Figure skating as an academic discipline

[FaustinaF]

Hello everyone!!

I've been reading a lot on The Edge and I'm still enjoying so much every time I read a new post!
And now I was thinking it would be nice to talk about.. figure skating as an academic discipline!! I'm gonna explain it: this argument would mean to talk about everything regarding figure skating from the technique, artistic, music, and choreo points of view as reported by some University or Institute, with academic articles, essays, and analysis about dance and music in figure skating, or figure skating between dance postures and gymnastics, and so on. What do you think?
I couldn't find scientific/academic articles about figure skating yet, do you know any of them? Even some published thesis about figure skating it would be nice to read!
Now I'm wondering if someone had talked previously about this argument, but I couldn't find out something regarding it... Let me know if this had been treated already!

 

[Victura]

There has been some empirical research done on figure skating judging. For example, this paper: https://www.nber.org/papers/w17732

 

[eppen]

Hello everyone!!

I've been reading a lot on The Edge and I'm still enjoying so much every time I read a new post!
And now I was thinking it would be nice to talk about.. figure skating as an academic discipline!! I'm gonna explain it: this argument would mean to talk about everything regarding figure skating from the technique, artistic, music, and choreo points of view as reported by some University or Institute, with academic articles, essays, and analysis about dance and music in figure skating, or figure skating between dance postures and gymnastics, and so on. What do you think?
I couldn't find scientific/academic articles about figure skating yet, do you know any of them? Even some published thesis about figure skating it would be nice to read!
Now I'm wondering if someone had talked previously about this argument, but I couldn't find out something regarding it... Let me know if this had been treated already!

There's plenty of FS research, but it does not necessarily come out in normal web searches!

I would advice you to check Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/) which specializes in academic research. You will find plenty of stuff there with different key words! The most common topics are probably judging, injuries and, more recently, analyses related to gender and ethnic origins and how they're handled in FS culture. There's a little bit about programs, music, and choreo.

Most of the results you will get are going to be in English, because that's the best in Google Scholar. But lots of stuff gets apparently done in Russian universities and also in China. At the mo, I'm trying to figure out how to get my hands on a German doctoral thesis on FS history from 2011...

Your search results at Google Scholar can produce the publication or thesis as a pdf to download, but often they're also behind a paywall...

The work on FS go under quite a lot of different disciplines (statistics, medicine, cultural studies and what not) and come from different parts of the world, so establishing a discipline just on the topic might not work - academia is still not very good at that kind of multidisciplinarity...

E

 

[Magill]

And of course you have Yuzuru Hanyu's research and thesis when he graduated from Waseda University...
In fact if you just search "Hanyu Thesis" with Google you should get enough info to be able to find it.

 

[skatedreamer]

At the mo, I'm trying to figure out how to get my hands on a German doctoral thesis on FS history from 2011...

And this, my friends, is what I call a REAL figure skating fan!

 

[yuumagical]

I'm kind of surprised nobody has mentioned Tatsuki Machida's academic research! It appears he went into academia with the intent of researching figure skating-related topics.

I recall seeing a program with him on Japanese TV where he discussed figure skating media and the importance of having figure skating archives. The most memorable part about it was a pie chart showing the coverage of different skating disciplines in Japanese magazines. About 70% of the coverage was devoted to men, 25% to women, and the remaining 5% was for pro skaters, ice dance, and pairs. (I think I saw this in early 2021, so things must have changed with Hanyu's retirement and the rise of Rikuryu and Kanadai.) Unfortunately, a lot of it went over my head, as my Japanese skills are not academic-level yet. It would also take more time than I have at the moment to see if that video exists on the internet. But by studying figure skating through the lens of media studies, I think Machida has found a very fascinating line of research.

 

[Mathman]

In mathematics, there is quite a bit of scholarly research on the applied matjh topic "voting and social choice." What are the mathematical strengths and weaknesses of various voting methods in deciding what is really "the will of the people" (i.e., the will of the panel of judges) when everybody has a different opinion. I used to teach a course on this subject before I retired, and figure skaring judging systems provide a wealth of examples in miniature that have application in broader theories of political science. For instance, the U.S. states of Alaska and Maine use "ranked voting" (similar to figure skating ordinals) for nationa;l elections, and many localities do, also, including Seattle and New York City.

