Random Figure Skating Questions

[MFarone]

Here's a stupid questions about pairs skating I just looked through the Olympic protocols and noticed 1 pair with 3tw4. I'm not going to use names since some reading this board may not want to know the standings. As I looked on through the protocols I noticed some pairs with 3tw2 or 3tw3. Down the list was when I noticed a pair with only a 3tw1. I understand that the numbers after the 3tw are degrees of difficulty or levels. What I don't understand is what you have to do to increase the level from a 1 to say a 2 or a 3. I'm guessing level 4 is very difficult and might be impossible for most pairs.

Can anyone give me some idea of what has to be added to increase the difficulty? Thanks!

 

[gkelly]

From ISU communication 1790, the current list of features for twist lifts:

1) Lady’s split position (each leg at least 45° from the body axis)
2) Catching the lady at the side of the waist without her hand(s)/arm(s)/any part of upper body touching the man
3) Lady’s position in the air with arm(s) above the head (minimum one full revolution)
4) Difficult take-off (steps/skating moves executed by both partners immediately preceding take-off)
5) Man’s arms sideways, being straight or almost straight, reaching at least shoulder level after release of the lady

1 feature earns level 1, 2 features earn level 2, etc.; maximum is level 4

 

[MFarone]

Thanks gkelly

 

[invisiblespiral]

Does anyone know where I can find a video of Abbott's FS?

 

[calbskate]

I think this might fit in here. Just wondering, does everyone on the team get the medal for the Team event or just the ones that skated? Thank you!

 

[calbskate]

Does anyone know where I can find a video of Abbott's FS?

I think you can find it on nbcolympics.com….click on full event replay….select figure skating…..and it should come up. You can do that with nbc live extra app on your phone as well.

 

[ice coverage]

I think this might fit in here. Just wondering, does everyone on the team get the medal for the Team event or just the ones that skated? Thank you!

I think the question was asked and answered earlier in this thread (as it was in other threads) ... but I know it is hard to keep up with so many new posts all over the place.

The answer is:

Only those who skated in the team event received the team medals.​

 

[campbellka]

What happens to the skater's costumes?

How do skaters pay their coaches?

 

[invisiblespiral]

Why do people care so much about the sexuality of male skaters?

 

[dorispulaski]

Some costumes get recycled to other skaters. There was a Paso double jacket of Jason Dungjen' s that made the rounds of junior dancers for a while for example. Olympic winning costumes end up in the Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs.

 

[ice coverage]

What happens to the skater's costumes?

How do skaters pay their coaches?

If your second question is, "How do skaters afford to pay their coaches?", that is a HUGE topic that has had multiple threads all of its own on GS. My attempt at a partial answer below is far from complete:

Obviously, the bills for skaters are endless, what with fees for coaches/choreographers/other professionals (involved in off-ice training, dance classes, sports psychology, physiotherapy, etc., etc.), ice time, costumes, and a thousand other things. How the immense costs are covered could depend on the nationality of the skater.

In the U.S. and Canada, parents and families typically pour a lot of money into supporting their skater. Some parents have more than one job; some take second mortgages on their homes; etc., etc.
Many skaters earn some money for themselves -- with jobs that might or might not be related to skating. (A relatively small number of better-known skaters can earn money by performing in professional shows, such as Stars on Ice, Disson, and shows in Europe and Asia.)
Some higher-ranked skaters are eligible for funding from their federation and/or for funding in their country for athletes from all sports.
A small number of top skaters are lucky enough to have corporate sponsorships.​

To tie your two questions together, the recycling of costumes in some cases allows skaters to recoup a bit of their original costs. In other words, some costumes are sold to another skater as opposed to being loaned or given outright.

 

[campbellka]

Thanks for attempting to explain that. Every four years, I seem to wonder the same thing. I seem to remember seeing Grishuk & Platov's Arabian Nights costumes (or something that looked like it) on Davis & White.

