On Edge
I can just hear your brain thinking, "What sport will she talk about this week? I'm so excited to read that I can hardly contain myself!" Because, I know that's what you all must be thinking, however many of you there are. So, to end your suspense, I will tell you that the sport of the week is...
As had become my custom, let's delve into the history of the sport. Ice skating has a history dating back thousands of years. Figure skating has developed from a practical way to get around on ice into the elegant mix of art and sport it is today. The Dutch were arguably the earliest pioneers of skating. They began using canals to maintain communication by skating from village to village as far back as the 13th century. Skating eventually spread across the channel to England, and soon the first clubs and artificial rinks began to form. Passionate skaters included several kings of England, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon III and German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Just imagine sitting on the bank of a frozen pond where the king of England has just fallen on his derriere. I have this problem about laughing when people hurt themselves. It's a fault that I'm working on, but I can only imagine how much trouble I would have gotten into laughing at a dignitary who just hurt his pride and his posterior.
Two Americans are responsible for the major developments in the history of the sport. In 1850, Edward Bushnell of Philadelphia revolutionized skating when he introduced steel-bladed skates allowing complex maneuvers and turns. Jackson Haines, pictured to the right, is considered to be the founding father of modern figure skating. In the 1860s, he established the sport not in his home country, but in Vienna, Austria, where audiences loved his carefully choreographed, ballet-influenced style. Before Haines, figure skating concentrated largely on required figures discussed in the next paragraph. Haines brought in musicians to play on the ice while he skated, while adding interesting costumes and exciting spins and pirouettes. I can only imagine how funny that event was.
The name "figure" skating arises from the compulsory portion of the competition, dropped in the 1990s, requiring skaters to trace out precise figures on the ice, including perfect figure 8 circles. Skaters would have to perform a figure 8 several times exactly the same way, with the exact same movements. I never knew about that. I am loving this time of enlightenment every week. I'm going to have a wealth of knowledge on all winter sports to impressive the masses by the time this is all over.
I think my favorite fun fact of the day is that figure skating is the oldest sport on the Olympic Winter Games program. That's a pretty big deal when people are always looking for new sports that are flashy and entertaining. Figure skating was an Olympic sport before there was an Olympic Winter Games. It was first contested at the 1908 London Games with events for pairs and singles, where indoor ice rinks could be kept cold even in hot weather. Men’s, women’s, and pairs were the three events contested until 1972. Since 1976 at Innsbruck, Austria, ice dancing has been the fourth event in the program, proving a great success.
Equipment
Now, let's cover the equipment for these impressive athletes. Specific figure skates were created in response to the rise of figure skating's popularity in the 19th century, coinciding with the beginnings of formalized competitions such as the World Figure Skating Championships. The skates consist of a boot and a blade that is attached with screws to the sole of the boot. Inexpensive sets for recreational skaters are available, but most figure skaters purchase boots and blades separately and have the blades mounted by a professional skate technician. Olympic figure skaters wear boots that are custom-made for each foot and heavily reinforced with thick, stiff leather interiors and extra ankle bracing. Figure skates are made with wide tongues, with rubber or sponge padding for flexibility. Skates should be tied tightly to afford maximum control. If you've ever been ice skating and rented boots, you know exactly why each boot has to be custom fit. Can you say, "BLISTERS!!!" Pain. lots of pain. Once you get those puppies broke in, you want them to last a long time. One thing I found interesting is that skating boots originally were street boots, and thus, heels have always been part of the look. Never really thought of that before. Different figure skaters prefer different size heel - ice dancers often wear high heels, which push their body weight forward onto the balls of their feet for deeper edges and better control of quick steps and changes of direction.