My favorite anecdote regards the U.S. skater Sasha Cohen. After completing her skating career she enrolled at Columbia University. Sitting for a test, one of the questions regarded "flip-flops" of ordinals among Micheel Kwan, Sarah Hughes, Irina Slutskayaa, and Sasha Cohen at the 2002 Olympics. Our girl (going by her name A;lexandra) wrote on her paper: "I AM Sasha Cohen -- do I get extra credit?"

The mathematics of social choice began among a group of mathematicians in Paris during the attemps to create a new political order after the upheavals of the Franch Revolution. In the 1970s economist Kenneth Arrow won rthe Nobel Prize for contribitions to this topic (basically proving mathematically that no votimng system can possess all of the features that we unanimously agree are desireable -- as we see in figure skating with the grumbling about the IJS "Code of Points" that replaced the ordinal system in the early 2000s.).

 

[skatedreamer]

It would be fascinating to

In mathematics, there is quite a bit of scholarly research on the applied matjh topic "voting and social choice." What are the mathematical strengths and weaknesses of various voting methods in deciding what is really "the will of the people" (i.e., the will of the panel of judges) when everybody has a different opinion. I used to teach a course on this subject before I retired, and figure skaring judging systems provide a wealth of examples in miniature that have application in broader theories of political science. For instance, the U.S. states of Alaska and Maine use "ranked voting" (similar to figure skating ordinals) for nationa;l elections, and many localities do, also, including Seattle and New York City.

My favorite anecdote regards the U.S. skater Sasha Cohen. After completing her skating career she enrolled at Columbia University. Sitting for a test, one of the questions regarded "flip-flops" of ordinals among Micheel Kwan, Sarah Hughes, Irina Slutskayaa, and Sasha Cohen at the 2002 Olympics. Our girl (going by her name A;lexandra) wrote on her paper: "I AM Sasha Cohen -- do I get extra credit?"

Re: the Columbia test, it would be fascinating to see the actual question and some of the answers. Sasha's "extra credit" comment was priceless! Wonder what she got for the course...

New idea: even though I'm chronically math/science challenged, I'd love to see an analysis of the physics of jumping. It never ceases to amaze me that a person can launch themselves into the air, turn around 3-4 times, and then land on one leg, on a blade about 1/8" wide, on ice, and manage to look gorgeous while doing it. How on earth does a human body do that?!? Same for pairs twists. The said analysis would have to include a "dummies" summary for people like me, but still.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

There's tons of information, but it surely requires a lot of work to gather it all. You should ask a librarian to assist you in checking any available sports-related dissertation indexes or archives. I'm quite sure there are academic papers and dissertations on different aspects of figure skating, relating to the history; social implications; technique evolution; judging controversies; the physics involving jumps and jump-related injuries; and the testing and manufacturing of boots and blades, etc. It definitely depends upon your specific focus.

Wikipedia has tons of information to start with, regarding stats, bios, event results, etc. There are all kinds of books available, current and historical, including memoirs and biographies. You could start with James R. Hines' Figure Skating: a History (2006); and Figure Skating in the Formative Years: Singles, Pairs, and the Expanding Role of Women (2015). Hines is a musicologist and a sports historian. If interested, you could try reaching him to ask specific questions.

A major invaluable fs history resource is Ryan Stevens' Skateguard Blogspot. Ryan is a former competitive skater from Canada. His site has all kinds of information. It's a treasure trove. In addition to his own dedicated research, Ryan befriended and gleaned a lot of knowledge from Benjamin Wright, the former skating historian from the U.S. who participated in every aspect of the sport, from competing in the 1940s and 1950s, to serving as a judge, a team official, longtime historian at the USFS Museum and Hall of Fame, and a lifelong advocate for figure skating. He also served terms as President of U.S. figure skating. Wright passed away a few years ago, but he leaves behind a strong legacy. FYI-- here's an informative YouTube conversation with Ryan Stevens and P.J. Kwong, from December 2020:

Catch up with Ryan Stevens and Skateguard Blogspot #BladeThis

If you love skating like we love skating then look no further than our upcoming conversation with talented and figure skating history's expert blogger Ryan S...

www.youtube.com

Another excellent resource is Allison Manley's pioneering podcast. Look for the Manleywoman Skatecast on Spotify and Apple.

