What is your least aesthetic move in figure skating?

[CellarDweller]

Ok, the "splayed frog" and "spread eagle laying an egg" just took me out!

LOL

But I have to ask, are you talking about a cantilever? That's the move that annoys me the most. Anytime any skater does that, my first thought is "look at my crotch!"

 

[Diana Delafield]

No idea what it's called but this move reminds me of a carnival ride, the Dive Bomber. It's hardly done nowadays and is a move that seems to be tossed in toward the end of a program. I don't even know how to adequately describe it. Done on one skate while the skater spins vertically a few times. Is this what you're calling a cartwheel? It sets my teeth on edge every time.

Sounds more like the illusion? I'm assuming people objecting to cartwheels are referring to the gymnastics/little-kid-on-a-lawn cartwheel, which was illegal until quite recently. Now all of a sudden these acrobatic moves are allowed and skaters (mostly the men) are cramming them into their programs. (I think it looks a bit silly. I'm always hoping to see someone's hands slip on the ice, but so far I've been disappointed ) Illusions are too often not done too well, putting it kindly.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Ok, the "splayed frog" and "spread eagle laying an egg" just took me out!

LOL

But I have to ask, are you talking about a cantilever? That's the move that annoys me the most. Anytime any skater does that, my first thought is "look at my crotch!"

Yes, that's the one. And that's why I said it looks vulgar, especially on the women. I particularly hate to see a pair or dance couple do it in synch. If I could remember what year it was, I think it was in Europeans and the Duchesnays ended a program with that move. Only they collided and their music ended with them in an awkward, tangled heap of legs on the ice.

 

[skylark]

Lift positions in pairs got out of hand under the IJS. I wish they would do an aesthetic refresh, even if that means that we see less features. Also almost no one does aesthetic outside edge death spirals--some of the ways that the women are contorting themselves just to get the levels are unaesthetic.

This. ^^ I include in this some of the positions in lifts, which reduce the beauty and the feeling of flying.

I think Alisa Efimova's forward outside death spiral is very beautiful. She and Misha get level 4 or 3 on them ... and I've never heard a commentator even mention them, oh wait, Johnny Weir did at nationals and spoke about how it's very difficult.

Alternatively, everyone talks about Deanna and Max's FODS, and most of them mention how ugly or unattractive it is ... I concur. Even Chris in his 4CC commentary mentioned the difficulty, but said it's not something he'd rather look at. He apparently didn't see Alisa & Misha's.

ETA: here is Efimova/Mitrofanov's FS from Nationals. It's a wondrous, emotional skate to watch and their best performance of it... the winning FS. The FODS begins at 2:22, although there's a loop going into it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elmmAtJf6o0

 

[skylark]

I also dislike the lift position with the woman in a horizontal split, although it's not as bad if she's wearing a unitard, one color.

I noticed that Alisa and Misha weren't doing that variation this year. In fact, in general their FS has much smoother, more beautiful moves and lifts than most other pairs. I looked back at their FS from last year, and they were doing the horizontal split then, as did Alisa with her previous partner Ruben Bloemart.

So E/M took it out (at least for this year's programs), and either they, the coaches or their choreographers appear to me to have consciously made their moves less complicated and much more graceful and fluid.

If it seems like I've fallen completely in love with Alisa and Misha ... well, I have.

 

[skylark]

Outside forward death spiral in pairs. No one does it estheticly.

I beg to differ. Check out my previous post and please watch the video of Alisa and Misha. Let me know what you think!

 

[skylark]

For me, Patrick Chan was the first skater who could do that Euler thing and make it look like he did it on purpose and it wasn't just a stumble.

Ashley Wagner's Euler was also gorgeous ... back when it was a half loop. See her Worlds 2016 FS (when she won the World Silver Medal); the 2015-16 season was when she first added in the 3Loop-half loop-3Salchow.

 

[TallyT]

But I have to ask, are you talking about a cantilever? That's the move that annoys me the most. Anytime any skater does that, my first thought is "look at my crotch!"

Purely my opinion, but the only person coming to mind who does cantilevers and looks good is Shoma Uno (some others who could have simply didn't do them, that's above and beside the point. He could and did.)