Now, on to the blade. When viewed from the side, a modern blade has a very slight curve, equal to the radius of 180-220 cm. This curvature is referred to as the rocker of the blade. The "sweet spot" of the blade is below the ball of the foot. That's what the arrow is pointing to in this picture. This spot is usually located near the stanchion of the blade, and is the part of the blade where all spins are spun on. If you need clarification on what a stanchion is, like I did, it is that vertical support that connects the blade to the boot heel. The blade is sharpened to produce a flat or concave cross section. To maintain a sharp edge, the bottom quarter inch of the blade is made from time-tempered steel. The groove down the middle of the bottom of a figure skate blade is called the hollow. Finely ground edges on either side of the hollow provide control and speed. The depth of the hollow varies depending on the skater's event, weight and style. Teeth cut into the toe of the blade are called the toe pick. They are used for pushing off in jumps and as the pivot point during spins. Toe pick designs have become quite elaborate and sometimes include teeth on the sides of the blade. One thing you always have to remember, DON'T FORGET THE TOE PICK! It'll get you every time. Again, I have that problem of laughing when people hurt themselves. I blame America's Funniest Videos for this problem. I was trained from a young age to laugh when that pinata bat goes wild or people hurt themselves doing really stupid things. Even small children are not completely exempt. I will be sure to help them up and brush them off, but a giggle or two might escape in the process.
During each performance the judges assign a grade of execution (GOE) to every element that is executed. This makes up the technical score. At the conclusion of each performance, the judges assign additional program component scores that measure the overall technical and presentation abilities of the skater or team. The individual or team with the highest totals of technical and program component scores is deemed the winner.
In addition to the panel of judges, there is also a technical panel that determines the name and the level of difficulty of each element as it is performed. I'd love to be on that team. I would come up with some great new names. They all seem so stuffy and boring, often named after the person who invented it. I'm thinking something like, "She just completed a triple hedgehog. I can't believe it!" Or maybe, "Wow! He just landed a quad qubolsky." Katy has declared that the next big jump should be a Quarkle. I like it. They are definitely going to consult us someday soon. I also have to throw in the genius name made up by Ken Thiessen. Headed into my 5th grade Biddy Basketball practice, he was warning me to be careful on the icy sidewalks. "Don't want to pull a triple butz." Still makes me laugh every time. In case you don't know any ice skating terms, one of the jumps is called a lutz. Do you get it now?
Athletes
Now that you know about all that, we can move on the skaters themselves. Figure skating covers 4 events: Men's Singles, Women's Singles, Pairs, and Ice Dance. If you don't know anything at all about figure skating terms, check out this list: Sports Terms.
Anyone who says that these men and women are not real athletes, I'd like to see them out on the ice doing these jumps and spins. I have a hard time just staying upright and skating straight. I see lots of little kids practicing when I go to work out every week at the Stars practice rink. This one little girl, who is probably somewhere around 10 years old, was out there doing single axles and spins. I was highly impressed. I don't know how she got herself off the ground with those scrawny little legs, but I applaud her skills!
Elite skaters train for hours on end to prepare for a handfull of events a years. It is not uncommon to have the on-ice training sessions lasting up to three hours a day. In singles, pairs and ice dance, the majority of the year is spent working daily on skills, jumps and technical requirements. Spring (after the World Championships) is a good time for trying and developing new skills and programs for the upcoming competitive season. Pairs and ice dance couples train the majority of their time together. April and May is typically the time for skaters to select their choreographer and music. Training will also depend on the choreographer that has been selected to create the programs.
Men's singles was quite the show this last Olympics. Evan Lysacheck was my absolute favorite! He is the 2009 World Champion and two-time Four Continents champion. Having narrowly missed the Olympic podium in Torino in 2006, Evan took the gold in Vancouver. At 6'2", Evan is not your typical figure skater, but he uses his height to his advantage highlighting his artistry and confidence. He really upgraded the men's performances overall. He really embodied the artistry and emotion of the music. He made it about the performance, not just getting through the allotted number of jumps. He definitely out shined everyone, and he won the gold without even including a quad in his program. I am not a fan of Evgeni Plushenko, and I'm so glad Evan beat him! Evgeni was outraged that he didn't win, just because he completed a quad and Evan didn't. Never mind that his performance was boring and uninspirational. Go Evan!
Now, the ladies singles competition was completely emotional this Olympics. Despite losing her mother just days before Vancouver, Joannie Rochette went on to compete and win the bronze. She was the hometown girl, and she is such an inspiration. I remember the interview they did with her dad, and Katy and I were tearing up. I can't even imagine having that many people watching you when you're going through something that big. Check out this interview "I Competed for My Mom", along with this montage of her Olympic experience. Tear jerker!
