Random Figure Skating Questions | Page 94 | Golden Skate

Random Figure Skating Questions

Some examples of what the bottom toe pick is used for:
- Forward to backward 3-turns and brackets. Without that bottom pick, you'd skid on the turn and won't get a nice crisp point on the ice tracing (and thus wouldn't be doing the turn correctly).
- Landing jumps. You actually land on that bottom pick. The drag from the pick helps control the landing (and not skid).
 
Question for the tech experts.
Just wondering what level this spin from Michelle would get if she were doing it in today's skating world.
I think it is a great spin because she does not move a muscle, she is so steady and in control and is perfectly centered and does not travel.
 
Unfortunately, the qualities you mentioned do not affect the levels, but only GOE. I am not a big expect regarding levels, but I think she met the requiriments to archive level 1 spin, as she does 8 revolutions with that position. I am not sure if she had changed edge, if that happened, she would receive Level 2. There is also a feature about steady speed, maybe she was spinning fast enough to archive even level 3. However, I don't think she managed to get all of these feautures. Probably it would be a level 1 or 2.
 
There isn't a feature about "steady speed." That would be reflected in the Grade of Execution, not the level.

There is a feature for a clear increase in speed, which is rarely awarded and not applicable for this spin.

As you say, 8 revolutions in position would be the only feature. So level 1.
 
There isn't a feature about "steady speed." That would be reflected in the Grade of Execution, not the level.

There is a feature for a clear increase in speed, which is rarely awarded and not applicable for this spin.

As you say, 8 revolutions in position would be the only feature. So level 1.

Oh yes, thanks for correction. I knew there was a feature about speed but wasn't sure what exactly it said.
 


Depends on the context.

If it were in a post-2010 free skate, it would count as a choreographic sequence.

All choreo sequences are worth 2.0 in base value. The differences are in the GOEs.

I would expect +2s and +3s for that sequence. +2 on this element is worth 1.4 and +3 is worth 2.1.

So the total points for the element would probably be between 3.4 and 4.1.

If it were intended as a leveled spiral sequence from sometime between 2003 and 2010, we'd need to know whether it was a short program or free skate and which year's rules to use. Because all the spirals are on one foot, it might not get any points in a context where spirals on both feet were required.

If it were performed in a context where no spiral sequence or choreo sequence is a valid element (e.g., recent short programs), then it would count as transitions and the point value amount to whatever it caused judges to increase their scores for the various components compared to what they would have given the program without the sequence. Hard to say exactly how many points that might be but I would expect it would have a positive effect on all five components.
 
Depends on the context.

If it were in a post-2010 free skate, it would count as a choreographic sequence.

All choreo sequences are worth 2.0 in base value. The differences are in the GOEs.

I would expect +2s and +3s for that sequence. +2 on this element is worth 1.4 and +3 is worth 2.1.

So the total points for the element would probably be between 3.4 and 4.1.

If it were intended as a leveled spiral sequence from sometime between 2003 and 2010, we'd need to know whether it was a short program or free skate and which year's rules to use. Because all the spirals are on one foot, it might not get any points in a context where spirals on both feet were required.

If it were performed in a context where no spiral sequence or choreo sequence is a valid element (e.g., recent short programs), then it would count as transitions and the point value amount to whatever it caused judges to increase their scores for the various components compared to what they would have given the program without the sequence. Hard to say exactly how many points that might be but I would expect it would have a positive effect on all five components.

Here is a Michelle’s jaw-dropping spiral sequence from the 1998 world pro competition (East of Eden). Sixteen seconds on one foot (haircut = +2 extra).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYwAZb14Ags&t=2m28s

(Little shimmy right after (2:48) = +2 more.)

Here's my take. “Figure” skating largely means precision gliding and turning on edges. Free skating, to me, features steps that lift the blade off the ice --> little jumps --> rotational jumps. IMHO the third category is spinning, which seems to me to be a separate skill.

Post-figures, the spirit of the gliding and turning part persists in spirals, spread eagles, Ina Bauers, etc., enhanced by esthetic considerations like carriage and posture, upper body and arm positions, musical expression and timing, and choreographic coherence.

It seems like a spiral sequence such as this one ought to be valued by the IJS, but I don’t think it is. A skater cannot spend so much time gliding along because, far from counting toward transitions, it takes time away from what the judges are looking for in this component. Nor does it garner any points for skating skills, which place greater value on speed, stroking technique (especially effortless acceleration), and intricacy and variety of steps.

Does it enhance P&E, CH, or INT? In actual competitions, I don’t think so – at least not enough to be worth devoting the practice time required to perfect those skills and then reserving the required number of seconds from one’s program. The judges seem to give higher program scores to skaters who jump and spin and step with grace and elan, rather than to programs with a lot of gliding, turns, and edgework.

When the CoP first came out, I think that both judges and skaters were feeling their way. Michelle made a conscious decision to keep her spins simple (so as not to injure her not-very-flexible back) and to make up for it on quality (GOE). This exchange never worked out in her, or anyone else's, favor. In the 2003-04 season Sasha Cohen got huge PCSs and GOEs for flexibility in spins and for gorgeous upper body positions. But little by little such things began to lose their point value. We cannot predict any more what the PCSs will be just by saying, “Oh how beautiful!”

