Pre-rotation

[Blades of Passion]

Everyone has an issue somewhere. The best jumper I've ever seen technique-wise across the board on the ladies side is Tuktamysheva, but then her flaw is fewer transitions as a result. I'm happy with the ISU deciding to incentivise skaters to do difficult combinations by not being super strict on pre-rotation and pushing the sport forwards.

Skaters aren't actually doing difficult combinations if they are overly cheating them. The sport is not being "pushed forward" by low quality jumps. It's harder to do 3Lutz+2Toe with great technique than 3Lutz+3Toe with poor technique. The entire reason of why Triple-Triples are supposed to be difficult is because of needing to control the first jump well enough to properly VAULT into the air for the next jump. If the first jump of a combo is smaller and executed questionably, and then the next one spins around on the ice for 3/4 of a turn (and doesn't land fully backwards), so the skater doesn't actually have to attempt full rotation, then a large amount of the difficultly has been removed.

Fewer transitions is accounted for in the score and it's not good for the sport to see low quality jumps so that people can just throw random transitions into the program for the sake of. It's possible to do high quality jumps from transitions anyway. Quite difficult to do so, but that's the point of rewarding transitions. The jump is supposed to be harder because of the transition, not be much lower quality just so that a skater can say they are doing a transition. Or at least, if that IS what a skater chooses to do, then they need to be marked appropriately.

 

[silveruskate]

There is a limit to it, and 3/4 pre-rotations not being picked up on is horrible. I wasn't really talking about 3Lz-3T vs. 3Lz--2T, and we have to remember we're not just talking about the supposed 'elite' skaters that finished top 8 at worlds. Your example is a little absurd because you shouldn't have even tagged on the 2T/3T. 3Lz-2T perfect technique is harder than 3Lz-3T lower quality because of the 3Lz. A perfectly executed 3Lz would actually make the second jump easier.

1) It's better in my opinion that more skaters attempt difficult combinations like 3Lz-3T instead of 3T-2T or even 2Lz-2T.
2) Without the opportunity cost of having to train supremely perfect triples, skaters can work on difficult jumps like 3A, and even quads.
3) Because it's not as strict, skaters have the incentive to add more triples to their programs, instead of sticking to doubles.
4) Attempting different body positions while jumping, and greater variations like transitions.
5) It's already difficult as it is to jump compared to other elements, making it even harder to execute a clean jump would result in a reduction in quality of all other elements like spins and performance. Skaters would have an incentive to train jumps more because of their value and pay less attention to the rest.
6) If jumps were valued as highly as you said, regardless of her recent score Satoko would never have been on the big stage and many fans would never see her artistry. With everyone being able to do the jumps it also highlights other parts as an opportunity to gain points

It isn't like it has to be this way forever, maybe after everyone's doing triples consistently and moving onto quads, there should be more scrutiny in qualities like pre-rotation. Similar to how everyone writes multiple drafts for their essays, trying to do everything perfect before moving forwards and you would still be on the first sentence.

 

[gkelly]

There should probably also be a distinction in people's minds between rotation on the way up but before the blade has completely broken all contact with the ice, vs. prerotation on the ice before actually taking off.