The other big story of the women's event was the world favorite coming into the Games, Kim Yuna. She is the wonder child of South Korea. She made millions of dollars in endorsements alone during her run towards Olympic gold, when she also set the world record score with her James Bond themed long program performance. She endorsed everything from phones to refrigerators. That's right. A 19 year old ice skater can influence the countries refrigerator purchases. It's so mind boggling to me how much influence one sports figure can wield. Anyhow, she's adorable, so who wouldn't listen to her advice on appliances. She is also a very driven individual. She and her coach moved to Canada to train for the Olympics, which obviously paid off. This video shows just a few of the commercials she shot throughout the year and a peak into her life as "The Queen" of South Korea.
Ice DanceIce dance is performed by a couple and is based on their rhythm, interpretation of music and precise steps. Unlike pairs skating, ice dance does not include overhead lifts and jumps. Ice dance is similar to ballroom dancing, as the skaters remain in contact throughout most of the program. Only make the ballroom dancers do it on ice. I have always thought this event was kind of lame, but when you think of it as ballroom dancing on ice, at least is sounds difficult. I've watched enough Dancing With The Stars to know how hard that is, and they're on a non-slip surface.
An ice dance competition is made up of three parts: one compulsory dance, an original dance and a free dance. Compulsory dance is the skating of prescribed patterns to music incorporating pre-determined rhythm and tempo. Original dance and free dance are created by each couple to music of their own choice. There are also required elements such as dance lifts, spins, synchronized twizzles (a multi-rotational one-foot turn) and step sequences that must be included in the composition of these programs. By the way, I love that they gave this move a good name. Doesn't get much better than twizzle.
I was very happy with the results of this event too. Ice skating was one sport where all my favorites won or medaled. The Canadian couple of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir took gold. They were the hometown favorites, and winning the gold had to be extra special. They gave beautiful performances. This video shows one of those performances and a little history on how long they've been skating together. They've come a long way baby!
Taking the silver for the US was the couple of Meryl Davis and Charlie White. They beat out teammates Belbin and Agosto, who were very strong competition. And taking the bronze was the Russian team of Dominina and Shabalin. I don't know how they did it because their aboriginal act was completely ridiculous. I mean, they should have been disqualified just for putting on that performance. It was bizarre and horribly painful to watch. Even Dad, who generally leaves the room during figure skating, made a comment about this train wreck. It was one of those things that is so horrible you can't stop watching. Here's a clip you can check out. I like the Russian woman's coat that they interview. It reminds me of an animal who's been riled and their hair stands up to make them look twice as big.
So, that's all I know now about figure skating. I found this video that was very helpful. If you want a refresher course on you've just learned, just click here. The graphics are helpful for all us visual learners in the world.
And, I just can't sign off without mentioning all those famous figure skaters I've grown up with. Peggy Flemming, Dick Button (who now provides some very comical commentary and outfit selection as an announcer), Elvis Stojko, Scott Hamilton (He will forever be a favorite of mine. Love the signature backflip! He is a great announcer now too), Todd Eldgridge (he was so old when he finally retired, they probably had to have a wheelchair nearby), Brian Boitano (first male figure skater to make the cover of Sports Illustrated), Nancy Kerigan (who can forget that whole Tonya Harding/pipe to the leg debacle), Michelle Kwan (She is my favorite! She is the most decorated US female figure skater in history. She got gyped all three of those Olympics in my humble opinion. Those sneaky, little upstarts that stuck around for one Olympics a piece and stole it right out from under her nose. She deserved to win for her perseverance. Sorry Michelle. I was really rooting for you.), Dorthy Hamill (thank goodness I don't have that haircut!), Kristi Yamaguchi (adorable! what else is there to say?), and Kurt Browning.
I was shocked to find out that I knew nothing about one of the most famous figure skaters of all time, Sonja Henie. She made her Olympic debut in Chamonix in 1924, aged just 11, and was so nervous she had to ask her coach what to do midway through her routines. However, she won gold in the next three Olympic Games and developed a huge legion of fans. She later moved into films, where she greatly increased the popularity of her sport. I can't believe I was ignorant of such a great skater and movie star. Well, now I know. So, that wraps up this weeks insight into the world of figure skating.
