Skating on a lake

Friday before a lovely four day holiday weekend for me and this morning, I came across an interesting and informative article about the joys and pitfalls of skating on a lake. There are a group of ice addicts in California in search of perfectly frozen lakes to skate on. Why? This quote pretty much sums it up:

It was hard to let go of the perfection of it: the incomparable quality of the ice, the wild beauty of the setting, the freedom of all that space, just for us, just for now.                     

In High County California, Seeking Ice Instead of Snow

Toe v. edge jumps

There are two types of jumps in figure skating -- toe jumps and edge jumps -- and they are named as such due to the takeoff. In toe jumps, the skater uses their toe pick to vault up into the air. In edge jumps, the skater takes off from a certain edge of one skate to vault up into the air.

There are seven basic jumps that we should recognize and be familiar with, whether we're watching skating on television or learning jumps. The following jumps can be done as doubles or triples, except for the waltz jump.

• Waltz jump - The waltz jump takes off from a forward outside edge of one skate, a half turn rotation is done in the air. and the skater lands on a back outside edge of the opposite skate. While learning the waltz jump, my coaches used to tell me to imagine that I was either kicking a football and/or trying to step over a large puddle. I saw Toller Cranston do the most amazing waltz jump at Rockefeller Center Rink several years ago. He made the ordinary look extraordinary.

                                               Demonstration of waltz jump

• Salchow - The Salchow (pronounced "sow-kow" and named after Swedish world champion Ulrich Salchow in 1909) is an edge jump where the takeoff begins from the back inside edge of one foot, one full revolution is done in the air, and the skater lands on the back outside edge of the other foot. Skaters get into the takeoff position by first doing a forward outside three turn. I've also seen the Salchow done preceded by a forward inside mohawk. Either way, the takeoff is from a back inside edge.

                                               Demonstration of Salchow
                                   6-3-9 Salchow tip from Nancy Kerrigan

• Toe loop - The toe loop is a toe jump where the takeoff is from a back outside edge assisted by a toe pick tap from the other foot. It makes one revolution in the air before landing on the same back outside edge. The entrance to a toe loop is from a forward inside three turn.

                                               Demonstration of toe loop jump

• Loop jump - The loop (invented by German skater Werner Rittberger) is an edge jump where the takeoff is from a back outside edge, the skater makes a full revolution in the air, and lands on the same back outside edge.

                                                Demonstration of loop jump

• Flip jump - The flip is a toe jump where the skater skates on a back inside edge of one foot and places the toe pick of the other skate into the ice to lift off and rotate one full revolution. The landing is on a back outside edge of the foot that tapped into the ice. Most skaters enter the flip jump from a forward outside three turn and then picks with the free skate. My coaches constantly emphasized the importance of keeping the forward outside three turn pretty straight, so imagine a veryyyyy large circle that you're doing the three turn on -- almost in a straight line, with the slightest of curvature. The flip can also be done from a forward inside mohawk. Either way, before the skater picks into the ice, they are on a back inside edge of the opposite foot.

                                                  Demonstration of flip jump

• Lutz jump - The Lutz (named after Austrian skater Alois Lutz in 1913) is a toe jump that is like the flip jump, except that the takeoff edge is a back outside edge (instead of a back inside edge like the flip). The skater skates on a back outside edge, places the opposite toe into the ice, lifts off, makes one full revolution, before landing on the back outside edge of the same skate that tapped the ice. It's difficult for skaters to remain on the back outside edge before picking with the other toe. Many times, the edge collapses slightly into the back inside edge before the toe tap, and this mistake has been nicknamed a "flutz" -- a combination of flip and Lutz because the takeoff for a flip jump is from a back inside edge. I remember when Tara Lipinski was competing in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan and was establishing herself as the frontrunner to win the gold (over heavy favorite Michelle Kwan), particularly because she would be performing a very difficult triple lutz/triple flip combination. Commentators and competitors were critical that she was not truly doing a Lutz because her back outside edge would turn into a back inside edge before she tapped on the ice with her other skate, so she was essentially doing two triple flips. Anyway, the rest is history, Tara won the gold. Michelle won the silver, and China's Chen Lu won the bronze.

Demonstration of Lutz

Demonstration of Flutz

• Axel jump - The Axel (named after Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen in 1882; interestingly, he performed the jump in speed skates) is an edge jump where the takeoff is from a forward outside edge, the skater makes one and a half revolutions in the air, and lands on the back outside edge of the other foot. The Axel is one of the very few jumps that take off on a forward edge.

