Curious case of Layback and the order of Polina Edmunds

[Warwick360]

Since it’s a slow period in figure skating, I thought what better time to raise this subject.

I like listening to Polina’s podcast. Although she can be a bit repetitive sometimes, I do find her views and analysis quite perceptive. And during her competitive days, I did like her too. Though slow and sometimes quite limited technically once her under-rotations started kicking in after the Sochi season, her twizzles and her upright spin were something I always found entertaining.

But as much as I like her and do find her podcast a great addition in the figure skating world, I do roll my eyes greatly when she goes into the subject of catch-foot/haircutter position on the layback position whenever she discusses any skater. Especially so since many contemporary skaters of hers, especially those who were much higher than her in position, used to go for the straight back haircutter position; Medvedeva, Kostner, Pogorilaya and Osmonds to name a few.

I wondered what people here in the forum feel about it. Is Polina being too much of pernickety prig, or is there something to skating purism that one must insist on here?

Also, to those who’ve been following skating decades before me, can someone mention if the upright haircutter existed prior to the 80s, or has it been more of a trend of post 2000’s?

https://64.media.tumblr.com/077527209223175c364805835da7821b/1203b3457e2240b0-63/s1280x1920/ccd81dfa3d00c5dd7280cd88d0650dca2cc61c04.jpg

 

[gsk8]

Slow period? We got JGP and challenger events a ton of domestic summer events happening

I prefer the position when the grabbed leg is aligned to the spinning leg. When the back is more arched instead of "pulling the leg up" more into a Biellmann position. I only like the Beillmann when it's done in a perfect split. Otherwise, it appears awkward and/or painful and detracts from the spin overall.

IMHO

 

[Diana Delafield]

Since it’s a slow period in figure skating, I thought what better time to raise this subject.

I like listening to Polina’s podcast. Although she can be a bit repetitive sometimes, I do find her views and analysis quite perceptive. And during her competitive days, I did like her too. Though slow and sometimes quite limited technically once her under-rotations started kicking in after the Sochi season, her twizzles and her upright spin were something I always found entertaining.

But as much as I like her and do find her podcast a great addition in the figure skating world, I do roll my eyes greatly when she goes into the subject of catch-foot/haircutter position on the layback position whenever she discusses any skater. Especially so since many contemporary skaters of hers, especially those who were much higher than her in position, used to go for the straight back haircutter position; Medvedeva, Kostner, Pogorilaya and Osmonds to name a few.

I wondered what people here in the forum feel about it. Is Polina being too much of pernickety prig, or is there something to skating purism that one must insist on here?

Also, to those who’ve been following skating decades before me, can someone mention if the upright haircutter existed prior to the 80s, or has it been more of a trend of post 2000’s?

https://64.media.tumblr.com/077527209223175c364805835da7821b/1203b3457e2240b0-63/s1280x1920/ccd81dfa3d00c5dd7280cd88d0650dca2cc61c04.jpg

Maybe I need to see two other illustrations, since I don't like either one of the pictures shown. I'm not familiar with the skaters named, but the one on the left looks as if she's spiked herself in the top of her head and is trying to pull the blade out, and the one on the right looks as if she's checking her blade for a possible nick that's making her skid.

And skaters, at least in women's singles, were commonly doing both layback and upright Bielmanns in the 1970s at least and some women before that in the 1960s. Tamara Moskvina was probably the inventor, and was doing them when she was still a singles skater as early as 1960 (thank you, Google). I was doing them quite young (not sure in which position, since I can't remember clearly and we didn't get every moment on the ice filmed like today). I gave them up when I got into pairs in my mid-teens, since Bielmann spins weren't done by men in those days and there wasn't any way to work it into pairs choreography.

 

[gsk8]

This entire spin is gorgeous.

 

[elbkup]

This entire spin is gorgeous.