I'm very impressed that you made it down to the bottom of yet another post, and now you can finally hear about me. I had quite the week at Zoom. It was much better than last week, which involved lots of pain and pointing out the trash cans, if you'll remember. It was a fairly easy workout, and I got done in record time. Since the sprinting wasn't as bad, Vince had me doing several circuits after I finished all my leg exercises. One of these involved me doing squat throws. I had a 10 lb med ball that I had to throw 2-handed as far up the wall as possible. So, picture doing a squat and then jumping and throwing a ball as high up a wall as possible. I didn't have much of a problem with the throwing part. It was the catching that got kind of tricky. I was supposed to do 20 of these continuously, but some of my throws were a little crazy. On one such occasion, I didn't quite stop the ball before it got to my head. It hit me right on the top of the forehead, and my head kind of jerked back. I quick looked around, but nobody else saw it. Thank goodness! A few days later I had forgotten all about the incident, but my forehead was really tender. I couldn't figure out what was going on, until it hit me in the shower. (No pun intended) I started laughing out loud, and Katy heard me. I had to explain myself later on in the evening, which made for a funny conversation. Moral of the story here is, "Always protect your noggin. Bail out of the way if necessary, and always try to stop heavy objects hurtling towards your face."
Figure Skating
(The picture for this week is of Katy, and as I have not asked permission to use her pictures yet, you'll just have to imagine how funny it was trying to catch her in a ice skating pose. FYI: She didn't even attempt this move. We might have had to rush to the emergency room if she ever made it into this pose.)
(The picture for this week is of Katy, and as I have not asked permission to use her pictures yet, you'll just have to imagine how funny it was trying to catch her in a ice skating pose. FYI: She didn't even attempt this move. We might have had to rush to the emergency room if she ever made it into this pose.)
As had become my custom, let's delve into the history of the sport. Ice skating has a history dating back thousands of years. Figure skating has developed from a practical way to get around on ice into the elegant mix of art and sport it is today. The Dutch were arguably the earliest pioneers of skating. They began using canals to maintain communication by skating from village to village as far back as the 13th century. Skating eventually spread across the channel to England, and soon the first clubs and artificial rinks began to form. Passionate skaters included several kings of England, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon III and German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Just imagine sitting on the bank of a frozen pond where the king of England has just fallen on his derriere. I have this problem about laughing when people hurt themselves. It's a fault that I'm working on, but I can only imagine how much trouble I would have gotten into laughing at a dignitary who just hurt his pride and his posterior.
The name "figure" skating arises from the compulsory portion of the competition, dropped in the 1990s, requiring skaters to trace out precise figures on the ice, including perfect figure 8 circles. Skaters would have to perform a figure 8 several times exactly the same way, with the exact same movements. I never knew about that. I am loving this time of enlightenment every week. I'm going to have a wealth of knowledge on all winter sports to impressive the masses by the time this is all over.
I think my favorite fun fact of the day is that figure skating is the oldest sport on the Olympic Winter Games program. That's a pretty big deal when people are always looking for new sports that are flashy and entertaining. Figure skating was an Olympic sport before there was an Olympic Winter Games. It was first contested at the 1908 London Games with events for pairs and singles, where indoor ice rinks could be kept cold even in hot weather. Men’s, women’s, and pairs were the three events contested until 1972. Since 1976 at Innsbruck, Austria, ice dancing has been the fourth event in the program, proving a great success.
