A Look Back at “Is the Triple Axel Becoming Irrelevant?”


A Look Back at “Is the Triple Axel Becoming Irrelevant?”

 Originally published May/June 2018 PS Magazine


A year ago I asked, “Is the triple Axel becoming irrelevant?” My hypothesis was twofold. One was the program component mark that maxes out in the long program at 100 points for the men (80 for the women) creates a stationary target for the best jumpers. Specifically, I wrote after the 2017 U.S. Championships that if Nathan Chen landed two more quads than Fernadez, Hanyu, or Uno, he would win. If not for Chen’s disastrous short at the PyeongChang Olympics, I would have been right.

The International Judging System scale of values is currently weighted heavily to the quadruple jumps- too heavy if you ask me. At the highest elite level, barring a mistake, the spins are irrelevant, as well as the dance step, and the PC marks. If you added up three level four spins and the step sequences, all with +3 GOE, you still don’t have the points of a 4T + 3T combination. Adding the second half bonus separates jumps even further. Doing all your jumps in the second half is ridiculous. A case in point, Alina Zagitova earned an additional 8.47 points in the bonus. An average of the next nine competitors showed they performed 4.33 jump passes in the bonus for an additional 2.36 points per program.


The scale of values is the same for men and women, but the PC marks are factored differently between men and women. The factor is supposed to bring the PC scores in line with the technical scores. What that does in my mind is devalue the PC scores even further for the women.


Zagitova had the 4th highest PC scores, only 2.44 points behind Evgenia Medvedeva and 4.97 points from the max of 80 points. Of course, if you follow social media, the not-too-silent majority’s sentiment was questioning how Zagitova could have such high PC scores with an unbalanced program? Reviewing the protocol, she was dinged in the composition mark by a whole eight-one hundredths of a point…


Do I think the results are fair? Based on the current rules and accounting of scores, this might have been the cleanest Olympic competition in a long time. However, if it was my system, the results would have been different. Evgenia Medvedeva would have defended her title! The fact that an artistic skater can conceivably receive a perfect score and not even come close to winning is a disturbing trend.


Moving forward, I am hoping for significant changes from the ISU so the best, most well-rounded skater wins. It has been reported that the men’s program will lose thirty seconds and one jump element. The scale of GOE’s will be increased to a range from -5 to +5 which should give the judges more leeway. What does that really mean? A GOE of +1 is actually a percentage of the base value of each element. A +3 for a triple is 2.1 and a Quad, 3.0. If the scale remains the same for the +5 range, OK. But if it’s increased using the current formula, a +5 triple would be worth and additional 3.5 points and a quad 5.0 further distancing the quads from the rest of the pack.


My System

I want the program components to be factored the same between the men and women. The factor would be determined yearly based on the average of the 20 highest technical scores of either sex for the last three years in comparison to the same average of program component scores for the same period. This would allow the scoring system to continually adapt to the growth and development of the competitors.


The length of all novice, junior, and senior programs in singles, dance, pairs, and synchro should be the same length. For the short, 2:40 minutes, and for the long, 4:00 minutes.

The second half bonus need to be the last quarter bonus starting after the three minute mark. Anyone who can get seven jump passes in one minute should get a medal!


Finally, the scale of values. The base value for all spins need to be increased by at least 1 point to make them relevant. A great spin should at least be equal to the base value of a double Axel. Quads should be slightly decreased to promote better parity, competition, and the importance of a well-balanced program.


In essence, the scoring system should grow with the skaters and one dimensional skating should not be rewarded. Skaters like Yuna Kim, Evgenia Medvedeva, Yuzuru Hanyu… those are champions whose athletic prowess matches their artistic form.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Forgotten Art of Skating Etiquette

Image
PS Magazine, OCT/NOV 2010 This past September, I was in San Francisco for both the PSA Nationwide and ISI seminars. I was excited to be there as I was unveiling a new presentation/soapbox, "The Forgotten Art of Skating Etiquette." But before I was scheduled to deliver my new PowerPoint, I had an on-ice presentation to do. Standing in the middle of the rink finishing up my session, you can imagine my surprise as I was interrupted by this gentle voice from behind. "Excuse me Mr. Santee, I am sorry to interrupt…I’m warming up for my test and I need to use the middle of the ice…Is that OK?" I turned and just stared at him in stunned silence…Did he just call me Mr. Santee? Is he asking my permission to use ice he already had a right too? WOW was all I could think, and "Sure" was all I managed to say. Turning toward the coaches standing there, I said, "I’ll even get out of his way." I was so impressed with his demeanor that I thought to myself that if
Read more

Under Siege – Our Youth

It’s not figure skating. It’s not hockey. It’s not gymnastics or swimming, nor football or basketball…it is our children who are under siege. In 2010, a jury awarded a former scout $18.5 million dollars after the Boy Scouts of America was accused of covering up decades of child abuse. The Catholic Church has had to defend accusations from Canada, Ireland, United States, Britain, Mexico, Belgium, France, and Germany. Every year there is a plethora of accusations against school teachers….as recently as yesterday, a university professor was accused of watching child pornography on an airplane! As a father I used to worry about the influence of drinking and drugs to my children…as a culture, we turn to the church, the scouts, school activities, or sports to help keep our children off the streets and away from harm. But that seems not to be the case… and quite honestly, it is very difficult if not impossible to protect our children from the “landmines” that surround them. It’s not these act
Read more

Safety and Your Liability

Image
Safety and Your Liability Originally published May/June 2019 PS Magazine As we get closer to renewal time, it is apparent that our liability insurance rates are going up. In discussions between our insurance carrier and their underwriters, surprisingly or not, the main issue is the number of collisions on free skate sessions that are resulting in an injury and our members being sued. In talking with our insurance carrier, it was suggested that PSA remind our coaches of their responsibility in helping foster a safe training atmosphere. Their comment reminded me of an article I had written years ago called, “The Forgotten Art of Skating Etiquette.” I did several seminars on the topic and a companion DVD was produced and can be seen on PSA TV- it is free for everyone! I encourage you to share the link with your skaters and fellow coaches. It is our responsibility to teach our skaters safety and the rules that help create a safe and efficient training environment. Here
Read more