Beautiful Spirals | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Beautiful Spirals

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
Can we get back to the topic at hand which is spirals and not someones hands.
 

TontoK

Hot Tonto
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Country
United-States
Ok so there were issues with the jumps but he is like a combo of Toller Cranston and Jason Brown - such a lovely quality about his skating - too bad about his consistency issues. If he were more consistent he would have been able to compete with Jeffrey, Evan, Plushenko, Chan and Takahashi and all. Canada had some great potential in skaters like Sawyer and Sandu.

Sandhu was my cactus before cacti became a thing.

Loaded with potential and everyone excited about his prospects... he skates an indifferent Grand Prix season... staggers into the final as the second or third alternate... wins it all, beating Plushenko, among others. Then pretty much reverts to previous form. He was infuriating to me, but I just couldn't not watch him.

Edit: Sorry, off topic. If I hadn't quote posted, and I know he'll get a notification, I'd delete.
 

PaulE

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 5, 2008
Country
United-States
For those who think spirals are an American thing...

Get back to me after you watch this video, beginning with the exit of the death spiral at about 3:10 all the way until about 4:05.

You will not see anything more beautiful today. Maybe this week. Maybe this year. Revolutionary at the time, and 50+ years after the fact, still the GOAT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrL54VzA1T4

Thank you TontoK for the link. Watching the whole performance brought a nostalgic tear to my eye. I am a big fan of grace, smoothness, and beauty. I remember watching them on TV in my young adulthood (I seem to be a very old man now).

My wife and I started going to competitions at the end of 2006 when we went to Skate Canada Grand Prix in Victoria, B.C., just a ferry ride away from where we lived. We liked it so much we ended up going to five competitions in 2007, four of which were junior competitions. At the Junior Grand Prix in Lake Placid (which we attended in order to watch our favorite skater Mirai) we had one of the great experiences of our lives. We were wandering by the 1932 rink which was open for anyone to practice and noticed an elderly couple practicing together. When we realized it was the Protopopovs we sort of gasped and went in and sat down. There was one girl practicing of the ice with her teacher, the girl's mother, and one other couple there so we were almost alone for about twenty minutes to a half-hour engrossed in watching a lovely pair couple still skating beautifully.

Thanks for bringing back a lovely memory.
 

EyesOfLove

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 5, 2009
Thank you for the great examples you have suggested, including the truly magnificent ones from male skaters like Jason Brown and Shawn Sawyer.

Among the current skaters (along with Brown as I see now), I think Satoko Miyahara frequently demonstrates ingenuity in incorporating spirals into the choreographic sequence of the programs: https://youtu.be/1Y0uQw1odKQ?t=237
 

rugbyfan

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
I am loving this thread not least because it has made me watch Sawyer's programme again (I had forgotten his spirals), but also the Protopopovs. Watching that programme made me realise again how much I love figure skating really even if I have got a little distanced this year. That was just beautiful. Thank you
 

ladyjane

Medalist
Joined
Jun 26, 2012
Country
Netherlands
I love these links. I am a big fan of a good spiral myself, and miss them. To be fair, they are still included in programmes, but usually not held long enough to my personal taste. Thanks for them all!
 

lappo

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 12, 2016
I loved Sasha Cohen's skid spirals; does anyone other than Medvedeva use them nowadays?
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Best spirals are hard to define. In the past the scoring was very indifferent. Early IJS when spirals were required for pairs and ladies I believe they were imho ugly as people focussed on change of positions etc - but that got the points. HOwever, I think the "best" spirals were often very simple and more effectively used. I think Kerrigan was or is the best example. She actually lacked flexibility but her spirals were moments on the ice. The spirals that were held the position even if didn't change were very effective. Maybe now that they are a choreo sequence they might regain some of their glory? Regardless of nation Kwan, Cohen, Bobek, Kerrigan, Arakawa, Cizny, Kostner at times, Lipnskaya at times, all had well done spirals even surprisingly skaters like Osmond and Rochette and Slutskaya had high scoring spirals.
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
I've always thought Michelle Kwan had the best spirals ever for several reasons. First, they were incorporated into her program beautifully - time with the music and effortless, just an extension of her footwork, Second - there was always such joy on her face while she was executing a spiral. You could see her love of skating and performing. I also felt the same about her Charlottes and IMO no one since has done them better. As with everything, this is just my opinion. For pairs teams... Gordeev and Grinkov. They truly skated as one and Sergei's spiral was every bit as graceful at Katia's.
 

Flying Feijoa

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 22, 2019
Country
New-Zealand
Among the current skaters (along with Brown as I see now), I think Satoko Miyahara frequently demonstrates ingenuity in incorporating spirals into the choreographic sequence of the programs

Mariah Bell is another good example - classical position, lots of speed, timed to great effect matching the emotional climax of the music.