Equipment
Now, let's cover the equipment for these impressive athletes. Specific figure skates were created in response to the rise of figure skating's popularity in the 19th century, coinciding with the beginnings of formalized competitions such as the World Figure Skating Championships. The skates consist of a boot and a blade that is attached with screws to the sole of the boot. Inexpensive sets for recreational skaters are available, but most figure skaters purchase boots and blades separately and have the blades mounted by a professional skate technician. Olympic figure skaters wear boots that are custom-made for each foot and heavily reinforced with thick, stiff leather interiors and extra ankle bracing. Figure skates are made with wide tongues, with rubber or sponge padding for flexibility. Skates should be tied tightly to afford maximum control. If you've ever been ice skating and rented boots, you know exactly why each boot has to be custom fit. Can you say, "BLISTERS!!!" Pain. lots of pain. Once you get those puppies broke in, you want them to last a long time. One thing I found interesting is that skating boots originally were street boots, and thus, heels have always been part of the look. Never really thought of that before. Different figure skaters prefer different size heel - ice dancers often wear high heels, which push their body weight forward onto the balls of their feet for deeper edges and better control of quick steps and changes of direction.Now, on to the blade. When viewed from the side, a modern blade has a very slight curve, equal to the radius of 180-220 cm. This curvature is referred to as the rocker of the blade. The "sweet spot" of the blade is below the ball of the foot. That's what the arrow is pointing to in this picture. This spot is usually located near the stanchion of the blade, and is the part of the blade where all spins are spun on. If you need clarification on what a stanchion is, like I did, it is that vertical support that connects the blade to the boot heel. The blade is sharpened to produce a flat or concave cross section. To maintain a sharp edge, the bottom quarter inch of the blade is made from time-tempered steel. The groove down the middle of the bottom of a figure skate blade is called the hollow. Finely ground edges on either side of the hollow provide control and speed. The depth of the hollow varies depending on the skater's event, weight and style. Teeth cut into the toe of the blade are called the toe pick. They are used for pushing off in jumps and as the pivot point during spins. Toe pick designs have become quite elaborate and sometimes include teeth on the sides of the blade. One thing you always have to remember, DON'T FORGET THE TOE PICK! It'll get you every time. Again, I have that problem of laughing when people hurt themselves. I blame America's Funniest Videos for this problem. I was trained from a young age to laugh when that pinata bat goes wild or people hurt themselves doing really stupid things. Even small children are not completely exempt. I will be sure to help them up and brush them off, but a giggle or two might escape in the process.
Judges
At the Olympic Games, each of figure skating’s four disciplines are adjudicated (big new word to add to your vocabulary) by a separate panel of 9 International Skating Union (ISU) championship judges using a computer scoring system to measure the quality of each performance. Before each event, there is a secret and random draw to determine which judges’ scores will form the result of the segment. Only seven of the 9 scores are used. A new draw is done for each segment. During each performance the judges assign a grade of execution (GOE) to every element that is executed. This makes up the technical score. At the conclusion of each performance, the judges assign additional program component scores that measure the overall technical and presentation abilities of the skater or team. The individual or team with the highest totals of technical and program component scores is deemed the winner.
In addition to the panel of judges, there is also a technical panel that determines the name and the level of difficulty of each element as it is performed. I'd love to be on that team. I would come up with some great new names. They all seem so stuffy and boring, often named after the person who invented it. I'm thinking something like, "She just completed a triple hedgehog. I can't believe it!" Or maybe, "Wow! He just landed a quad qubolsky." Katy has declared that the next big jump should be a Quarkle. I like it. They are definitely going to consult us someday soon. I also have to throw in the genius name made up by Ken Thiessen. Headed into my 5th grade Biddy Basketball practice, he was warning me to be careful on the icy sidewalks. "Don't want to pull a triple butz." Still makes me laugh every time. In case you don't know any ice skating terms, one of the jumps is called a lutz. Do you get it now?
Athletes
Now that you know about all that, we can move on the skaters themselves. Figure skating covers 4 events: Men's Singles, Women's Singles, Pairs, and Ice Dance. If you don't know anything at all about figure skating terms, check out this list: Sports Terms.
Anyone who says that these men and women are not real athletes, I'd like to see them out on the ice doing these jumps and spins. I have a hard time just staying upright and skating straight. I see lots of little kids practicing when I go to work out every week at the Stars practice rink. This one little girl, who is probably somewhere around 10 years old, was out there doing single axles and spins. I was highly impressed. I don't know how she got herself off the ground with those scrawny little legs, but I applaud her skills!
Elite skaters train for hours on end to prepare for a handfull of events a years. It is not uncommon to have the on-ice training sessions lasting up to three hours a day. In singles, pairs and ice dance, the majority of the year is spent working daily on skills, jumps and technical requirements. Spring (after the World Championships) is a good time for trying and developing new skills and programs for the upcoming competitive season. Pairs and ice dance couples train the majority of their time together. April and May is typically the time for skaters to select their choreographer and music. Training will also depend on the choreographer that has been selected to create the programs.
