So Many Injuries, Go Figure
When figures disappeared from figure skating I wondered two things. First, how would skaters learn to use their edges and learn good skating skills without the basics that figures provided? Second, what would skaters do with all that extra time?
It turns out that the ‘Skills’ system used in Canada and elsewhere has done an adequate job of creating strong basic skating skills.
In answer to my second question, skaters have replaced the time spent on figures with free skating. The evidence is the number of skaters being injured. More time dedicated to free skating has resulted in better jumping, spinning and field elements – such as spiral sequences – but, it’s also introduced career-ending injuries to a sport that prior to 1990 rarely saw athletes withdraw from major competition due to injury.