Look for historical figure skating books written by Maribel Vinson. Also, Dick Button's Push My Button, along with his earlier book on his career in figure skating. Scholarly related books about gender issues in figure skating include: Artistic Impressions: Figure Skating, Masculinity and the Limits of Sport (2011), by Mary Louise Adams; and Red Nails, Black Skates: Gender, Cash, and Pleasure, On and Off the Ice (2012), by Erica Rand.

Another interesting reference is, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: the Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters (1995), by Joan Ryan. There's a movie available on YouTube, apparently inspired by this book:

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

youtu.be

The recent biography, Alone: The Triumph and Tragedy of John Curry (2014), by Bill Jones, is excellent. Plus, Toller Cranston wrote a number of books about skating, including a memoir.

Hope this is helpful as a start. Good luck!

 

[Dr. Jenn]

Here's a good article about body-shaming in figure skating that includes links to a few academic articles/studies: https://www.besthealthmag.ca/article/figure-skating-olympics-body-image-sports/

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

It would be fascinating to


Re: the Columbia test, it would be fascinating to see the actual question and some of the answers. Sasha's "extra credit" comment was priceless! Wonder what she got for the course...

New idea: even though I'm chronically math/science challenged, I'd love to see an analysis of the physics of jumping. It never ceases to amaze me that a person can launch themselves into the air, turn around 3-4 times, and then land on one leg, on a blade about 1/8" wide, on ice, and manage to look gorgeous while doing it. How on earth does a human body do that?!? Same for pairs twists. The said analysis would have to include a "dummies" summary for people like me, but still.

There are plenty of video analyses of the physics of jumping, available on YouTube. When Nathan Chen exploded on the scene, there were YouTube videos examining his jump technique.

Plus there are articles galore examining the physics of jumping in figure skating and research on boots and blades. Here's a sampling:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/...-skaters-break-records-with-physics/?amp=true
This article was written after the 2018 Olympics, so before Ilia Malinin landed the quad axel. An academic scientist who has studied the physics involved in skating at the Olympic Center rink in Colorado, is interviewed in this article. She said it might be mathematically possible to perform a quint Salchow or a quint toe loop, but she surmised that doing a quad axel (4.5 revolutions) would likely be the physical limit. And four years later that physical limit was reached.

How Physics Keeps Figure Skaters Gracefully Aloft

Every twist, turn and jump relies on a mastery of complex physical forces

www.smithsonianmag.com

https://resnovaemv.wordpress.com/2021/03/19/physics-figure-skating-and-sports-injuries/
https://www.ithaca.edu/academics/sc...rmance/professor-talks-physics-figure-skating

"Impact forces upon landing single, double, and triple revolution jumps in figure skaters - PubMed" https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11415711/

https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/the-physics-of-figure-skating/

"Science in the Quest to Ease Figure Skating's Strains - The New York Times" https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/science/23skate.html

"Are quintuple jumps in figure skating possible? “Quints” physiology and physics, and what matters in the sport." https://slate.com/culture/2022/02/figure-skating-quintuple-jumps-quints-possible-doable-physics.html

This topic was previously discussed in a thread on GS:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/biomechanics-of-figure-skating.94018/

"Full article: The effects of new Edea and Graf figure skating boots and used Graf boots on the kinetics and kinematics of landing after simulated on-ice jumps" https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19424280.2018.1539126

"The effects of articulated figure skates on jump landing forces - PubMed" https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17293625/
The above link includes a list of related scientific articles exploring blade technology; the training of figure skaters; and the impact of boots and blades on performance, body mechanics, and athlete injuries.