 

[ice coverage]

Thanks for attempting to explain that. Every four years, I seem to wonder the same thing. I seem to remember seeing Grishuk & Platov's Arabian Nights costumes (or something that looked like it) on Davis & White.

Well, I can't imagine that a team of Davis/White's caliber would wear recycled costumes -- esp. at the Olympics (whether in 2010 or 2014).
I think the example that you cite is prob. more a case of unique costumes based on a similar theme bearing some inevitable resemblance.

The recycling that I had in mind was for lower-level skaters ... e.g., a novice American skater wearing a secondhand costume previously worn by a junior or another novice (most likely American as well).
I don't know at what point (junior? international competitions?) original costumes become more or less a "must."

Maybe Doris can shed more light?

 

[raul]

How long does it take for ice dancers to learn synchronized twizzles? Also, how can male dancers bear it when girls stand on their legs? It looks really painful but I wouldn't be able to tell from their facial expressions.

Adding to the second question, Is there a risk for the costume to get damage by the blade?

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Please help...stupid question here!! In Yulia's SP her second jump is a 2a. Please ignore the height or wonkiness of the 2a and please explain to me the two positions she does out of it. I think one is a butterfly but am not sure if I'm right. The other stupid question is does her two transitions out of the 2a count as flow out and constitute being directly into choreography which applies to the jumps GOE. I've included a video of what I believe to be the best representation of her SP and the time in question is from 1:10-1:18 leading into a flying spin.

http://youtu.be/cMvU0sOYJKI

 

[gkelly]

From the landing edge of the axel she does a back three turn into a choreographed body position, mohawk to a brief catch-foot spiral, some toe-assisted turns, and then the butterfly entrance into the flying spin.

Yes, she has good flow on the landing edge of the axel. The moves afterward would be considered transitions -- adds some intricacy, judges would consider the quality and difficulty, and whether those moves add more variety to the other transition moves in the program. It would be up to each judge whether they think that turn and body position are connected enough to the axel itself to add to its GOE.

Ditto with the toe turns, which are not themselves very difficult. The butterfly into the spin is part of the actual element, the fly to the flying spin, and would be considered by the tech panel as a feature.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Thank you so much. I'm less stupid now albeit by just a little bit.

 

[gkelly]

That wasn't a stupid question. You needed some knowledge and understanding just to ask in the first place.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Is it even possible for skaters to stay centered on spins that have such complicated positions and so many changes of position? Are centered spins a lost art? Even the strongest spinners of today travel at times. Julia Lipnitskaya is the poster skater for this – amazing positions but SO MUCH TRAVELING!!! Not only that, but the commentators rarely mention centering/traveling at all anymore. Dick Button used to mention it all the time back in the day. Should I just accept the fact that spins can’t be centered anymore? I would assume that GOE is affected by traveling, but it’s incredibly hard to tell if it is or not.

 

[tulosai]

That wasn't a stupid question. You needed some knowledge and understanding just to ask in the first place.

I agree- most of these questions are not stupid, at least not to me!

Is it even possible for skaters to stay centered on spins that have such complicated positions and so many changes of position? Are centered spins a lost art? Even the strongest spinners of today travel at times. Julia Lipnitskaya is the poster skater for this – amazing positions but SO MUCH TRAVELING!!! Not only that, but the commentators rarely mention centering/traveling at all anymore. Dick Button used to mention it all the time back in the day. Should I just accept the fact that spins can’t be centered anymore? I would assume that GOE is affected by traveling, but it’s incredibly hard to tell if it is or not.

I don't think it is impossible (in fact, sometimes JuLip IS centered, believe it or not) but I do think it is CONSIDERABLY harder than when skaters spun in simpler positions. I don't think it is a totally lost art but I do think it is valued A LOT less than it used to be... but I also think some of these positions are a LOT cooler than they used to be too (and then, some are ugly as hell).