Alissa Czisny injured during FS on Jan 12 | Page 8 | Golden Skate

Alissa Czisny injured during FS on Jan 12

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Sounds like a good idea in theory, but what I suspect will happen is that the juniors will still train the harder jumps in practice in anticipation of their move up to the senior level. In the end, it wouldn't really accomplish that much.
 

ucrgirl

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
Sounds like a good idea in theory, but what I suspect will happen is that the juniors will still train the harder jumps in practice in anticipation of their move up to the senior level. In the end, it wouldn't really accomplish that much.

Exactly. In Gymnastics, Jrs aren't allowed to compete certain highly difficulty elements but they train them. A few Jr gymnasts regularly have more difficulty than top Seniors.
 

crazydreamer

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Such a shame. It looked like she was doing well in the videos I have seen of her SP and (the first half of) her LP. She may have been more competitive at nationals this month than people were giving her credit for.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that Alissa skated in the prototype hinged boots for a number of seasons. These boots were supposed to reduce ankle injuries, but as I recall there was debate about whether they were good or bad for hips. Also, some skaters thought it was harder to jump in the hinged boots, just like it is harder to jump in a soft boot than a rigid one.

Maybe this played a role in allowing Alissa to skate for such a long time without injury. Or not.
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
OMG Mathman, I didn't know about the hinged boots. One would hope before they put a prototype out there they would consider all the ramifications of using the boots. She might have been more competitive than people were giving her credit for (per crazydreamer) but Alissa is another skater like Jeremy Abbott. You never know "who" is going to show up when the competition starts. And with all the problems she's had this year, plus her performance at US Nats and Worlds last year, I think there was ALOT of wishful thinking going on. I just hope that her injuries don't plague her the rest of her life. And if she does try to continue skating, that her doctor and her team are realistic about her physical readiness.
 

sarahspins

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 30, 2011
One would hope before they put a prototype out there they would consider all the ramifications of using the boots.

AFIAK she never skated in prototype boots... Jackson did manufacture and market the proflex design for several years before discontinuing it around the end of 2008 or beginning of 2009.. I think the 2008 season was the last one where she wore them, but it may have been 2009.. either way she's been in traditional boots for the last 3 or 4 years. Alissa was the only skater who ever had any national success in the proflex boots... but that doesn't mean they weren't good boots and I don't think they caused problems for most skaters, it's just that they weren't quick to be adopted by most because they were just too different, and you have to be able to sell a product to make money and keep making it.

Lots of skaters have had boot issues.. either short term or long term, and Alissa's prior boot problems (ankle bursas) led her to try the proflex, which solved the problem for her at the time. I think it's unlikely they caused any problems for her now, years after she was using them. Jackson has made lots of changes to their line over the years, so it's possible that with their current models (and the time wearing the proflex that allowed the bursas to go away) she hasn't had any more ankle problems. I skate in Jackson boots too (the same models Alissa has worn in the last few seasons, the Elite Plus and Elite Supreme) and I've never had any ankle problems with them, but I did wearing SP Teri.
 

cinnamon

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
I just hope that her injuries don't plague her the rest of her life. And if she does try to continue skating, that her doctor and her team are realistic about her physical readiness.

This is what Alissa answered me in her prompt reply to my get well soon wish mail:

I love the new long program, and I am looking forward to when I will be able to perform it again, this time through to completion.
Best wishes,
Alissa Czisny

I really hope so that she will be able to show it to us this Marina Zueva choreo'd program.
 

mskater93

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that Alissa skated in the prototype hinged boots for a number of seasons. These boots were supposed to reduce ankle injuries, but as I recall there was debate about whether they were good or bad for hips. Also, some skaters thought it was harder to jump in the hinged boots, just like it is harder to jump in a soft boot than a rigid one.

Maybe this played a role in allowing Alissa to skate for such a long time without injury. Or not.

1) Alissa has always had jumping technique issues, even when she was younger which is more likely what has contributed to her hip issues
2) Alissa was in PRODUCTION Pro-flex boots, not prototypes
3) Jackson worked with orthopedists, podiatrists, and other medical professionals in developing the Pro-flex boots; they did a lot of research and homework when these were developed and continually improved on the design and concept, more than most other boot companies do with regards to stiffness or where the boots hit on the ankle/calf area or bursas or...they would provide their research upon request and pieces of it were readily available throughout the skating community
4) Pro-flex boots never caught on because the knob to tighten the ankle part down was UGLY and stuck out in the back (somewhat ungainly) and most skaters who even considered them but decided on different boots were afraid of the aesthetics versus mechanics/health. It was quite obvious, even under over the boot tights and some people were afraid judges would nail their presentation mark for their boots
5) Jason Brown was also in Proflex boots (which Jackson continued to make for him after they discontinued the line for a couple years) until about two years ago (through his first year in Juniors). He had issues with his jumps the first year he was in "conventional" boots because he couldn't point his toes and the "give" wasn't in conventional boots like he did in the Pro-flex boots

I don't think you can "blame the equipment" in this case and we shouldn't start speculating on that without proof.
 