Even the politically-minded site, FiveThirtyEight.com has numerous articles on figure skating. The creator of the FiveThirtyEight site and podcast did an interesting interview feature on Jason Brown recently, which I posted in U.S. men's thread. Here's a sampling of more from this resource:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/feature...re-skating-has-often-blurred-those-lines/amp/

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/russian-doping-isnt-the-only-problem-in-figure-skating/amp/

Some articles on the evolution of costumes:
https://www.insider.com/olympic-figure-skating-dress-evolution-2018-2?amp

Figure Skating Costumes Through the Years | Riedell

The sport of figure skating has been around for a long time. Throughout the years, figure skating costumes have changed […]

ice-blog.riedellskates.com

"The 40 Most Gorgeous Figure Skating Outfits in Olympic History" https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/fashion/g5099/best-figure-skating-outfits-olympics/

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-...ting-costumes-have-changed-through-the-years/

 

[skatedreamer]

There are plenty of video analyses of the physics of jumping, available on YouTube. When Nathan Chen exploded on the scene, there were YouTube videos examining his jump technique.

Plus there are articles galore examining the physics of jumping in figure skating and research on boots and blades. Here's a sampling:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/...-skaters-break-records-with-physics/?amp=true
This article was written after the 2018 Olympics, so before Ilia Malinin landed the quad axel. An academic scientist who has studied the physics involved in skating at the Olympic Center rink in Colorado, is interviewed in this article. She said it might be mathematically possible to perform a quint Salchow or a quint toe loop, but she surmised that doing a quad axel (4.5 revolutions) would likely be the physical limit. And four years later that physical limit was reached.

How Physics Keeps Figure Skaters Gracefully Aloft

Every twist, turn and jump relies on a mastery of complex physical forces

www.smithsonianmag.com

https://resnovaemv.wordpress.com/2021/03/19/physics-figure-skating-and-sports-injuries/
https://www.ithaca.edu/academics/sc...rmance/professor-talks-physics-figure-skating

"Impact forces upon landing single, double, and triple revolution jumps in figure skaters - PubMed" https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11415711/

https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/the-physics-of-figure-skating/

"Science in the Quest to Ease Figure Skating's Strains - The New York Times" https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/science/23skate.html

"Are quintuple jumps in figure skating possible? “Quints” physiology and physics, and what matters in the sport." https://slate.com/culture/2022/02/figure-skating-quintuple-jumps-quints-possible-doable-physics.html

This topic was previously discussed in a thread on GS:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/biomechanics-of-figure-skating.94018/

"Full article: The effects of new Edea and Graf figure skating boots and used Graf boots on the kinetics and kinematics of landing after simulated on-ice jumps" https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19424280.2018.1539126

"The effects of articulated figure skates on jump landing forces - PubMed" https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17293625/
The above link includes a list of related scientific articles exploring blade technology; the training of figure skaters; and the impact of boots and blades on performance, body mechanics, and athlete injuries.

Even the politically-minded site, FiveThirtyEight.com has numerous articles on figure skating. The creator of the FiveThirtyEight site and podcast did an interesting interview feature on Jason Brown recently, which I posted in U.S. men's thread. Here's a sampling of more from this resource:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/feature...re-skating-has-often-blurred-those-lines/amp/

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/russian-doping-isnt-the-only-problem-in-figure-skating/amp/

Some articles on the evolution of costumes:
https://www.insider.com/olympic-figure-skating-dress-evolution-2018-2?amp

Figure Skating Costumes Through the Years | Riedell

The sport of figure skating has been around for a long time. Throughout the years, figure skating costumes have changed […]

ice-blog.riedellskates.com

"The 40 Most Gorgeous Figure Skating Outfits in Olympic History" https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/fashion/g5099/best-figure-skating-outfits-olympics/

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-...ting-costumes-have-changed-through-the-years/

Thanks so very much; this should keep me busy for a while! I did see several articles on 538 earlier and will read them soon. Also looking forward to the pieces about costumes.

 

[FaustinaF]

There has been some empirical research done on figure skating judging. For example, this paper: https://www.nber.org/papers/w17732

This is really interesting, something I didn't quite know!! I was reading it and it opened me a larger view about that argument. Thanks for sharing this!

 

[FaustinaF]

There's plenty of FS research, but it does not necessarily come out in normal web searches!

I would advice you to check Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/) which specializes in academic research. You will find plenty of stuff there with different key words! The most common topics are probably judging, injuries and, more recently, analyses related to gender and ethnic origins and how they're handled in FS culture. There's a little bit about programs, music, and choreo.

