ideal skating body?

[bethissoawesome]

i was wondering what most people would consider the ideal skating body to be? what height, weight/size (according to height, i suppose). simple question, i suppose. i just started skating (i posted before) and my sister keeps saying "you're too tall" etc. because top skaters seem to be so small. as for me... i'm 5'4", 105 lbs. what do you all think?

 

[backspin]

I'm 6' tall (& yes, a girl) !

You might be a little tall for pairs, but other than that, you're actually a pretty good height for singles. Nancy Kerrigan is 5'4", IIRC. You'd actually be short for a dancer.

 

[CDMM1991]

I'm five four as well, and we're NOT too tall! Haha Nancy Kerrigan, Jennifer Robinson, and Carolina Kostner, just for examples, are at least five four. The ideal size is to be small and thin, but very muscled.

 

[Mrs Redboots]

The thing with skating, especially as an adult, is that there is no "right" body type - we all do as well as we can with what we have.

Okay, so I'm speaking from experience when I say that if you're badly overweight, as I was, you don't skate as well as you do when you lose it But you can still skate, you can still win classes (I did!), you can still have enormous fun on the ice.

For us adults, it's about having fun, about challenging yourself, about pushing your limits..... and, of course, you make friends - I have friends all over the world because of skating!

 

[julietvalcouer]

Like Mrs. Redboots says, for adult it really doesn't matter much. It also depends on discipline--you're fine for singles, especially as you're, by BMI, a bit underweight, in fact. (I'm just barely scraping 5'5" and am in the middle of 'normal' BMI at 134lbs, most of which is muscle. I'd kill to be 105.) You're actually light enough easily for pairs, especially adult where the emphasis isn't on the (dangerous, I think) multi-position overhead lifts. The only trick would be finding a partner tall enough, and at 5'4" it's not like you're a giant. For dance you'd be fine, too. My coach actually approached me because she thought I had a good height and bulid for dance (long legs in proportion to my torso and not so short I can't match a taller man's extensions, which, unless you're Jayne Torvill, can end up hurting a pair--she could STRETCH!) Were you the skater who said you had ballet experience when you posted? If so you sound like you'd have a good build for dance and built-in good extensions already!

 

[skatergirlaj]

I am 5'2" and at my normal weight about 115-120 lbs....I've had coaches say i should try ice dance as well.Which i haven't even tried due to the fact that there are no male ice dancers in this area.
Secondly about your question about the ideal skating body type...I myself, disagree with what the majority of skatedom consider to be good or bad when it comes to a body type.Most judges etc...like a girl to be rail thin,flat chested,no hips, someone who barely eats at all....to be "beautiful" and to be the ideal skater.I personally think that this perception is what leads the majority of injuries...especially when you have pre-teens...dieting to stay "thin" when their bodies are still building bones and changing, i personally think it is better for a skater,emotionally and physically to be physically strong and healthy... not neccessarily...thin. If thin is their normal body then...fine just as long as they are healthy.But it sickens me to see thin girls..dieting like they have 50 lbs to loose. I'd rather see someone eat a healthy meal and be strong and not starving themselves to death. For me...120lbs is a healthy weight for me.Not a size 0 but i am healthy and strong.

 

[passion]

My coach told me there are generally two body types that work in skating. One is the mesomorph. This person is very muscular. They tend to be shorter. The advantage of this bodytype is that they learn jumps and spins very fast and they rotate very fast. eg. Michelle Kwan, Tara Lipinski, Mira Leung.

The other body type that works in skating is the ectomorph. This person has long lean limbs. This person takes longer time to learn the jumps and spins because of the higher centre of gravity, but once they've mastered the element, it looks the best on them because they have beautiful long line. eg. Alissa Csizny, Cynthia Phaneuf.

I want to add that I don't think it is necessary for child and adolescent skaters to go on a diet. The amount of practice you do each day is enough to burn enough calories. I would be asking, are you eating enough and nutritiously to support your active lifestyle?

One more word on body type: I think careful choreography and choice of music will take into account the body type. ie. choose something and design a program that suits or highlights the body type you have.

And one final point for those with endomorph body types (mostly fat makeup). These people can be very strong and fit. Do not underestimate what they can do! I have seen a few of them with above average power stroking on the ice!

 

[skatergirlaj]

I guess I am a mesomorph.Short and muscular,our Dad always compared our body types to horses*why i do not know* he said i was an Arabian,small and compact but very fast. My brother was a pinto and my sister a clydesdale.
About pre-teens dieting,i say that after seeing a girl at my rink*not saying names or what rink to not hurt feelings* looking like a holocaust survivor,haven't seen her since and that was like 2 yrs ago,or the ones that drink red bull 24/7 for energy...or you have on the other hand,the ones who eat junk,like endless Mcdonald's breakfast biscuits and soda etc...etc..Neither is healthy.I wish someone would teach a class on proper nutrition or somethin. I tried to get one of the red bull guzzlers to switch to green tea or water,didn't work.

 

[julietvalcouer]

I'm about to start a new job as an assistant cook at a skating club--maybe someday I'll write a book on how to eat healthily without turning into a rabbit. ITA it's kind of scary to see how some of the teen girl skaters at my regular rink eat! I don't think I've had any McDonalds' food in...I don't remember how long. (Give me Subway any day, anyway.) I think my stomach would shut down if I ake those breakfast sandwiches on a regular basis, and I swear some people live off them. Though at least everyone seems to get that water = important.

 

[nicole_l]

Ideally you'd want to look like Irina Slutskaya or Michelle Kwan, like 5'3'' and 105 pounds. But you can definitely be successful at any size or shape, as long as you've got the strength to complete the moves.

 

[anything_for_skating]

I think that Susanna Poykio has ideal skating body. Jennifer Kirk's body is ok for an "ideal"
I am not their fan, I am just trying to be honest and tell the true

 

[passion]

I do feel against the thinking, "you should look like such and such". If I were a very good skater and had an early start in life, my attitude would be, "I'll show you what I can do with the body that I've got!"..."AND nobody has the same body as me!".

 

[FauveNik]

perfect skating body is a well toned and very well centre of gravitie(proportioned) body, take a Kristi Y. I think to do Most disaplines height of 5'2-5'4 weight 100-110pounds
Fauve

 

[Zanzibar]

If you're a man, the ideal skating body - even though he can look a little
squat at times - is Alexei Yagudin's. He's built like a 3-legged stool - which means no tipping over even on badly-landed jumps. And no tipping over is a good thing - for sleeping cows, and figure skaters.

 

[soccer6]

On NBC, Mary Carillo did a little interview with Jamie Sale wherein Jamie said the girls in pairs skating tend to be shorter than the girls in ice dancing, with the ice dancers being closer in height to their male partners.