and that damned illusion into so many layback spins.