While the current 'choreographic sequence' format leaves less time to hold spirals, the upside is that when they do occur, it's easier to integrate them into the programme.
It's a little hard to fit something like the early IJS spiral sequence together with certain genres of music (e.g. rock, jazz). Being able to combine spirals with a well-done ina bauer/split jump/that thing Ted Barton calls a "whirly" really helps to make them blend into the programme.

By the way, Ksenia Sinitsyna's choreo sequence at senior Russian National championships was excellent (layback ina bauer, outside spiral, two consecutive outside spread eagles - I just love almost-full-circle spread eagles!). Looking forward to seeing more of it next season when she moves into seniors :luv17:
 

sjchilly

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
Country
United-States
I think U.S. ladies did spirals because USFSA judging awarded high marks for them under ordinal and early IJS scoring. I appreciate them because I was 'educated' by commentators like Peggy Flemming, Dick Button and Scott Hamilton. As far as men's spirals, I can't believe that no one has mentioned Paul Wylie and his signature full rink length spiral into a triple salchow.
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
Because Uncle Dick's name was mentioned, I'll never forget him saying during a broadcast that a good spiral was woth more than a triple jump. And I thought "in whose universe!" He did love those spiral but then that was his world for a long time.
 

lesnar001

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 19, 2005
Because Uncle Dick's name was mentioned, I'll never forget him saying during a broadcast that a good spiral was woth more than a triple jump. And I thought "in whose universe!" He did love those spiral but then that was his world for a long time.

I remember him saying something like that for Brian Boitano's "Spread Eagle" at the 1988 Olympics.
Not because my memory is good, but because NBC showed it in during the 2018 Olympics when they did their "Battle of the Brians/Carmens" segment.
 

jesslv74

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 11, 2006
I couldn't find if this was mentioned, but I believe spirals were actually a required element until 2013.
 

DreamSkates

Rinkside
Joined
Dec 12, 2015
Country
United-States
[Not quite pertinent to the intense discussion and hand-wringing about the competitive skaters this season. But I presume I can post on this topic on The Edge. If not, please move this thread to other categories as seen apt]


Why does a spiral move skating fans so much, or at least myself? For this gliding move over the ice, with the upper body and free-leg held erect and proud, evokes a pure, primitive joy of movement, almost approximating the freedom attendant on flight, if you will, for which humans have been known to possess a vague longing from time immemorial. When seeing it executed well and effectively to the highlight of the music, I experience a spiritual exaltation scarcely reproducible from any other move. No wonder it became a signature element in ladies skating along with the layback spin until a program under the IJS got too packed with other elements to leave room for a well-executed spiral.

These are some in which I REVEL. (* please excuse the fact that since I mostly ladies discipline only the list consists solely of women skaters)

4. Sasha Cohen: 2004 Worlds SP- Malaguena: https://youtu.be/sI-cbt1u1uc?t=100

Need I say more? The most immaculate flexibility and carriage in her position beggar description.

3. Carolina Kostner: 2007 Worlds SP- Canon: https://youtu.be/9qSCT15IRpU?t=113

Steady, elegant, if not wildly contortionistic, position, accentuated by the breathtaking speed, the solidity of edging.

2. Nicole Bobek: 1998 US Nationals LP- Liebestraum and others: https://youtu.be/Kfgs3gW82YI?t=5613

Nicole was one of the trail-blazers of the 'really-good-spiral-moves,' whom even Michelle Kwan emulated in improving her spirals. Watch her HOLDING THE MOVE like her life depends on it. Amazing. Something rarely seen among skaters these days.

1. Michlle Kwan: 2001 US Nationals SP- East of Eden: https://youtu.be/WuHu9rwqdrw?t=140

So much heart and abandon you almost feel as though she is not doing the move but becoming it, being transmogrified to the great work of art she is.


I so like this move that I'd like to share with other posters. What are your favorite spirals? By Whom? In what program?

Thank you for posting these links. Beautiful spirals. So special. Miss those moves!
 

Warwick360

Medalist
Joined
Dec 3, 2014
I keep seeing Mirai in these threads, and I know it is a difference in perception and opinion, but I generally found hers quite weak. Yes, great flexibility, but yet not so stable looking and not as good speed as the other ladies.

Also, I had expectation of Zagitova having great spiral because of her flexibility, and as much as I like her, her arabesque was Midori level. :/

For me, Sasha will always be the queen, followed closely by Mao. I wish we had one good spiral requirement in both the ladies AND the men's FS.
 
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