Help For A Figure Skating Novel | Golden Skate

Help For A Figure Skating Novel

SoundtracksOnIce

On the Ice
Joined
May 16, 2013
I'm writing a novel that's set just before the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and it's main characters are figure skaters. It's a suspense, so most of the scenes aren't as skating-related, but there are a few scenes I need help with.

1) Has anyone done the Brasseur-Eisler version of the Star Lift since they retired? And if so, who?

2) Have any pairs teams performed a throw triple axel in competition prior to 2010?

3) One scene has my pairs team performing at the 2006 Worlds and winning a bronze medal. I don't really know enough about the scoring system and I definitely don't know the skills well enough to write a sample program. Could someone please put together a list of skating elements (lifts, jumps, spins, etc.) for a sample program that could have contended at that particular Worlds and suggest the technical and artistic scores I should have them get? They're a team that likes to do innovative and difficult moves, kind of like Isabelle and Lloyd always did, but this is also their really breakout year, so it doesn't have to be as off the charts as if it were their Olympic program. Artistry-wise (for scores purposes) they're very intepretive and artistic, but more of a powerful artistry than strictly balletic (think like Brian Boitano's Napoleon program for example). Oh, and they're performing to music from Lord of the Rings in this particular program.

Thanks in advance.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
The first throw triple axel successfully done in competition was done by Inoue & Baldwin in the 2005- 2006 season, AFAIR. They did a really gorgeous one in the short program at the 2006 Olympics.

Since the new judging system was instituted which was prior to 2006, all lifts are more complex than they used to be. A star lift, which is a version of a hip lift, would have fancy entries and exits. If you want to see what kinds of lifts are currently done, check out the grand prix final from this year. It was an excellent competition.

All the documentation for the new judging system is on the ISU website.

Your best bet is to read the pair's technical manual which you can download from this page.

http://www.isu.org/vsite/vnavsite/page/directory/0,10853,4844-185235-202457-nav-list,00.html
 
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Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
3) One scene has my pairs team performing at the 2006 Worlds and winning a bronze medal. I don't really know enough about the scoring system and I definitely don't know the skills well enough to write a sample program. Could someone please put together a list of skating elements (lifts, jumps, spins, etc.) for a sample program that could have contended at that particular Worlds and suggest the technical and artistic scores I should have them get? They're a team that likes to do innovative and difficult moves, kind of like Isabelle and Lloyd always did, but this is also their really breakout year, so it doesn't have to be as off the charts as if it were their Olympic program. Artistry-wise (for scores purposes) they're very intepretive and artistic, but more of a powerful artistry than strictly balletic (think like Brian Boitano's Napoleon program for example). Oh, and they're performing to music from Lord of the Rings in this particular program.
You should review the protocols for 2006 and 2007 Worlds to figure out the elements and get a ballpark range for the scores. You might want to pattern your pair on Savchenko/Szolkowy, whose breakthrough internationally was in 2006-7 and who have been doing innovative technical content while also exploring a wide variety of musical styles and program concepts.
 

SoundtracksOnIce

On the Ice
Joined
May 16, 2013
You should review the protocols for 2006 and 2007 Worlds to figure out the elements and get a ballpark range for the scores. You might want to pattern your pair on Savchenko/Szolkowy, whose breakthrough internationally was in 2006-7 and who have been doing innovative technical content while also exploring a wide variety of musical styles and program concepts.

They sound perfect and I was just about to come on & change this to the 2007 Worlds.

Do you have a written description of their routines, especially the LOVE? I'm not good at ID'ing skills when I watch yet.

Thanks in advance.
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
They sound perfect and I was just about to come on & change this to the 2007 Worlds.

Do you have a written description of their routines, especially the LOVE? I'm not good at ID'ing skills when I watch yet.

Thanks in advance.
I'm not sure what you mean by the LOVE. Here are some links to GS articles from 2007, maybe that will help you: 2007 Euros, 2007 Worlds SP, 2007 Worlds LP, and a post-season article. Of course, these are best used as a reference and not a play by play ;)

Do you know how to read protocols and what the abbreviations stand for?
 