Icey

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 28, 2012
Some thought the hinged boot would be a career saver. Actually, there was a hinged skate around as early as the 1880's.

"The ProFlex boots provide skaters with extra support for jumping. It is the distinct impression of some skaters that they are able to jump higher because the boots give them an extra spring. They also say that the hinges reduce the shock skaters' feet absorb and this hinged system does reduce the damaging impact of jump landings."

http://figureskating.about.com/od/bootsandblades/gr/proflex.htm

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/winter/2005-10-28-upgraded-skates_x.htm

In the USA article, Alissa said she would never go back to regular boots, but she evidently changed her mind. I wonder why.
 
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Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Here is an interesting article from 2006 about boot-related injuries. It is critical of the USFSA for not investing in research in boot design.

http://www.ocregister.com/sports/-163199--.html

As many as eight out of every 10 elite U.S. skaters suffer boot-related injuries, according to one study, and debilitating hip, knee and back injuries have driven dozens of top prospects out of the sport while still in their mid-teens...

The increase in stress-related injuries can be traced to the elimination of figures from international and national competitions and an emphasis on jumping in the early 1990s. Practice time skaters previously spent perfecting tracing figures in the ice is now spent on landing quadruple jumps by the men, triple jumps by the women.

While figure skating has been revolutionized in the past 15 years by these jumps, the sport's equipment has not kept pace with its athletes...

Some studies estimate that 90 percent of skaters who do triple and quadruple jumps are injured annually, twice the rate for skaters attempting only double jumps.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Here is an interesting article from 2006 about boot-related injuries. It is critical of the USFSA for not investing in research in boot design.

http://www.ocregister.com/sports/-163199--.html

Yipes, Math, those statistics are amazing. I know I read years ago that unlike skiing, where boots and other equipment are constantly being updated, skating boots are almost the same as the ones Sonja Henie used in the 1930s. But in those days people did singles and a few doubles.
 

sarahspins

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 30, 2011
Some do.. Gracie Gold wears the Ice Fly :) I know there are at least a couple top men in them too, but they are harder to spot.
 

Pepe Nero

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 11, 2011
:thumbsup: Kristi is one of the few skaters who won more world championships (2) than national championships (1). Carol Heiss is another, with 5 worlds and 4 U.S. Of course Yagudin is the king -- 4 world championships and 0 nationals.

Here is Sabrina. Best skating dress ever. :) Dick Button says, "She is one of the most exquisite skaters of all time...and look at that! Even her back spiral position is acceptable" (as contrasted with all the other skaters' unacceptable positions. :) )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s8UlN4umNs

Not perfect? OK, how about this? (still not perfect but be sure to watch the whole video --" ...and the home... of the... brave!")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCBmjO_v1WI

But here's even closer to perfect. Only posting this because I find it very obscure and hard to find on YouTube (also the 2011-2012 FS, but this is her best performance of it at the U.S Nationals that year). The only "flaw" is her landing of the triple loop (I think that's what it is), but I find that to be the kind of imperfection that makes it better -- her perseverance in not falling is inspiring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gvqVM3fh0&feature=related

I watch this video when I feel sad. :) This video also contains my favorite Scott Hamilton quote: "What else could you want in a woman figure skater?! ... Alissa Czisny has it all!"
 
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mskater93

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
thanks Mathman and Mskater. Do many american skaters use Edeas boots?
There are a ton of US skaters in Edeas now, but not all are Elite level skaters. Again, with any boot, you have to be careful to choose one that best fits your feet as I have talked to many skaters who have tried Edeas and ended up with heel spurs/bursas and blisters.
 

Joubabe

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 12, 2012
Country
United-States
Thank you for the video, Pepe Nero. It reminds me of why I've always been a fan of Alissa. Her win that year was a special moment that I was lucky enough to witness in person. I agree with what you said in the other thread:

"I'm using the last bit of my hope for Czisny's return next year, making the Olympic and World team and earning (at one, the other, or both) a long deserved medal."

I know it's a long shot, but Alissa has proven that despite her soft appearance, she's tough as nails on the inside.
 
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