Most of the results you will get are going to be in English, because that's the best in Google Scholar. But lots of stuff gets apparently done in Russian universities and also in China. At the mo, I'm trying to figure out how to get my hands on a German doctoral thesis on FS history from 2011...

Your search results at Google Scholar can produce the publication or thesis as a pdf to download, but often they're also behind a paywall...

The work on FS go under quite a lot of different disciplines (statistics, medicine, cultural studies and what not) and come from different parts of the world, so establishing a discipline just on the topic might not work - academia is still not very good at that kind of multidisciplinarity...

E

Woww, you've just opened me a new figure skating world with Google Scholar!! Thank you!!

 

[FaustinaF]

It would be fascinating to


Re: the Columbia test, it would be fascinating to see the actual question and some of the answers. Sasha's "extra credit" comment was priceless! Wonder what she got for the course...

New idea: even though I'm chronically math/science challenged, I'd love to see an analysis of the physics of jumping. It never ceases to amaze me that a person can launch themselves into the air, turn around 3-4 times, and then land on one leg, on a blade about 1/8" wide, on ice, and manage to look gorgeous while doing it. How on earth does a human body do that?!? Same for pairs twists. The said analysis would have to include a "dummies" summary for people like me, but still.

About the analysis of the physics of jumping, it should be reported in physics school books as problem exercices!!

 

[FaustinaF]

There's tons of information, but it surely requires a lot of work to gather it all. You should ask a librarian to assist you in checking any available sports-related dissertation indexes or archives. I'm quite sure there are academic papers and dissertations on different aspects of figure skating, relating to the history; social implications; technique evolution; judging controversies; the physics involving jumps and jump-related injuries; and the testing and manufacturing of boots and blades, etc. It definitely depends upon your specific focus.

Wikipedia has tons of information to start with, regarding stats, bios, event results, etc. There are all kinds of books available, current and historical, including memoirs and biographies. You could start with James R. Hines' Figure Skating: a History (2006); and Figure Skating in the Formative Years: Singles, Pairs, and the Expanding Role of Women (2015). Hines is a musicologist and a sports historian. If interested, you could try reaching him to ask specific questions.

A major invaluable fs history resource is Ryan Stevens' Skateguard Blogspot. Ryan is a former competitive skater from Canada. His site has all kinds of information. It's a treasure trove. In addition to his own dedicated research, Ryan befriended and gleaned a lot of knowledge from Benjamin Wright, the former skating historian from the U.S. who participated in every aspect of the sport, from competing in the 1940s and 1950s, to serving as a judge, a team official, longtime historian at the USFS Museum and Hall of Fame, and a lifelong advocate for figure skating. He also served terms as President of U.S. figure skating. Wright passed away a few years ago, but he leaves behind a strong legacy. FYI-- here's an informative YouTube conversation with Ryan Stevens and P.J. Kwong, from December 2020:

Catch up with Ryan Stevens and Skateguard Blogspot #BladeThis

If you love skating like we love skating then look no further than our upcoming conversation with talented and figure skating history's expert blogger Ryan S...

www.youtube.com

Another excellent resource is Allison Manley's pioneering podcast. Look for the Manleywoman Skatecast on Spotify and Apple.

Look for historical figure skating books written by Maribel Vinson. Also, Dick Button's Push My Button, along with his earlier book on his career in figure skating. Scholarly related books about gender issues in figure skating include: Artistic Impressions: Figure Skating, Masculinity and the Limits of Sport (2011), by Mary Louise Adams; and Red Nails, Black Skates: Gender, Cash, and Pleasure, On and Off the Ice (2012), by Erica Rand.

Another interesting reference is, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: the Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters (1995), by Joan Ryan. There's a movie available on YouTube, apparently inspired by this book:

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

youtu.be

The recent biography, Alone: The Triumph and Tragedy of John Curry (2014), by Bill Jones, is excellent. Plus, Toller Cranston wrote a number of books about skating, including a memoir.

Hope this is helpful as a start. Good luck!

Ohhh this is reeaaally useful!!! My eyes were shining as I read your post with all those informations and literature of fs!! Thanks so much, I will search those names/books!

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

About the analysis of the physics of jumping, it should be reported in physics school books as problem exercices!!