SoundtracksOnIce

On the Ice
Joined
May 16, 2013
Oh good grief - that would be this stupid phone and its new autcorrect feature. I meant to put L.P. as in Long Program.

No, I'm not familiar with reading the protocols or abbreviations, sorry.
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Oh good grief - that would be this stupid phone and its new autcorrect feature. I meant to put L.P. as in Long Program.

No, I'm not familiar with reading the protocols or abbreviations, sorry.
I think the best thing for you would be to look over the protocols anyway, and then come back if there are any abbreviations that you can't figure out. It's really fairly easy to grasp - the numbers are either levels (e.g. for spins) or number of revolutions (e.g. for throws). The abbreviations are pretty self-explanatory, e.g. 3F means triple flip, Li means lift, Sp means spin, Tw means twist, etc. The components appear without any abbreviations. You can refer to this document for a full glossary.
 

SoundtracksOnIce

On the Ice
Joined
May 16, 2013
Thanks, I'll check those and get back to you guys if I have any problems. They sound perfect.

Too bad on the throw triple axel though. I wanted my team to originate that move! I'll have to go throttle Inoue & Baldwin <g>. Only kidding.

I looked up the routine video itself too so that I can try that with the protocols and articles to help me up. The Mission sure is a popular piece for a program. David Liu also used it and I found one other skater who used it too, but I can't remember who.
 

SoundtracksOnIce

On the Ice
Joined
May 16, 2013
One other question. What's a career-ending injury a man could suffer in pairs skating? I'm looking for something he could conceivably blame on his partner. It's not really her fault, but because of his anger at losing his career, he takes it out on her and even their coach kind of holds her partly responsible. Would a back injury from doing a lift work, or should I do something else?
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
When the lady falls from a lift, all kinds of things can happen. Sometimes the fall could be her fault, sometimes his, sometimes both.

Check out Paul Binnebose's brain injury.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2010-12-21-j-paul-binnebose-skater_N.htm

Another thing that can happen is that one of the two skaters cuts the other with a skate during a camel spin, due to being too close and getting out of sync.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/04/23/skater.trauma/


A skater can skate over his or her partner's hand.

A fairly common thing is for a guy to break his nose catching the girl in a triple twist. Her elbow can hit his nose.

http://www.goldenskate.com/2011/04/...-skate-off-with-record-and-third-world-title/

Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford had an ambitious performance with a triple Lutz-double toe-double toe combination and triple throws. Duhamel only singled the side by side toeloop. Radford seemed unaffected by his broken nose (Duhamel’s elbow on the triple twist).
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Yipes! This is quickly turning into an action thriller.

A back injury could certainly be among the possibilities, along with the ones Doris mentioned. Also some kind of arm or shoulder injury.

And then there's the old "she was driving to or from a competition when the crash occurred."
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
One other question. What's a career-ending injury a man could suffer in pairs skating? I'm looking for something he could conceivably blame on his partner. It's not really her fault, but because of his anger at losing his career, he takes it out on her and even their coach kind of holds her partly responsible. Would a back injury from doing a lift work, or should I do something else?
It doesn't have to be a career ending injury. You could do something similar to what happened with Samuelson and Bates: she accidentally injures him during a lift, he's out for the season, she dumps him for a new partner in the meantime and he can't find a new one - with S/B, he left her for a new partner shortly after returning to the ice (I miss Emily). There have been some really good male pairs skaters who couldn't find partners, e.g. Rockne Brubaker has had problems, Drew Meekins never did, even Robin Szolkowy sat out a few seasons. If your hero is shorter than average, it makes sense that he'd have difficulty lining up a new partner.
 

SoundtracksOnIce

On the Ice
Joined
May 16, 2013
Yipes! This is quickly turning into an action thriller.

A back injury could certainly be among the possibilities, along with the ones Doris mentioned. Also some kind of arm or shoulder injury.

And then there's the old "she was driving to or from a competition when the crash occurred."

You're close. It's a suspense - and his bitterness makes him a suspect in the kidnapping of her new partner...
 
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