Boot and Blade

During the Olympics I got the chance to chat with some local and international media about the figure skating events, the outcomes and the sport’s appeal.

I made some predictions about the Ladies event on the Global TV’s morning show and chatted with Lisa Christiansen on CBC 3’s “Appetite for Distraction” about my favourite Olympic moment and what makes figure skating both wild and wonderful. And, I gave my two cents about figure skating fashion faux pas on ABCnews.com.

I had a great time sharing my thoughts and passion for the sport and, hopefully, made figure skating a little more accessible for the newest skating fans.

March 8th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Last week I spoke with ABC News for their story about Olympic figure skating costuming, Vancouver Olympics: In Figure Skating, Women Go Classy, Men Stay Flashy. The article asks this question: Why are men donning outrageous costumes while the women are toning it down with sophisticated dresses? It was fun to weigh-in on the discussion along with figure skating costume designers. Here’s what I had to say:

Some lifelong fans, like Julie Szabo, a figure skating blogger, think that whatever the reason, some of the men’s costumes are getting too creative.

“I think it takes away from the skating when the skater comes out with crazy costumes,” Szabo said. “So much time and effort is spent designing the perfect programs but sometimes the same consciousness is not put into the costumes.”

Blogger Szabo described the women figure skaters as trending towards glamour: “I think we are going to see the women continuing to be a little bit more sophisticated, in part because their programs are becoming more sophisticated and the costuming is a response to that.”

In case you were wondering, here’s my choice for the worst-dressed man in the competition:

Czech Republic's Thomas Verner skates to "Zorba the Greek".

You can read the complete article here.

February 27th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (2)

Seven-time Canadian Champion Elvis Stojko has been speaking out about a lack of masculinity in the men’s figure skating event. As a life-long figure skating fan, I too have seen a rise in effeminate costumes and choreography. When Dick Button, Brian Boitano and Kurt Browning were skating, men didn’t do ladylike layback spins or make a show of their flexibility.

But, is men’s skating really in dire straits, as Stojko suggests?

I don’t think so. For starters, the media presents a skewed version of male figure skaters. Johnny Weir dominated the news thanks to his outrageous costumes and overtly feminine skating style.

But he’s an outlier. He’s not representative of all male skaters. In reality, there are many competitors whose costumes and choreography don’t make the crowd giggle: Jeremy Abbott, Patrick Chan, Vaughn Chipeur, Brian Joubert to name a few.

Secondly, figure skating is not simply a jumping competition. It is jumping plus artistry, plus footwork, spins and style. If power and strength was the only factor then why bother with routines at all? Why not just stage a jump-off? It’s the artistic aspect of figure skating that makes it unique and, as such, invites a wide range of presentation styles, some which may not appeal to the majority of viewers.

I admit that I sometimes pine for the days when all men competed in tuxedo-style costumes, but I don’t think figure skating needs to be transformed into a pure power sport to keep its audience.

In a recent Salon.com article, a journalist asked Stojko if figure skating would appeal to a NASCAR fan if the men were more masculine. Why should it? I’m a figure skating fan who’s never watched a NASCAR race. Does that discredit NASCAR? Certainly not. Just because NASCAR fans aren’t sitting on the edge of their seats hoping Johnny Weir lands his triple axel doesn’t mean that figure skating needs an overhaul.

Today, the judges are rewarding the all-around athlete/artist whose combined abilities add up to a truly great performance. And, if the athlete that delivers the most well rounded performance happens to wear a wreath of roses on his head while waiting for his marks, and blow kisses to the crowd, then so be it.

February 27th, 2010 | Tags: elvis Stojko, Johnny Weir, men's figure skating | Category: Skating Thoughts | Comments (1)

Watching Joannie Rochette battle through the short program last night was inspirational and, of course, heartbreaking. Her courage is astounding.

Many fans have expressed their support for Joannie with messages and texts. In this statement, she says that she appreciates all the support:

We both want to thank all the people here and across Canada for their support. We have received so many emails and texts, and we wanted people to know that we read everything that you are sending. We also want everyone to know that these messages are helping us to get through this. We are going to do it with Thérèse (Joannie’s mom). Even though we aren’t able to respond to everyone, please keep them coming for both of us.

You can send Joannie your support as she prepares for the long program. Here’s how:

• Post a message on Joannie’s website
• Leave a message on her Facebook fan page
• Comment on Joannie’s Olympic profile page (sign-in required)

February 24th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I feel so lucky! I was one of 11,000 skating fans at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver to witness Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir dance their way to Olympic gold. It was an evening of perfection led by the Canadian duo whose complex, powerful and emotionally profound free dance left the audience in an awestruck, romantic haze. Virtue and Moir are the first Canadians to win Olympic gold. Even more astounding, they are only one of three non-Russian dance teams to claim gold since Ice Dance became an Olympic sport.

Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White took the silver medal with an athletic, crowd-pleasing program. With risky lifts and high-quality dance elements Davis and White were even able to breath some life into the ever-popular though woefully overused music from Phantom of the Opera.

This article captures the feeling in the arena tonight and does well to point out that the theatrical Russians laid down a solid and entertaining program, but were light on skating skills, speed and power.

Celebrating Virtue and Moir’s win in Vancouver tonight was a truly magical moment for this lifelong figure skating fan!

