Going for a World Record

Global News

The story of this 11-year-old's attempt to break the record for the fastest spin on ice is pretty rad. Her name is Olivia Oliver, and she's trying to beat 308 revolutions per minute. She's using the effort to raise money for a Polish foundation that grants wishes to terminally ill children.

She talks a little bit about her strategy on Global News:

I have to find the right spot on my blade to spin,” she said. “Once I find that spot, I know it and I squeeze. I pull myself all together as fast as I can and that makes me go much faster.

She's spot-on here—the key to a good spin is finding that sweet spot on the blade, about 3-4 inches below the toepick. If you hit it, especially on a camel spin, you know you're golden for at least 6 revolutions.

I literally have no clue how fast I can spin. Probably not remotely close to the record. I should try to figure it out for fun. But Olivia is super close to shattering the record right now, clocking in at 300 rpm, according to the news reports. The current record is held by a Russian skater, Natalia Kanounnikova, who set it in 2006 at Rockefeller Center.