- Joined
- Dec 25, 2012
As a fan, what exactly does a quad do for you? Why is it so exciting? Men have been doing 3As for a long time. How is an extra half revolution giving so much meaning to your life and/or skating that we must throw the adjective "quadless" (which is not really a word) around like it is equivalent to "leper" in ancient times or maybe "racist" in modern times? What is the attraction?
Frankly, when I watch live, I can't tell a quad from a triple if it is on the other side of the rink.
This is a good question!
This could never be mistaken for a triple jump.
https://youtu.be/OEBUDDr1mvw?t=50s
It depends on how well the quad is jumped actually. -And I also find 3A's tremendously cool to watch, Han Yan's for instance makes him look like he's actually flying. A scratching little quad that's barely around can be mistaken for a triple... but the Quads of Jin, Max, Mura, Yuzu, Javi and Patrick (my favorite quad jumpers) make the whole crowd go 'WOOOOOW' ...I've been in the audience when a really good quad or 3A is landed...it's thrilling. Did it add meaning to my life? Heh, no. That's not why I watch skating. For that I read the Psalms. But it was super fun to watch!
I was watching a skating Gala with a friend of mine who was visiting for the afternoon. She doesn't watch skating but was just keeping me company. She couldn't tell a quad from a triple or a triple from a double...but what did she remark on? Mura's Jumps, Yuzu's Jumps, -and spins, and skating. After it was over she said, the guys were impressive, those jumps they did, just WOW! It wasn't just the jumps she liked, but they were a highlight for her.
I don't look down on skaters who choose not to do quads...but quads are assigned a specific points value for their difficulty. If you don't jump a quad, you don't get the points for it. Simple as that.
There are plenty of other ways to get points though, so if a skater opts for using other methods to win, then good on them!
The point I disagree on with Chan is that 3 quads in a program (an arbitrary number, why not 2? or 1? or 5?) will definitively lower the quality of the skating. Javi and Yuzu have shown us that it doesn't have to be like that. That it is possible to aim for incredibly difficult technical elements while also being engaging, include transitions, display good skating skills and a connection to the music AND entertain a crowd.