sign in sign up
<<
Home , 2007 Cup of China, 2007 Cup of Russia, 2010 Cup of China, Benjamin Agosto, Brian Joubert, Elvis Stojko

FIGURE SKATING SCHEDULE

» Day 3 » Day 5 » Day 8 » Day 11 » Day 14 Sunday, Feb. 14 Tuesday, Feb. 16 Friday, Feb. 19 Monday, Feb. 22 Thursday, Feb. 25 Pairs Men’s Compulsory , Women’s short program short program dance free program Hockey The venue,also the host site Place: of short-track , 4:30-7:55 p.m. 4:15-8:45 p.m. 4:45-8:05 p.m. *4:45-8:55 p.m. *5-8:55 p.m. is the home arena of the WHL’s Giants.

» Day 4 » Day 7 » Day 10 » Day 12 » Day 16 Pacific Coliseum Monday, Feb. 15 Thursday, Feb. 18 Sunday, Feb. 21 Tuesday, Feb. 23 Saturday, Feb. 27 Pairs Men’s , Women’s Exhibition Gala free program free program ice dance short program 4:30-7 p.m. *4:15-8:55 p.m. *5-9:05 p.m. 4:15-7:45 p.m. 4:30-9 p.m. 1 * Indicates medal event

DECONSTRUCTING THE GAMES : A balancing act Canwest News Service writer Dan Barnes offers some insight into one of the Games’ most intricate sports:

5.LOCK INTO POSITION Mastering the ‘ toe-triple toe- 4.TECHNIQUE “The arms,in my personal opinion,should be held in the centre of the body or slightly As one of the to the right of the axis of rotation.The feet are crossed in the air.You’re rotating in a quad triple loop’combination world’s best trained jump at 300 to 350 RPM.The quad jump in terms of time in the air is .6 (of a second). technicians,it’s easy The head has to maintain control over the axis of rotation.It is focusing you directly over 3.SPEED the axis of rotation.You’re locked into position.To dismount,Plushenko’s free leg comes We asked former Canadian medallist and world-championship competitor for Plushenko “Plushenko’s quad to tack on the extra out first,he lands on his right foot,on the back outside edge.He might flatten it out to Ben Ferreira,now head coach at the Royal Glenora Club in ,to dissect reset for the triple,so he will toe in again with his left foot.” one of the sport’s most impressive feats,’s quad toe-triple is more quick. two jumps if the toe-triple loop combination,first performed at the 2002 Cup of . It’s not that high. quad is landed Once he lands it, cleanly.Like Ferreira, 1.ATHLETE ON AUTO-PILOT 2.A FINE BALANCE if it’s a good one, Plushenko rotates he carries the “We’re putting our left toe in the ice counter-clockwise “There is really no thought process at momentum and what we’ve got to do is get that in the air. this point;all of that has been done in through to the right foot to pass that toe and as training.The quad is critical to the triple toe.He’s you’re climbing up,you’ve got to get combination and the fundamentals got a nice breath into the axis of rotation backspin of the quad come from your triple between the quad very quickly in order to get this jump.You can feel it in a triple jump, and the triple done.You want to get into the axis of as you’re coming down from the air where he can reset rotation on the first turn and be well there is a little space at the end.The himself.Plushenko balanced.Then the jump will challenge is to stay in for that extra can hold an edge turn itself.The challenge is not turn and it should land itself.The longer than most.” mistake is to rush it because there are to let the upper body four rotations.It’s the same as the move ahead because triple jump,you’re just holding in for it will pull the body the extra rotation.” outside the axis of rotation.That’s why the timing is critical. 6.THE FINAL TOUCH “The loop on the end is a different jump.You don’t toe into the ice.You land the triple toe and take off for the triple loop on the same foot. For Plushenko,after the quad and triple toe,the loop is a cakewalk.”