I'm sure there are physics textbooks that feature analyses on the physics of jumping in figure skating. FS is so embedded in our cultural history by this point. And in recent decades, jumping on ice, and its mechanics and impacts are most closely associated with how people view skating. As opposed to what figure skating traditionally is about (tracing figures on ice), how it developed, and how earlier audiences viewed it.

Every four years, when the Olympics rolls around, there are articles written in magazines and in sports sections of newspapers about the physics involved in jumping. Japanese broadcast coverage began the practice of slo-mo that included height and trajectory graphics of skaters' in flight. NBC began to adopt using similar graphics, on occasion.

YouTube videos re physics of jumping in figure skating:

Physics of Jumps in Figure Skating

Some physics of jumps in 3 jumps from figure skating: the Lutz, Axel, and Loop. Please answer these 4 questions:1. Did you learn anything from this video?2. ...

youtu.be

Various jumps are explained in this video, using related physics terminology. The comments on this video are also interesting.

"Why it's almost impossible to do a quint jump" from Wired -- Dinh Tran is featured in this vid, and we get to hear his speaking voice! A scientist who works with U.S. fs is also interviewed. And we get to see Tim Goebel featured too! The scientist expresses how many skaters fail a jump in the air due to improper body position that hampers speed of rotation. Technique on takeoffs matter too. Peak rotation velocity for quads is 400 rpm -- Nathan Chen is shown in clips, but not interviewed. I recall seeing this vid when it was originally posted five years ago.

Why It's Almost Impossible to Do a Quintuple Jump | WIRED

At this year's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, we may see quad corks in Big Air Snowboarding or in Freestyle Skiing -- and we'll see quad twists and quad jum...

youtu.be

"The Gravity-defying physics of Nathan Chen" -- Great video showing Nathan's jumps with accompanying graphics and captions. This video was posted soon after Nathan's breakthrough five quads in one program at 2017 U.S. Natls

The gravity-defying physics of figure skater Nathan Chen

This video has been updated in a later version to reflect the controversy surrounding the quads in Nathan Chen’s 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic routine. 17-year-ol...

youtu.be

Science of figure skating from NBC News Learn -- This is an old vid from 2014, but still interesting. Features a science Prof who declares there's no better sport than fs to explain the science of physics.

Science of the Winter Olympics: Physics of Figure Skating

Figure skaters must be aware of their center of mass, which affects the balance and stability of every step, jump, spin, and lift that the skaters perform. ...

youtu.be

"Physics of spins in figure skating"

Physics of Spins in Figure Skating

If you have not yet seen the Physics of Jumps in Figure Skating video, please do so, as it will explain things in this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

youtu.be

"Figure skating jumps - two decades apart"

Figure Skating Jumps - two decades apart

A short video of some incredible jumps done by the greatest ladies of the past and now, to see if there are difference in all those years in the world of fig...

youtu.be

Fun video showing famous ladies skaters who were/are great jumpers, though of course now questionable the doping assistance had for endurance by some Russian skaters. Plus, Tara L is not known for proper technique on her Lutz. LOL! It was 3-loop/ 3-loop combo that she was known for. Tara came from a background in roller skating, which complicated her jump technique. Surya Bonaly came from a background as a tumbling champion. Sad to see Medvedeva, whose poor technique hampered her eventually. Kostornaia learned good technique under other coaches b/f being ruined by Eteri. Kostornaia had a lovely 3-axel. I have a soft spot for Liza Tuk, but in one of her best years, she was taking meldonium for endurance, b/f it was banned. Midori & Tanya are the best . Also, Debi Thomas was a great jumper in her time, though she isn't shown in this vid. Shout out to MK -- she was so lovely, and she had proper technique -- though not the best lay back spin, she could spin in both directions, and she had the best spiral ever. Nicole Bobek probably had the spiral with highest leg position. Bobek inspired MK to perfect her spiral position.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Here's a good article about body-shaming in figure skating that includes links to a few academic articles/studies: https://www.besthealthmag.ca/article/figure-skating-olympics-body-image-sports/

