Having returned to the ice after 20 years, I can no longer do one foot scratch spins. I had my first private lesson on Wednesday night, we focussed on spins and I am thoroughly confused!

I spin on my left leg, counter-clockwise, entry from a left outside edge.

If I ever thought about it at all, I always viewed this as an outside edge spin. I remember even being told to push down with my littlest toe to keep the edge to the outside, especially on camel spins.

My new coach says because there is a 3-turn in the entry that makes it an inside edge spin. I don't even remember a 3-turn being mentioned as part of the spin 20 years ago, I thought we just sort of spiralled into the centre. Watching skaters at our rink doing the scratch spin, it does look weird to me that they are on inside edges.

Have things changed, or did I never understand it right 20 years ago?

I guess that means the back spin is an outside edge spin?

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

I guess you never got your head around it right in the first place. Front spins spin on a BI edge and back spins on a BO edge. Spinning on the opposite edge (ie FO for front spins and FI for back spins) is quite an advanced skill.

John

The three-turn entrance is not new. That's how I learned it when I skated twenty-odd years ago. You start the LFO three and HOOK the spin at the turn. For a CCW skater, the forward spins are done on a LBI edge. The back spins are done on the RBO edge.

The edges you're describing are actually more difficult variations that require real practice to master. Did you test and/or compete in your past skating life? If so, I'm sure you learned this and your memory's just playing tricks on you.

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Maybe you've just confused the idea of pressure on the little toe being associated with the scratch spin instead of the back spin. Time does play tricks with memory. I had two dances confused to the point that I didn't even remember one existed until I looked up the pattern online for the one I thought I remembered and knew it wasn't right. When I went searching for the step sequence I remembered, I found the other dance and went "Oh, it wasn't the Iceland Tango, it was the Carroll Tango!"

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And the inside edge back spins only count as an advanced spin if you can also do the spin on the correct edge!

Hmm, I've been thinking a lot about this. I have come to the conclusion that when I skated before, there were lots of things I didn't know or think about. I think I aimed to get the spin on the sweet spot, and it felt like I was spinning on the flat of the blade, on either a forward or back spin, so I associated the entry edge as the spinning edge.

I never, ever noticed any 3-turn involved. I guess that means I had my 3-turn integrated into the spin, not separated from it, which I believe is a good thing.

So I guess I will work on getting back to how I used to do it, just being aware that it is ever so slightly on an edge.

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

I had this experience when I came back to skating after a 20-year absence. I had never thought about whether you did a three-turn into a spin -- I just went into a spin and I couldn't have told you what edge I was on. I found that adults would ask me the most peculiar questions, like, "When you do a three-turn, are you concentrating on your rib moving forward and blah, blah, blah..." -- I was like, "I don't know, I just do it".

Now 17 years later, I am more likely to try to understand the details of technique and get really excited when I use my free foot to bring me around the circle more, or even how my ribs might move in a certain way to get an element completed in the right way.

Adults definitely have a difference outlook on the whole thing than the kids, that's for sure!!

I hope you are enjoying your return to skating -- I know that I have!

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

Yes, I am a lot more analytical these days, and really need to know what my body should be feeling, which muscles I am using etc.

And yes, I am LOVING my skating !!!!

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am