Scott Davis
performs a sit spin at the 1995 U.S. Championships in Providence, Rhode Island.
Quiet storm
Performing quality spins is a balancing act
by KAMA KORVELA 30 OCTOBER 2015
A spin can be a lesson in physics. How does a skater combine speed, energy, force, balance and weight to create a beautiful blurred element that ex- cites the audience and impresses the judges? It’s a dif- ficult feat indeed. Spins can be tough to master, even for the world’s top skaters. Since the international judging system (IJS) was implemented in 2004, more emphasis has been placed on creating well-rounded skaters. Spins, which many argue never received proper attention or appro- priate marks pre-2004, are now given more credit. “Te (current) judging system is able to reward people who spin really well,” Scott Davis, two-time U.S. champion, said. “When I competed, we never knew what part of the mark we earned for the spins. Now that we have report cards of sorts, you can see exactly the number of points you get for a spin.” Davis, who works as an International Skating
Union (ISU) technical specialist and a coach, believes the international judging system rewards the quality of spins now, with skaters being able to get positive GOE (Grade of Execution) scores. But others feel the international judging sys-
tem hasn’t had an effect on the quality or variety of spins from skaters. Lucinda Ruh, a Swiss champion who competed internationally during the 1990s and is known as “Te Queen of Spin,” believes the sys- tem doesn’t allow for personal creativity or highlight a skater’s individual strengths. In short, she said, the system puts skaters in a box. “Not everyone is, or can be, a spinner — let alone be flexible enough to do all the required posi- tions,” Ruh, who is also a published author, explained. As the Guinness world record holder for the longest spin ever completed, she feels strongly the
judging system hasn’t mastered how to fully reward skaters’ spinning abilities.
“Te ISU has mentioned they had changed the
spinning requirements due to my spinning, but I’m afraid they didn’t do it right,” Ruh said. “It’s not ben- eficial to any skater.” With the judging system placing more emphasis on the quality of spins, there is more room for er- ror. Janet Champion, PSA master-rated international coach who specializes in spin technique, feels some skaters haven’t quite mastered the building blocks of spinning, which leads to other issues. “Te most frequent mistake I see skaters make
is wanting to perform difficult variations before they have a solid, basic spinning foundation,” she revealed. “It’s like building a house — you can’t have a stable house if it’s built on a weak foundation.” Davis, who worked with Janet Champion during his amateur career, has similar thoughts. “It’s important for skaters to understand the basics of spinning in general — where a skater is on the blade, their balance and how to increase their speed throughout the spin,” Davis said. “Tere has to be time devoted to spins (during a skater’s training time), which is difficult because the judging system requires that skaters work on all of their elements and be well-rounded.” Maintaining balance is a huge component of a good spin position, and it’s one that several skaters struggle with, according to Ruh.
“Te biggest mistake I see skaters make when they spin is that they never truly find, or are in their proper balance, while in the spin,” she said. “Tey never seem to practice the understanding, or attain being on the sweet point of the blade. Terefore, their
Janet Champion works with Bridget Islay on her spins at the World Arena Ice Hall in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
DOUG PENSINGER/ALLSPORT
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