Not saying whether this is good or bad, but I do miss a good spiral. ;)
 
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Does anyone know who the CCTV commentators for Han Yan's Worlds exhibition are? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T74ECVR0LvI Especially the man... he seems disappointed with the results and makes comments like, "The team has to go back and think about why Han Yan performed like this." Seems a little too authoritative to be just a regular commentator...? (Or maybe he's just offering an opinion and I'm overthinking it.)
 
I guess it was discussed before, still do you think it is easier to go from singles to ice dancing or vice versa from ice dancing into competitive singles...I guess it must be more difficult to rotate triple jumps than doing twizzels or other brackets/turns from ice dancing...any other thoughts?
 
I guess it was discussed before, still do you think it is easier to go from singles to ice dancing or vice versa from ice dancing into competitive singles...I guess it must be more difficult to rotate triple jumps than doing twizzels or other brackets/turns from ice dancing...any other thoughts?

I´ll add a question to this: are there any examples of people who changed from dance to competitive singles, and from competitive singles to dance?
 
All videos of 2014 Japan Open were deleted from Youtube. Is there anyone who still has the videos? I'd like to watch some perfomanves again. Actualy, Sabinfire uploaded Pogo's FS. I'd like to ask, do you have also the other videos?
 
Mathman - my favorite Michelle exhibition program and my favorite step sequence. Thank you! Thank you! There still is NOBODY like her.
 
I´ll add a question to this: are there any examples of people who changed from dance to competitive singles, and from competitive singles to dance?

Random hodge-podge of answers off the top of my head:

Colin McManus switched from singles to dance. (Sorry, I read something somewhere about his bkgd just a few days ago, but I forget where. ETA: Eek, on second thought, could I be confusing Colin with Zach Donohue?? Sorry, guys. I like you both.)

I think ZhaoKai Pang switched from singles to dance?

Jeremy Abbott has both dance and pairs in his past, IIRC? But I think he always was doing singles too?

And my impression is that it is not super-rare for a dancer to have a dual career in singles before eventually concentrating solely on dance (Charlie White being the poster child, but not only example, for this kind of evolution).
 
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Random hodge-podge of answers off the top of my head:

Colin McManus switched from singles to dance. (Sorry, I read something somewhere about his bkgd just a few days ago, but I forget where. ETA: Eek, on second thought, could I be confusing Colin with Zach Donohue?? Sorry, guys. I like you both.)

I think ZhaoKai Pang switched from singles to dance?

Jeremy Abbott has both dance and pairs in his past, IIRC? But I think he always was doing singles too?

And my impression is that it is not super-rare for a dancer to have a dual career in singles before eventually concentrating solely on dance (Charlie White being the poster child, but not only example, for this kind of evolution).

I've seen a bunch of skaters that have something like "trained everything as kid and then chose dance/pairs/single"
But i think the question here is about people who just learned it from "blank" or close to it, not a dual career and then a choice, but one career and then another.

Valentina Marchei would be an example i guess, as she spent quite a while in singles, and then moved to pairs (with results kinda same level as her singles career was)
 
I think the poster child of discipline switching would be Rudy Galindo. Rudy was a Junior World Champion in Men's Singles and in Pairs with Kristi Yamaguchi. He concentrated on Pairs and dropped his singles career in seniors, bulking up a lot to improve on throws and twists. Then Kristi chose to concentrate on singles, leaving Rudy high and dry. He returned to singles, finishing his career as US men's champ and World bronze medalist.

From pairs to dance: Tiffany Steigler made the switch, teamed with Sergei Magerovski, placed third at US nationals, and went to the Olympics.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_Stiegler
 
I've seen a bunch of skaters that have something like "trained everything as kid and then chose dance/pairs/single"
But i think the question here is about people who just learned it from "blank" or close to it, not a dual career and then a choice, but one career and then another.

Valentina Marchei would be an example i guess, as she spent quite a while in singles, and then moved to pairs (with results kinda same level as her singles career was)

Exactly why I had mentioned above some skaters like Marchei (although I did not cite her as an analogy) vs. some who were involved in more than one discipline at once.

eta: BTW, another example like Marchei is Tim Koleto, who switched from singles to ice dance.​

ETA, re not spelling out an analogy to Marchei in my earlier post, your original question was limited to dancers.
I´ll add a question to this: are there any examples of people who changed from dance to competitive singles, and from competitive singles to dance?

I think the poster child of discipline switching would be Rudy Galindo. Rudy was a Junior World Champion in Men's Singles and in Pairs with Kristi Yamaguchi. He concentrated on Pairs and dropped his singles career in seniors, bulking up a lot to improve on throws and twists. Then Kristi chose to concentrate on singles, leaving Rudy high and dry. He returned to singles, finishing his career as US men's champ and World bronze medalist. ...

I like your example of Galindo :).

(I meant that CW was the poster child regarding specifically the choice to concentrate exclusively on dance after once juggling both singles and dance.)
 
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