 

[Mathman]

To me, a cantilever is not the same as the frog position. In a cantilever the skater leans way back and does show some nimbleness and flexibility, plus leg, back and ankle strength. The frog position is just posing all bow-legged (although I suppose it does require good edges). The all-time best cantilever was Mr. Frick of Frick and Frack, who did it for comic effect in the 1930s..

As for the illusion spin, IIRC this was invented in the early 1950s when Jacqueline Du Bief (1952 world champion for France) lost control of her camel spin and flailed about bobbing up and down for a time before getting it back under control.

Another unaesthetic move came into vogue when the IJS added the bullet "full use of the body" to the level requirements of a step sequence. Sketers went up and down the ice like they were bobbing for apples. (Thankfully, this stage passed,)

 

[4everchan]

Isn't the frog position just called a Besti squat after the famous ice dancer ?

Besti squat - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[4everchan]

Unpopular/not aesthetic move in figure skating : country hopping

 

[NanaPat]

Purely my opinion, but the only person coming to mind who does cantilevers and looks good is Shoma Uno (some others who could have simply didn't do them, that's above and beside the point. He could and did.)

Liubov Ilyushechkina also had beautiful cantilevers. It's a real shame her career was cut short (and Olympic dream dashed) by a serious injury to her partner. The injury wasn't even skating related; a glass door fell on him when he was lying on the floor doing yoga/relaxation.

 

[Mathman]

Isn't the frog position just called a Besti squat after the famous ice dancer ?

Besti squat - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Although... I think that would be an "assisted frog."

 

[Diana Delafield]

Liubov Ilyushechkina also had beautiful cantilevers. It's a real shame her career was cut short (and Olympic dream dashed) by a serious injury to her partner. The injury wasn't even skating related; a glass door fell on him when he was lying on the floor doing yoga/relaxation.

How awful for him! (Have to admit I don't recognize her name, so I don't know who he is.) Now I'm trying to imagine how that could happen. An earthquake, like the one we had here last week? The door wasn't installed yet, just leaning against a wall?

 

[NanaPat]

How awful for him! (Have to admit I don't recognize her name, so I don't know who he is.) Now I'm trying to imagine how that could happen. An earthquake, like the one we had here last week? The door wasn't installed yet, just leaning against a wall?

Dylan Moscovitch, who previously skated with Kirsten Moore-Towers. He kept quiet about the incident, but his girl friend told the story of what happened. She was at an airport, waiting to board a plane to go home to Toronto, and talking to him on the phone, when it happened. She boarded the plane not knowing exactly what had happened or if he was alive. Fortunately he was, but it was shortly before 2018 Canadian Nationals. They finished 4th and Moore-Towers/Marinaro got the third Olympic spot.

I think the door was an old one.

 

[PaulE]

To me, a cantilever is not the same as the frog position. In a cantilever the skater leans way back and does show some nimbleness and flexibility, plus leg, back and ankle strength. The frog position is just posing all bow-legged (although I suppose it does require good edges). The all-time best cantilever was Mr. Frick of Frick and Frack, who did it for comic effect in the 1930s..

I consider myself extremely fortunate to have seen Mr. Frick do his cantilever when I attended a performance of the Ice Follies in Oakland, CA, while I had a summer job in Livermore close by. I also got to see Richard Dwyer as Mr. Debonair presenting flowers to some beautiful ladies in gorgeous gowns in the same show.

 

[4everchan]

How awful for him! (Have to admit I don't recognize her name, so I don't know who he is.) Now I'm trying to imagine how that could happen. An earthquake, like the one we had here last week? The door wasn't installed yet, just leaning against a wall?

 

[el henry]

I am sexist: I love men's cantilevers (Tomoki H., Shoma, Kévin). Women, not as much.

Rohene Ward had a good one, if not the lowest ever, displaying strength and control even in show skating in his late 30s. And an amazing hydroblade.



OK these are things I like, not least esthetic sorry.

 

[Mathman]

What a satisfying performance (minus one mistake). Plus, pretty costumes.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Oh, of course. I remembered his last partner's first name, but not her surname so I didn't make the connection.