Figures are essentially patterns you make with your skate on the ice. Loops, brackets, 3-turns, serpentines and counters to name a few of the technical maneuvers. If you're familiar with Moves in the Field, these terms should ring a bell. Figures used to be the core of the sport, but were axed from competition in the early 90s.
Watching them is like watching grass grow. But if you're really good at them, you have a talent on par with all the world's best jumpers and spinners. Figures are low-impact, but precision and perfection are demanded. And the pressure is turned way up when you compete, as the judges are right there on the ice next to you, analyzing every move you make, and every edge you take. (Cue The Police song)
I was briefly exposed to them as a kid, but I hated them with the fire of a thousand suns, and dropped them like a hot potato as soon as I was allowed. They didn't come naturally to me like freestyle skating did. My circles on the ice looked more like Mickey Mouse pancakes or the Blob than anything resembling a passable figure. I wish I'd tried harder at them, as I think the skill involved greatly improves freeskating technique.
Anyway, the competition in Lake Placid promises to offer "black ice," which makes seeing and tracing figures on the ice a lot easier. ORDA got rid of the Lussi Rink, a rink famously dedicated to figures with dark ice, so I wonder how they're going to offer it?
Watching them is like watching grass grow. But if you're really good at them, you have a talent on par with all the world's best jumpers and spinners. Figures are low-impact, but precision and perfection are demanded. And the pressure is turned way up when you compete, as the judges are right there on the ice next to you, analyzing every move you make, and every edge you take. (Cue The Police song)
I was briefly exposed to them as a kid, but I hated them with the fire of a thousand suns, and dropped them like a hot potato as soon as I was allowed. They didn't come naturally to me like freestyle skating did. My circles on the ice looked more like Mickey Mouse pancakes or the Blob than anything resembling a passable figure. I wish I'd tried harder at them, as I think the skill involved greatly improves freeskating technique.
Anyway, the competition in Lake Placid promises to offer "black ice," which makes seeing and tracing figures on the ice a lot easier. ORDA got rid of the Lussi Rink, a rink famously dedicated to figures with dark ice, so I wonder how they're going to offer it?
No comments:
Post a Comment