February 23rd, 2010 | Tags: Charlie White, Meryl Davis, olympics, Scott Moir, Tessa Virtue | Category: Ice Dance, olympics | Leave a comment

Choreography is the new quad.

Patrick Chan and Joannie Rochette’s routines are evidence of just how critical good choreography is in making a skater competitive on the world stage. In Chan’s case, his intricate, dramatic footwork sequences and artistic embellishments almost make up for a shaky triple axel and no quad. It’s choreography, I believe, that put Evan Lysacek ahead of Evgeni Plushenko in the Olympic free skate.

Canadian Lori Nichol is the reigning Choreography Queen. In a sport where artistry is a close second to triple jumps, Nichol has a fascinating job. And she’s darn good at it. Last week, the Associated Press published a story about Nichol and her work with Lysacek. If you’ve ever wondered how a world-class figure skating program is woven together, you’ll enjoy this article.

Here’s an excerpt:

“I’m trying to do layer upon layer,” Nichol said of choreographing a program. “I’m trying to appeal to those that I know have spent the hours and time and really understand the incredible difficulty of some of the things we’re doing on the ice.
“And then I try to do (a program) so that anyone can enjoy it. I think of what my mom’s watching and think of what my neighbor’s watching and how do I make this program enjoyable for them? And how do I make it so it’s something the judges will be able to understand and respect?

February 21st, 2010 | Tags: choreography, Evan Lysacek, Lori Nichol | Category: olympics | Comments (1)

On Monday I attended an Olympic figure skating practice at Pacific Coliseum. The men prepared for the short program event and the pairs got in their last practice before the free skate. When you’re at ice level, the athletes’ speed and power is spectacular!

Here are some photos from the event:

Patrick Chan practices for the short program.

Patrick Chan's death drop.

An easy triple for Jeremy Abbott.

A soaring triple split twist from the French team.

Final words of wisdom.

February 17th, 2010 | Tags: Jeremy Abbott, Olympic practice, Patrick Chan, Vanessa James, Yannick Bonheur | Category: Events, Jumps, Pairs, Skaters, olympics | Leave a comment

A reader asked me for some information on recent advancements in figure skate construction. Here are a few points of interest that might be helpful for his granddaughter’s fourth grade report on Figure Skating.

The oldest pair of skates apparently date back to 3000 BC, found at the bottom of a lake in Switzerland. The blades were made from animal bones and strapped on to the skater’s feet/shoes with leather straps.

We’ve come a long way since then!

In the mid-1800’s figure skates began to take the same shape we see today, with boots and blades attached as opposed to strapping blades on to boots or shoes. About the same time, the first artificial rink was built in London and figure skating was becoming popular as both a recreational activity and as a sport.

In the 1920’s and 30’s women began wearing white figure skates, thanks to the fashion-forward Sonja Henie. She was also the first to shorten her skating skirt so that she could execute difficult jumps and spins.

While the figure skate has changed slightly from decade to decade–mostly by increasing the firmness of the leather around the ankles–there wasn’t a lot of  boot and blade innovation between 1914 and 2004.

But in 2004, researchers at the University of Delaware designed a hinged figure skating boot meant to reduce injury. It cushions the jump landing and allows the skater to land jumps with their heel higher in the air, which apparently reduces stress on skaters’ knees, hips and spine.

Photo Credit: Kathy Atkinson, University of Delaware

In the 2005/2006 season, American skater Alissa Czisney tried out the innovative hinged skate. This is what she had to say about it in her online journal.

I haven’t seen her wear the hinged boot the last couple of seasons, so perhaps the jury is still out on whether or not these boots improve jumping. They are certainly not the norm as all the skaters you’ll see at the Olympics are wearing standard leather boots.

Want to learn more about how figure skates are made? Check out this article, which also explains the difference between figure, hockey and speed skates.

February 14th, 2010 | Tags: Alissa Czisney, figure skates, figure skating history, hinged boots | Category: Skating History | Leave a comment

Every now and then I try to explain the physics of figure skating. Since I majored in Fine Arts, not Physics, my explanations usually break down into violent arm gestures and long-winded diatribes on why figure skating is impossibly difficult!

So, I was delighted to discover this articulate and beautifully rendered tutorial on the physics behind a triple lutz-triple toe jump. Who better to explain the technique than Brian Orser and who better to demonstrate it than World Champion Yu-Na Kim.

Though the video only covers the triple lutz-triple toe jump combination, the following attributes are relevant to almost all the jumps:

• Speed. Without a lot of speed in the approach, a skater won’t have the momentum required to rotate quickly for a triple, or quadruple rotation.
• Torque. Orser discusses the importance of torque in the video. To initiate the jump rotation, a skater must wind up in the opposite direction and then release that energy into the jump, with the exception of the Axel which relies on the flow of the entry to “turn” the jump.
• Rotation. Nu-Na Kim talks about keeping her shoulders and hips level and rotating them together. If the shoulders and hips get out of sync, then the jump begins to wobble in the air, the skater is no longer upright over her centre of balance and landing becomes very difficult.

So, when you’re watching Olympic figure skating on TV over the next two weeks, gauge the skater’s speed and preparation heading into a jump. Then see if you can tell whether or not her shoulders and hips are rotating together. Given these critical factors, I’ll bet you’ll be able to accurately predict the outcome of the jump.

February 13th, 2010 | Tags: brian orser, figure skating technique, triple lutz, yu-na kim | Category: Jumps, Top Technique Tip | Leave a comment