What percentage of skaters do triple jumps? | Page 2 | Golden Skate

What percentage of skaters do triple jumps?

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
It really depends on the rink. There needs to be both at least one coach who is capable of teaching successful double axel/triple technique and also at least one skater who has both the physical potential to master those jumps and the resources and commitment to invest enough practice and lesson time to get there.

At a rink with no local coaches who can teach triples successfully, then even the most talented and committed skaters won't learn them there. If they start getting close, they might go elsewhere for lessons, but it would take even more commitment to relocate or add a couple hours of driving several times a week to a different rink.

If a rink has one coach with that ability, then at any given time there will be as many skaters with triples as have the physical potential and take lessons from that coach and have put in the time and work. Some years there may be none, or one, and other years there might be several.

If there are more coaches with that skill, then there will probably be several skaters landing triples. And the rink might become a destination that skaters travel or relocate to in order to get that coaching and training environment.
 

RoaringMice

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 1, 2003
Per the question about quads: at one of my rinks, one person has a quad, and it's not consistent. This rink does have special sessions for elite skaters.

At another rink, no one has a quad - one man has a triple axel. At my third rink, no quads. Neither have separate elite ice.

There are some people with quads down at Hackensack, but that's a major training center with elite ice, and I don't go down there often enough to be able to give you a count.
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
Love all the great responses to this question!! Yes, I realize most people don't even make it past Learn-to-Skate because they quit. I was thinking more about the group that doesn't quit, but hits a roadblock due to athletic ability or old age or whatever. Because even if an adult skater practices 5-6 times a week and is very talented, no one expects or thinks they will land triples one day.

My rink might have someone who can do 2A or triples since I haven't asked around. But everything I see on practice ice is doubles. We've probably got about 50-100 freestyle skaters (level 3 and up.) Probably about 15-20 skaters who regularly do single axels and doubles. And then yeah probably 200-300 in Learn-to-Skate, but they don't come all at once, since kids are constantly quitting and new kids constantly starting.

Thanks for bringing up this topic, it's a real interesting topic. I hope if USFS doesn't already, that they keep this kind of data cause it could be useful as far as identifying developing talent early on or provide insight on issues that could affect elite skaters. .
 

Arwen17

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 20, 2017
Just looking at how an ice rink divides up its freestyle sessions tells you what kind and how many of skaters they likely have. My local rink's freestyle sessions in a small town is divided between those who have passed pre-preliminary and those who have not. When I look at our state capital city's website, their freestyle sessions are divided between who have passed Intermediate level and who has not. I think that shows that although our state capital divides the sessions at a higher level, its still only one division, so their club probably isn't huge either. I'm betting larger cities/rinks have several divisions in the freestyle sessions offered.
I think we need a list of clubs/rinks/regions by population of skaters and size of facilities lol.
 
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concorde

Medalist
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
Just looking at how an ice rink divides up its freestyle sessions tells you what kind and how many of skaters they likely have. My local rink's freestyle sessions in a small town is divided between those who have passed pre-preliminary and those who have not. When I look at our state capital city's website, their freestyle sessions are divided between who have passed Intermediate level and who has not. I think that shows that although our state capital divides the sessions at a higher level, its still only one division, so their club probably isn't huge either. I'm betting larger cities/rinks have several divisions in the freestyle sessions offered.
I think we need a list of clubs/rinks/regions by population of skaters and size of facilities lol.

I think alot depends on available ice. At my daugther's home rink, there are two sheets but only one is typically available for figure skaters. Only after hockey ends (March until June) are there two sheets available for figure skaters but that is only for about an hour on Friday afternoons. Over the summer there tends to be a high level stroking only class but again that is only for 1 hour, one morning a week. 99.9% of the time all figure skaters share the same ice. There is a minimum level one must pass to skate on the freestyle ice without a coach but it has been years since that was an issue so that was forgotten long ago.
 

Arwen17

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 20, 2017
I think alot depends on available ice. At my daugther's home rink, there are two sheets but only one is typically available for figure skaters. Only after hockey ends (March until June) are there two sheets available for figure skaters but that is only for about an hour on Friday afternoons. Over the summer there tends to be a high level stroking only class but again that is only for 1 hour, one morning a week. 99.9% of the time all figure skaters share the same ice. There is a minimum level one must pass to skate on the freestyle ice without a coach but it has been years since that was an issue so that was forgotten long ago.