THE ATHLETES Former Canadian and world champion fought to the top of the figure-skating heap despite the fact his was not an archetypal body for the sport.Short in stature,he came at the sport from an oblique angle, mixing martial arts into programs that were more athletic than balletic. Body strength Height and Whatever their height, weight skaters need refined core TOES AND EDGES Generally strength in order to speaking, control the movement There are six jumps in skating and they are divided into two groups,toe jumps and edge jumps, of their bodies in the air named for the takeoff technique since all except the Axel are landed on the right back outside edge. men’s singles skaters range in height from during three or four rota- Toe jumps are the toe loop,flip and Lutz,while edge jumps are the Salchow,loop and Axel.The Axel tions of a given jump. is the only jump requiring a forward takeoff.Since that stance adds a half-revolution to the process, 5-foot-8 to six feet, the triple Axel is thought by some skaters to be almost as difficult as a quad toe or Lutz. much taller than Leg strength is important Stojko,who stood just and most skaters have 5-foot-7. well-developed quads. In pairs skating,the male AXEL half of the team will likely “The women have to be An edge jump.The skater launches on the be at least 5-foot-8 while strong as well,”said Mike forward outside edge and lands on the his partner is more apt to Slipchuk,’s back outside edge of the opposite foot. be about 5-foot-1 and weigh about 100 director of high performance.Ladies singles pounds.The male skater must have solid skaters need a “very high rate of stability”in upper body strength and great balance order to hold themselves upright in the air, SALCHOW in order to perform lifts and throws. said Slipchuk,and a strong core is necessary. An edge jump.The skater takes off from a back inside edge and lands on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. MEDAL FAVOURITES Canadians solid medal contender in Virtue and have FLIP are legitimate men’s singles.He is the been a top-five entity for A toe jump that takes off from a back medal threats reigning world silver a couple of years and won inside edge and lands on the back in three of the four events medallist,after all. bronze at the 2009 worlds. outside edge of the opposite foot. and have an outside shot at So,too,is , Pairs is the only question the podium in pairs. “The Rocket”,a powerful mark at this point, has already jumper who can be counted since 2007 world bronze LUTZ won a big event in Vancou- on for Grand Prix victories medallists Jessica Dube ver,The Four Continents, and is therefore in the mix. and have A counter-rotated toe jump that takes and will be looked upon as a slipped down the rankings. off from a back outside edge and And in ice dance,Tessa lands on the back outside edge of the opposite foot.

LOOP/TOE LOOP A loop is an edge jump,where the skater takes off from the back outside edge and lands on the same back Chan Rochette Virtue Moir Dube Davison outside edge.A toe loop also takes off and lands on the back outside The international skaters Tong,along with Germans of and edge,with an assist from the toe. with a chance at the dance Aliona Savchenko/Robin Americans podium include the U.S. Szolkowy. and are in teams of Tanith Belbin/ the mix for a podium spot SMART FACT: OLYMPIC SCANDAL LEADS TO OVERHAUL OF THE SPORT ’s and Mao and Meryl Asada,Korea’s Yu-Na Kim — in men’s singles.Evgeni Davis/Charlie White. the reigning world champ Plushenko of Russia has In the wake of Salt Lake City’s assigns concrete marks and in 2009 with a score of 207.71 after exceeded expectations in judging scandal,figure skating degrees of difficulty to every both the short and long programs, In pairs,look for the Chinese — and ’s Laura teams of Dan Zhang/Hao Lepisto are the top con- his celebrated comeback invented a new system for scoring. element of a skater’s program. becoming the first woman to and will contend. Called the Code of Points,it is basi- There is still room for subjectivity, exceed 200 points.Patrick Chan’s Zhang and Qing Pang/Jian tenders in ladies singles. cally the brainchild of a Canadian, but most skaters approve of the personal best of 249.19 last year former skater and judge Ted system.Yu-Na Kim of Korea set a was the highest score by a male Barton of Vancouver.The system record at the worlds in skater that season.

FOR MORE ON THE 2010 WINTER GO TO VANCOUVERSUN.COM/2010

GRAPHICS:BY ROGER WATANABE AND MAGGIE WONG/VANCOUVER SUN 2010Lysacek H.Zhang D.Zhang Kim Joubert Plushenko