Skating Dictionary
- A -
accountant - the
official who compiles scores from judges and computes marks that
are awarded by judges to determine the placement of competitors
axel - this is a
jump on which the skater takes off from the forward inside edge
and lands on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. There are
single, double and triple versions.
- B -
blur spin - an upright
spin where the skater spins faster and faster by bringing the legs
and arms in tight against the body to achieve the maximum speed
of rotation
bracket - a turn
where the skater changes direction by going from a forward outside
edge on one skate to a backward inside edge on the same foot, or,
a forward inside edge to a backward outside edge
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- C -
camel - a spin performed
on one leg while the skater's other leg is extended in the air and
parallel to the ice. The body remains in this spiral position while
spinning.
choctaw - a turn
where the skater changes directions by going from an inside forward
edge to a backward outside edge on the other skate, or, an outside
forward edge to a backward inside edge on the other skate
closed draw - a draw
in which the referee draws numbers from a container in the presence
of judges to determine skating order for an event
combination jump
- a series of at least two jumps completed with no steps in between
the jumps
combination spin
- an extended maneuver made up of two or more spins during which
the skater must change feet and positions while maintaining speed
counter - a turn
where the skater changes direction by going from a forward outside
edge to a backward outside edge (or inside to inside) on the same
foot. the turn is made "against" the curve of the skating
blade.
crossover - a method
of turning corners and gaining speed by crossing one foot over the
other
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- D -
death spiral - a
move in pairs skating in which the male holds his partner's hand
and pulls her in a circle around him and the female glides on one
foot with her body nearly horizontal to the ice
draw - the method
of determining the skating order for an event
- E -
edge - each skate
has two edges, the inside edge and the outside edge and they are
on each side of the groove in the center. The edge is divided into
two sections forward and back. On most maneuvers specific edges
are supposed to be used.
edge jump - any jump
where the skater takes off from and edge of the skating foot without
assistance from the other foot
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- F-
factored placements
- these are numerical values given to placements in the short and
long programs. When multiplied, they determine a skater's final
placement.
flip - a jump made
with the assistance of the toe pick which on takeoff is from the
back inside edge of one foot and the landing is on the back outside
edge of the other foot
flying camel - a
combination move of a jump spin where the skater lands in the camel
position
flying sit spin -
a combination move where the skater performs a jump spin and then
assumes the sitting position in mid-air and then continues with
the sit spin after landing
footwork - a skating
term covering, but not limited to, the following: stroking crossovers,
three-turn, mohawk, choctaw, counter, rocker, bracket, step sequence,
spiral and spiral sequence
free - at any given
moment, a skater is usually skating on one foot and the other is
called the free foot. By extension every other part on that side
of the body is called "free" as free shoulder, free hip
or free side etc.
free skating - a
portion of the competition, usually 4 or 5 minutes long, where the
skater performs movements, including jumps and spins, that are choreographed
to background music
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- G -
- H -
- I -
- J -
jump factors - the
jump factors (scale of 1 - 10) of the various jumps are:
Single Jumps: Salchow
- 2; Split - 2; Toe Loop - 2; Flip - 3; Loop - 3; Lutz - 4; Axel
- 4
Double Jumps: Salchow
- 4; Toe Loop - 3; Loop - 5; Flip - 5; Lutz - 6; Axel - 7
Triple Jumps: Salchow
- 6; Triple Salchow - 6; Triple Toe Loop - 6; Triple Loop - 8; Triple
Flip - 8; Triple Lutz - 8; Triple Axel - 10.
jump sequence - a
series of jumps that contains a change of foot or step(s) in between
jumps
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- K -
- L -
layback spin - a
spin where the back is arched and the head and shoulders lie back
lift - any move in
pairs skating where the male skater lifts his partner off the ice
loop - a type of
edge jump where the skater takes off from and lands on the same
back outside edge
Lutz - a jump where
the skater, while moving in a backward curve, uses the toe pick
to rotate in the opposite direction, taking off from a back outside
edge and landing on the other back outside edge
- M -
mohawk - a turn going
from one foot to another where the skater changes directions by
going from an outside forward edge on one skate to an outside backward
edge on the other skate, or an inside forward edge to backward inside
edge on the other skate. Where does the name "mohawk come from?
In the book "Figure Skating History: The Evolution of Dance
on Ice" by Lynn Copley-Graves, she says:
"In the 1800's the British were fascinated by stories of American
Indians. A few American Indians had been brought to England to entertain
the British with war dances. Some skaters who saw them thought that
the spread-eagle pose done in Indian ceremonies resembled the turned-out
position of a turn they did on ice. the tracing made by that turn
resembled and Indian bow, so they named the turn the "mohawk"
after the visiting tribe from New York state. This analogy fits
the inside-to-inside mohawk. Skater practiced mohawks in repetition
on a circle 8. Maxwell Witham and H.E. Vandervell compiled the rules
of English style in the first comprehensive study of figure skating
in any language in their book, "A System of Figure Skating",
first published in 1869n and revised in 1880. In the 1880 version
they illustrated and described the outside-to-outside mohawk as
done in the Foxtrot today: "A very pretty combination of the
outside forward with the outside backwards has lately come into
vogue and it can be skated by every one who is capable of turning
out his toes sufficiently so as to get into the 'Spread-eagle' position.
This figure was last year introduced into the Club figures on ice
and christened by the name of Mohawk." According to Earnest
Jones, writing in, "The elements of Skating", in 1931,
the name "mohawk" for this turn was derived from a cut-like
step used by the Mohawk Indians in there war dances. Two editions
later, Max Witham described the choctaw, named for another Indian
tribe: "A variation of the Mohawk has lately been introduced
and is called a "Choctaw"....the skater goes from the
outside forward of one foot to the inside back of the other".
- N -
- O -
open draw - a draw
in which the skaters themselves determine skating order by drawing
numbers from a closed pouch
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- P -
- Q -
- R -
referee - the official
who has overall charge of a competition and serves as chairperson
of the judges' panel
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- S -
Salchow - an edge
jump where the skater takes off from the back inside edge of one
foot and lands on the back outside edge of the other
sit spin - a spin
where the skater crouches close to the ice with the skating leg
bent and the other leg extended to the side
spiral - any move
where the skater glides along the ice on one skate with the non-skating
leg in the air to the rear
spiral sequence -
a series of spirals where the skater traces a pattern over the ice
starting order -
the sequence of skaters to compete as determined by a draw
step sequence - a
series of steps done in rapid succession in time to the music
stroking - a method
of gaining speed seemingly without effort by pushing off the inside
edges in alternation
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- T -
throw - a pairs move
where the male lifts his partner and throws her away from him. She
continues the move with a mid-air spin landing on one foot.
toe loop - a jump
that is assisted by the toe pick where the skater takes off from
a back outside edge and land on the same edge
toe pick - the teeth
at the front of each skate blade that are often used in jumps and
spins
toe rake - same as
toe picks
toe wally - a toe
loop where the takeoff is from the back inside edge instead of the
outside edge
trace - the line
formed by the skater's blade on the ice
twist - in pairs
skating, a move where the male lifts and throws his partner, then
catches her on landing after she has performed a double or triple
twist in the air
- U -
- V -
- W -
waltz - a simple
jump for beginners where the takeoff is from the forward outside
edge and the landing is on the back outside edge of the other foot
after a half revolution in the air
- X -
- Y -
- Z -
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