Singles
In singles skating, skaters must complete both a short program (maximum 2 minutes 50 seconds) of required steps, jumps, spins and combinations, and a longer free skating program (4 minutes for ladies, 4 minutes 30 seconds for men), both set to music. The free skate — worth two-thirds of a skater’s final score — allows the athletes to demonstrate their creativity, innovative moves and technical difficulty.Now, the ladies singles competition was completely emotional this Olympics. Despite losing her mother just days before Vancouver, Joannie Rochette went on to compete and win the bronze. She was the hometown girl, and she is such an inspiration. I remember the interview they did with her dad, and Katy and I were tearing up. I can't even imagine having that many people watching you when you're going through something that big. Check out this interview "I Competed for My Mom", along with this montage of her Olympic experience. Tear jerker!
The other big story of the women's event was the world favorite coming into the Games, Kim Yuna. She is the wonder child of South Korea. She made millions of dollars in endorsements alone during her run towards Olympic gold, when she also set the world record score with her James Bond themed long program performance. She endorsed everything from phones to refrigerators. That's right. A 19 year old ice skater can influence the countries refrigerator purchases. It's so mind boggling to me how much influence one sports figure can wield. Anyhow, she's adorable, so who wouldn't listen to her advice on appliances. She is also a very driven individual. She and her coach moved to Canada to train for the Olympics, which obviously paid off. This video shows just a few of the commercials she shot throughout the year and a peak into her life as "The Queen" of South Korea.
Pairs
The pairs event follows the same format as the singles, with a compulsory short program and a free skate (4 minutes 30 seconds). In this event, however, one male and one female skater work in unison, incorporating lifts, throws and synchronized jumps, spins and spirals linked harmoniously by steps and other movements. I'm always a little petrified that one of the skaters will cut the other with those razor blades attached to their feet. There have been some pretty horrific accidents over the years, both with athletes being cut or not landing properly when they are thrown in the air. Scary stuff, but very impressive if they can pull it off without injury. My favorites for the competition were Shen and Zhao of China. They are just so cute! They've won 2 bronze medals in the past 2 Olympics, so they definitely deserved to win for their perseverance. They came out of a 2 year retirement to pursue their dream for Olympic gold. They are married and had to live in a dormitory for athletes of the China delegation for the past 2 years just to compete. That's what I call some serious dedication!Now, they can finally retire since they went home with the hardware. They won China's first pairs gold, and they also broke the Russian gold streak. A Russian team had won gold for the past 12 Olympics straight. That has to be one of the most impressive records in all Olympic sports.
Ice Dance
| Virtue & Moir |
I was very happy with the results of this event too. Ice skating was one sport where all my favorites won or medaled. The Canadian couple of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir took gold. They were the hometown favorites, and winning the gold had to be extra special. They gave beautiful performances. This video shows one of those performances and a little history on how long they've been skating together. They've come a long way baby!
| Davis & White |
So, that's all I know now about figure skating. I found this video that was very helpful. If you want a refresher course on you've just learned, just click here. The graphics are helpful for all us visual learners in the world.
| Michelle Kwan |
I'm very impressed that you made it down to the bottom of yet another post, and now you can finally hear about me. I had quite the week at Zoom. It was much better than last week, which involved lots of pain and pointing out the trash cans, if you'll remember. It was a fairly easy workout, and I got done in record time. Since the sprinting wasn't as bad, Vince had me doing several circuits after I finished all my leg exercises. One of these involved me doing squat throws. I had a 10 lb med ball that I had to throw 2-handed as far up the wall as possible. So, picture doing a squat and then jumping and throwing a ball as high up a wall as possible. I didn't have much of a problem with the throwing part. It was the catching that got kind of tricky. I was supposed to do 20 of these continuously, but some of my throws were a little crazy. On one such occasion, I didn't quite stop the ball before it got to my head. It hit me right on the top of the forehead, and my head kind of jerked back. I quick looked around, but nobody else saw it. Thank goodness! A few days later I had forgotten all about the incident, but my forehead was really tender. I couldn't figure out what was going on, until it hit me in the shower. (No pun intended) I started laughing out loud, and Katy heard me. I had to explain myself later on in the evening, which made for a funny conversation. Moral of the story here is, "Always protect your noggin. Bail out of the way if necessary, and always try to stop heavy objects hurtling towards your face."