Let's Talk About Quads!

[let`s talk]

Quad for men in SP.

[Isk8NYC]

Quad for men in SP.Yeah, we need more circus performances. :roll: The days of The Flying Wallendas ended a long time ago for good reason. Stunts are exciting on their own, with a Circus announcer and a drum roll in a hushed tent. In a free skating program, they're just a dot on the map. I have NO INTEREST in watching quads - they're not any more exciting than a triple. I doubt it will attract viewers and it certainly doesn't prove anything about skating ability. It's just one trick. BFD

I think that the catchfoot craze should be limited - we need a Zayak rule because the extra points given to the this move means every skater that can do it, will do it. All programs start to look the same. Originality in positions would be better.

I would like to see the short program stripped down a bit to required elements, simple costuming, and minimal choreography and footwork.

[let`s talk]

Oh that's ridiculous. Why not make triple axel a required element for women too then?

Can you imagine what a mess the grand prix will be if men are required to do quads? 80% of them won't get any credit at all.


Agreed. Absolutely agreed. But I would say 95% of skaters in men`s and 99.999% in women`s events are too plain to risk and challenge a quad/3axel accordingly. The result we all know. The "Olympic" result.

[let`s talk]

Yeah, we need more circus performances. :roll: The days of The Flying Wallendas ended a long time ago for good reason. Stunts are exciting on their own, with a Circus announcer and a drum roll in a hushed tent. In a free skating program, they're just a dot on the map. I have NO INTEREST in watching quads - they're not any more exciting than a triple. I doubt it will attract viewers and it certainly doesn't prove anything about skating ability. It's just one trick. BFD


Not sure if it is about skaters who can perform quads or about circus artists? I have never worked as a circus artist and never tried. But I have seen circus performances and I am sure being a circus artists requires years of hard work and training.

Btw, if quad is so easy to do (like circus:lol:), why very few skaters are ready to challenge it? Come on, it is easy. GO!! No. They don`t. Why?

Audience is audience. Trust me they will surely like one more juicy jump. And they do not really care if somebody does not get excited watching it.

[Skittl1321]

Agreed. Absolutely agreed. But I would say 95% of skaters in men`s and 99.999% in women`s events are too plain to risk and challenge a quad/3axel accordingly. The result we all know. The "Olympic" result.

For YEARS Lysacek was all about the quad. He talked down skaters who refused to do them "figure skating must have the quad" was very much his attitude. Honestly, he used to sound a lot like Plushenko does now.

Then he got hurt, and realized the unnecessary toll it was taking on his body. He improved his program components, he worked with dancers to learn to move with music, he focused on levels outside of the jumps. And that was what gave him the Olympic gold. Not one jump.

I like seeing men do quads- it's an exciting element. But it's not the only element, and so few skaters can do them well, that it would be absurd for it to be a required element.

I'd much rather see emphasis put on edgework, spins, and jumps being equal parts of the program.

[Isk8NYC]

Let's Talk is downplaying the difficulty of quads on the ice and in the air: they're tough. No one said they weren't.

But it's a stunt that adds NOTHING to the beauty of a program. If it's done correctly, it's imperceptible. If it's done wrong, the skater risks injury. I don't watch skating to see the agony of defeat, so I can do without quads entirely. They add nothing to the skating other than giving the commentators something else to blabber on about.

Frankly, I hope that the new alliance looking into figure skating injuries finds that the risks outweigh the need for a quad and they get banned.

[Skittl1321]

I disagree with you that a quad is imperceptable. A quad is definetly something you can tell is different from, say, a triple. The super tight position, the incredibly quick rotation, the extra height in the air- it's an athletic feat to be sure.

I'm not really into the whole "beauty of the program" thing. I like my commentators to talk (well, not the way they do- but to point out jump names, I wish they'd speak more about what is going on in the footwork- the way commentators for other SPORTS do.) To me, ice skating is not a ballet. I think the skaters should connect to the music, like say Jeremy Abbot, or Ryan Bradley do- but mostly, I believe, especially for men, it's a sport, and what I want to see if athleticism. But athleticism isn't JUST a jump- it's about quickness, and deep edges, stamina, and having the whole package.

I don't want to see quads banned- but I think the value they have now is appropriate. For some- they see it as worth the risk, for others, not.

[RachelSk8er]

Agreed. Absolutely agreed. But I would say 95% of skaters in men`s and 99.999% in women`s events are too plain to risk and challenge a quad/3axel accordingly. The result we all know. The "Olympic" result.

Let's Talk, if quads are so important and the mark of a great skater...let's see a video of you doing one. Come on, post it. You're a "real man" and a "real skater", right? So let's see you walk the walk if you're going to come on here in your non-native English and all your arrogance and talk smack about the Olympic champion and other skaters who don't attempt them.

[let`s talk]

Let's Talk is downplaying the difficulty of quads on the ice and in the air: they're tough. No one said they weren't.

But it's a stunt that adds NOTHING to the beauty of a program. If it's done correctly, it's imperceptible. If it's done wrong, the skater risks injury. I don't watch skating to see the agony of defeat, so I can do without quads entirely. They add nothing to the skating other than giving the commentators something else to blabber on about.

Frankly, I hope that the new alliance looking into figure skating injuries finds that the risks outweigh the need for a quad and they get banned.

I am sure people were saying the same or almost the same things when skaters started jumping doubles, then triples, etc. No? Or they were cheering for a new risk and challenge, right? Isn`t it what was moving the sport forward? Any sportsman in any sport risks injuries. If you pull out all risky elements from figure skating, it will be ballet-on-the-ice. We almost have it now, at least in men`s event.
Ironically the scoring system, that allowed the current Olympic champion to win, didn`t add anything to the beauty of this sport. Skaters have to follow the textbook and their programs look the same. Just different music and costumes. With quads and the originality there is something new to watch.

[let`s talk]

Let's Talk, if quads are so important and the mark of a great skater...let's see a video of you doing one. Come on, post it. You're a "real man" and a "real skater", right? So let's see you walk the walk if you're going to come on here in your non-native English and all your arrogance and talk smack about the Olympic champion and other skaters who don't attempt them.

That is rude. First, it is not my private website to post my videos. Second, I am not a man. I am a woman. Third, being non-native or native English speaker is a birth right and I have no idea why you speak about it with such a snobbism. Fourth, there is nothing in terms and conditions upon registration that the website is only for native speakers and all others are barred. Fifth, if you disagree with somebody`s opinions about skaters, speak ontopic and make your point. That is what is discussion for.

[Isk8NYC]

And... we're done here.