Thanks for this article. It's good that these 'body-image' bias discussions are taking place. Every human and every athlete come in different shapes and sizes. Everyone has different areas of talent and expertise. It's definitely culturally-based regarding our culture's perceptions of physical beauty. This is especially true in sports culture surrounding aesthetic sports, or in any sport women participate in, due to cultural-based perceptions and biases surrounding women, their roles, and the changing notions surrounding beauty over the centuries. I learned so much recently about the origins of cultural biases around women and expectations of female roles, when I took a course on Women in Art! Eye-opening that we mostly know off the tops of our heads only a handful of women artists, when so many existed throughout human history. The famous female artists most people recall are Georgia O'Keefe, Mary Cassett (she came from a rich family, which gave some advantages), and Frida Kahlo. There are so many, many more, but it's always the men we hear about and who are forefronted historically. Do look into taking a course about women in art, or checking out art by women featured in museums. There's so much to learn that's connected in this respect to how women have been viewed in figure skating.

As James R. Hines notes in his recent book, Madge Syers deciding to compete against the men, led to men who ran the sport deciding that women should compete separately. Can't have a women beating men. LOL! Midori would have been beating many of the men in her generation. In Hines' latest book, he explores how women entering the competitive side of the sport expanded its growth and helped develop the other disciplines.

Again, it's great that body-shaming is being called out these days. Back in 1970, a judge got away with dissing a female ice dancer because she didn't have thin thighs. Judy Schwomeyer & James Sladky should have won that year over the Russians. S/S were clearly the best team! But the results were about politics and body-shaming, which was accepted back then, sadly.

Schwomeyer/ Sladky (they later married) Judy later worked on Sesame Street.

Judy Schwomeyer & James Sladky 1970 World Figure Skating Championships FD

I'm letting the skating fans of today be the judge on this one. Having placed first in the compulsories, Judy and Jim lost the free dance, and thus the champ...

youtu.be

Pakhomova/ Gorshkov -- Note that this team was good too, but S/S were simply better, no lie, especially comparing last footwork sections. And honestly, Gorshkov is the weaker technically of all four skaters, IMO! (Gorshkov passed away recently). Checking out both performances, doesn't Pakhomova have some generous, shapely thighs too, similar to Judy! Wow, discrimination and political-scoring at its most notorious.

Ludmilla Pakhomova & Alexander Gorshkov 1970 World Figure Skating Championships FD

Again - you be the judge.....Having risen up the ranks to nip on the heels of Towler & Ford in 1969, Pakhomova & Gorshkov were the heirs apparent to the Worl...

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[icewhite]

Great thread with lots of links to discover! Thanks everyone.

 

[Mathman]

Re: the Columbia test, it would be fascinating to see the actual question and some of the answers. Sasha's "extra credit" comment was priceless! Wonder what she got for the course.

The question was something like this: At the 2002 Olympics, after Kwan, Hughes and Cohen had skated the leaderboard was in that order, Kwan in fist overall ahead of Hughes and Cohen. Then Slutskaya skated, getting second in the long and second overall. Kwan dropped behind Hughes into third overall. Which of Arrow’s voting principles does this violate?

Answer: The Principle of Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives.. The point being that if Kwan was ahead of Hughes after both Kwan and Hughes had skated, then what Slutskaya did afterwards should not “flip-flop” the relative rankings between Kwan and Hughes.

This, by the way, cannot happen under the current IJS judging system: if Kwan scored more points than Hughes than Kwan will always finish ahead of Hughes no matter what any other skater did.

Sasha, and also Olympic bronze medalist Timothy Goebel, were enrolled at a special program at Columbia designed for “older” students with “life experience” – for instance, an athletic career. Both got degrees with honors (I believe that both were Magna Cum Laude), she in political science and Goebel in applied mathematics.

New idea: even though I'm chronically math/science challenged, I'd love to see an analysis of the physics of jumping. It never ceases to amaze me that a person can launch themselves into the air, turn around 3-4 times, and then land on one leg, on a blade about 1/8" wide, on ice, and manage to look gorgeous while doing it. How on earth does a human body do that?!?

I once saw a feature by a Japanese mediical research team which undertook a study of "How is it humanly possible for Shizuka Arakawa to do such a spectacular Ina Bauer?'' The conclusion was that Arakawa has aome sort od spinal abnormality -- double-jpinted lumber discs, or something.