                                                    Demonstration of Axel

Thermablades: Cool (and hot) technology

This month announces the arrival of Thermablades, which claims that it's heated skate blades allow hockey skaters to skate faster, exhaust less energy, make tighter turns, and be better players. Also check out the testimonial videos on the company website -- 2002 Olympic Gold Medalist in pairs David Pelletier (wife is gorgeous pairs partner Jamie Salé) is on it.

The Thermablade technology accomplishes this with a battery and electronics integrated into the heel of the blade holder. These connect to a resistor which heats the blade to 41 degrees Fahrenheit (or 5 degrees Centigrade). A full charge lasts a minimum of 75 minutes of on-ice time, and recharging the batteries takes just 2 hours. In 2004, The Great One himself -- Wayne Gretzky -- signed on as an investor and endorser. Already, several unidentified N.H.L. players are using Thermablades during games as part of a league-approved trial.

It will be interesting to see if similar technology evolves for figure skates. There are advances in skate blades that come out occasionally, i.e., K-Pick (added set of teeth on either side of the toepick for better toe jumps), Freedom blades (innovative moves can be done on the heel), M&D Diamond blades (for ice dancing), so I wonder if the boot itself is next. Could a tiny battery be inserted into a figure skating boot to heat the blade as well? I'm certain there's an inventor out there somewhere who will use NASA technology to make this happen.

I asked a physics-minded friend how heated blades would be a smoother and faster skate. He explained that ice is slippery because it has low friction. When you have a very thin layer of water on the surface, which is what Thermablades would presumably do, you further decrease the friction.

Rockefeller Rink insiders

The Rink at Rockefeller Center in NYC isn't just a tourist destination,or a photo op with the world famous tree. There are a lot of us who actually use the rink to seriously practice figure skating. There are two ways to guarantee a crowdless skate and/or a meaningful lesson.

First, a few hundred of us skating addicts purchase season passes ($350 which includes a locker if purchased early; otherwise, it's $425) which allow us to skate for as long as we want without being limited to session times. The rink is open daily from October to April so that's a lot of skating time. And the season passholders are an eclectic group - you'll find physicists, professors, computer folks, classical musicians, reporters, investment managers, doctors, lawyers (a lot of us lawyers for some reason), and I'm sure I just haven't met the Indian chiefs.

Also, the manager at the rink, Carol Olsen, sets aside one day a week (usually Wednesdays) throughout the season from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. for a "season pass exclusive session." I'm always surprised that only 20 people or so actually skate this session because it's my favorite  part of skating at Rockefeller - it is a great, quiet time to skate before the rest of the city makes it way into the area. My goal for next season is to convince the manager to set aside 2 days a week, or, alternatively, begin the exclusive at 7 a.m.

Second, three time U.S. National Pairs Champion (1970-1972), two time Olympian and World Bronze Medalist JoJo Starbuck teaches her "JoJo's Cool Workout" twice a week from October to April (excluding December when the tree is up) from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The classes are mostly adults learning basic technique and choreography. I haven't yet taken JoJo's classes (my schedule doesn't permit it this season) but everyone I know who is in it raves about the quality of her (and her assistant's) instruction and also what a genuinely lovely person she is. Also as a bonus, the Rock Center Cafe provides a Continental breakfast buffet in the skatehouse, so it's nice to sit down for a few minutes with other skaters before the class begins. Next season I will definitely be taking her Cool Workout classes.

Debi Thomas - Clip of the week

There are very few skaters that I can think of who combine, in equal parts, the athleticism and grace in their skating like two-time U.S. champion (1986 & 1988), 1986 World champion and 1988 Olympic bronze medalist Debi Thomas. To me, Debi is the definition of a "skater's skater." Technically and artistically, she is near perfect in all her programs.

There are other skaters for whom I truly appreciate the athleticism and/or artistry. For example, when I watch Surya Bonaly, she is pure athleticism on ice. I don't watch her to get any inspiration on music interpretation or choreography - she is mesmerizing because she can pull out all kinds of jumps from virtually a standstill. Similarly, I like to watch Lucinda Ruh and Katherine Healy because they are elite ballet dancers and interpreters of music - frankly, watching them jump makes me nervous and breaks the hold they have on me when watching their programs. Debi combines the best of all these skaters into one package.

At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Debi and East Germany's Katarina Witt both skated to Carmen in their long programs. The media called it the "Battle of the Carmens" and Katarina came out on top with a cleaner program and won the gold. After competitive skating, Debi toured for a while, and then continued with her education. She attended medical school and became an orthopedic surgeon. Today, she is married with an 11-year-old son, and remains involved with medicine and skating. In 2000, she was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

Below is one of my favorite Debi Thomas performances that I was lucky enough to find on YouTube. There is something truly serene about this performance, and you get the distinct feeling that she, too, was feeling and radiating a level of serenity that translated into a beautiful moment.