We only have two sheets of ice too and one sheet is almost constantly taken up by hockey players. So the other sheet is shared between public skates and all freestyle sessions. There's usually 1-2 public session, 1-2 no-pass-pre-prelim freestyle, and 1-2 passed-pre-prelim session per day on that one sheet of ice since the other one belongs to hockey.

Oh and they still manage to squeeze the learn-to-skate classes and few other odds n ends in there too on that same sheet.

While I do think our figure skating club does well and earns money, hockey games are the real money earner.
 
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treesprite

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
My geographical area is really into figure skating, which may have me thinking there are a lot more people doing triples than there really are overall. Supposedly the rink where I skate/work has the largest or second largest LTS program in the USA. There are 3 ice sheets, so there are 3 to 5 freestyle sessions every day of the week. I think at least least half of the FS sessions have skaters working on triples, but I don't know exact numbers of skaters who consistently land more than one type. There are a lot of coaches here, many who were national and international level skaters, at least one of whom coached at the Olympics. I think the highest level FS skaters tend to use from among 4 specific coaches, but it sounds like that is a lot to choose from compared to a lot of other rinks. Some of the coaches teach at multiple rinks in the DC area.
 
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RoaringMice

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 1, 2003
Is it Fairfax Ice Arena that you're talking about, treesprite? That's a major training center with elite level coaches. Where there's a major training center, skaters do tend to relocate for the coaching - so you're right that the number of triples and etc. you'd see there, and perhaps at other local rinks, would not be typical.
 

concorde

Medalist
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
Grr ... why does not phone delete when I try to edit a post?

Fairfax only has one sheet. I think Treesprite is at Laurel.
 

treesprite

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
A coworker I asked about this tonight, seems to think that there isn't anyone doing multiple triple jumps consistently.
 

posha

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 12, 2010
@arwen17,

About your goal to reach 2A. The first thing, if you wanted to land a double axel is to find a professional who can teach it. And they will give you a plan as to how to reach it, and an idea of how feasible that is for you.

Landing multi-rotational jumps is not a matter of try-try succeed. It's a specific technique held by a small group of people. Even Nathan Chen and Gracie Gold, talented as they are, could not will themselves into their jumps. They have highly-classified know how to guide that talent.

Also. Have you ever heard the phrase, "that's an expensive jump"-- it's a jump worth a lot of points, but also literally $$$$$. The pros who have the knowledge charge a knowledgeable price.

First you have to find the pro. With the students already doing what you want to do. Coach needs experience, or should work directly under the coach with experience.
 

venx

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 29, 2017
So from here, this is probably about right:

Maybe .001% of the kids who start skating ever end up landing even one triple jump.
0.001% is one in a million. :eek:

Have there even been million figure skaters training the sport already?
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Define "training the sport."

If you count everyone who has ever taken learn-to-skate group lessons, then yes, especially if just the very beginning lessons count.

If draw a cutoff line somewhat higher -- e.g., three turns -- then probably but maybe not. If even higher -- e.g., passed an exclusive figure skating (not basic skating) test in countries with testing structures, or entered a competition involving jumps and spins or pattern dances -- then probably not.

Should we start counting from 1952, when the first triple was landed?
 
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jf12

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 8, 2016
Aside from triples, I also think that part of the misconception that soo many skaters are landing all their doubles, is because you show up on an average high freestyle at a mid-level rink and you see the ice filled with people doing doubles left and right - but those are the same 15 people that are coming and skating 2 sessions 5-6 days a week, so they are just ALWAYS there. It's not that so many people as a % of skaters are able to do them all, just a lot of people as a % of people you see at the rink are able to do them all. Even 'just' doubles, it takes practising almost every day to maintain the ability to do them at will.
 

lynnems

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 13, 2014
Totally anecdotal sample - group of 20 or so girls that my daughter skated with, all taking pre-pre moves at similar time when ages 7 - 10. Five years later, in prime competitive years, about half the group still skates. Two have no doubles, one has an almost-double-axel, and one has a solid double axel and is trying to get a triple (the rest have 1 or more doubles). So, seems like we will end up 1 for 20, and that's of skaters who made it into the testing structure.
 
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