Top Ten Picks (plus 2) for Men at Olympic Winter Games

No Cinderella Story for Ilia Malinin at US Nationals - What Was U.S. Figure Skating Thinking? - Bronze medal contender left at home to watch Olympic Winter Games on TV.

2022 European Championships

After holding the European Championships in 2010, 2022 Europeans again take place in Tallinn, the beautiful historic capital of the small country of Estonia, with only 1.3 million people on the Baltic Sea between Russia, Finland and Latvia. It had been part of the Soviet Union until 1991 and then became an independent country again, as it had been before the First World War. About two third of the population are Estonians and one third feels more Russian from the Soviet times.  Today Estonia is part of the European Union and the currency is the Euro.

Because of Covid-19, the Europeans in 2021 were cancelled, so this is the first Europeans after 2020 in Graz, Austria. In an unusual step, due to Covid-19 restrictions in China, the Four Continents Championships will also be held in Tallinn the following week.

Russian Pairs Sweep European Championships

Mark Kondratiuk Takes European Men's Title

Sinitsina and Katsalapov Take European Dance Title

© International Skating Union (ISU)

Russian Women Sweep European Championships

© International Skating Union (ISU)

2022 U.S. Nationals Reports and Photos

Premiere U.S. Skaters Light Up Nashville

Ilia Malinin Triple Axel: WOW

Jason Brown Triple Axel + Double Toe Loop Slideshow on YouTube

Senior Women medalists (left to right):  Karen Chen, Mariah Bell, Isabeau Levito, Gabriella Izzo

Senior Men medalists (left to right):  Ilia Malinin, Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou, Jason Brown

Senior Pairs medalists (left to right):  Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson, Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc, Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov, Emily Chan and Spencer Howe

Senior Ice Dance Medalists (left to right):  Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, Madiosn Chock and Evan Bates, Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, Caroline Green and Michael Parsons

Tennell Withdraws from U.S. Nationals

(30 December 2021)  Bradie Tennell has withdrawn from the 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nashville, Tennessee.  No reason has been provided at this time.

Tennell withdrew from the 2021 Skate America Grand Prix earlier in the season due to a foot injury.  She subsequently withdrew from the Grand Prix of Italy and the CS Cup of Austria.

U.S. skaters have been named to international teams in the past without having competed at U.S. Nationals, but having missed her entire season, it is unlikely she would be named to the Olympic Team even if she were fit to skate prior to the Games. Nevertheless, she has petitioned to be named to the team.  The women members of the team will be selected following the conclusion of the Women's event in Nashville, based on results at Nationals and previous competition results.

Is Hanyu Quad Axel Quest a Fool's Errand?

by George S. Rossano

(26 December 2021)  Yuzuru Hanyu won his sixth Japanese national title with 322.26 points. In his free skate he attempted the first quad Axel in competition, a jump he has set his sights on for several years, and a goal that has cost him injury and missed competition this season in the ISU Grand Prix.  His attempt in Saitama was missing more than one-half rotation and was landed  on two feet.  A downgraded quad Axel with a GoE of -5 has a value of 4.00 points, less than a base value triple toe loop.

The attempt is the first jump in his free skate program

In In Search of the Quad Axel we discuss the height and rotation requirements to successfully fully rotate a quad Axel.

Playing the above competition video at one-quarter speed and measuring the time in the air several times, we come up with a time in the air of 0.75 seconds.  This is about as much time in the air that elite skaters ever achieve.  To fully rotate an attempt with that time in the air requires an average rotation rate in the air of 6.0 rotations per second and a peak rotation rate of nearly 7 rotations or more, which is where the attempt comes far short.

The average rotation rate of this attempt is 5.3 rotations per second, well above what is typical for a triple Axel, but far short of what is needed for a quad Axel; in other words, not even close.

Breaking this down a little further, Hanyu's rotation rate is significantly greater on the first half of flight (takeoff to peak of the jump) and well over 6 rotations a second, but much slower on the second half.  So the problem is not a lack of torque and initial angular momentum on the takeoff.  Rather the problem is control of the moment of inertia in the air.  That is, the main flaw in this attempt is the air position that slows the rotation.

In this attempt, there is too much "light" between the legs, which are not perfectly straight and the elbows stick out too far with the arms not tight against the torso - with a look we refer to as "helicopter arms."  These three position defects increase the moment of inertia and slow the rotation rate.

Comparing Hanyu's air position to Nathan Chens' there is a significant difference in technique between the two.  Chen uses flat palms against the chest with forearms fully in contact with the torso.  Hanyu uses a fist into palm, in front of the sternum.  Hanyu's position leaves the elbows farther from the rotation axis than Chen and allows the elbows to more easily open outwards away from the rotation axis.  Chen's position is more stable and resistant to "helicopter arms" in the air.

Getting more takeoff angular momentum for this jump is probably not obtainable, so to get this jump to full rotation would require reducing the moment of inertia by 12% or more.  Whether Hanyu can improve the position enough to get there remain to be seen, but given how long he was worked on this jump and how far off the mark it still is dynamically, it seems unlikely.

The question we asked earlier in the season remains.  Does Hanyu want to be a three time Olympic Champion, or does he want to be the first skater who attempted a quad Axel at the Olympics and lost.

Interview with Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, Italian Ice Dance Champions

Initial Covid Policies for Beijing Winter Games Announced

(30 September 2021)  The International Olympic Committee held an Executive Board meeting September 29, 2021, in the presence of the International Paralympic Committee. Beijing 2022 informed the Executive Board of the principles that will help deliver safe and successful Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as scheduled.

The principles presented by Beijing 2022 will be detailed in documents referred to as Playbooks. The first version of these Playbooks will be released in late October 2021. A second version will then be published in December 2021.

The following preliminary principles were announced by the Executive Board.

1. Vaccination policy

   • All athletes and Games participants who are fully vaccinated will enter the closed-loop management system upon arrival. Games participants who are not fully vaccinated will have to serve a 21-day quarantine upon arrival in Beijing.

   • Athletes who can provide a justified medical exemption will have their cases considered.

   • All vaccines recognized by WHO or related international organizations, or approved officially by the countries or regions concerned, will be accepted.

2. Games-time closed-loop management

   • From 23 January until the end of the Paralympics, a closed-loop management system will be implemented to ensure the safe delivery of the Games. This closed-loop management system will cover all Games-related areas, including arrival and departure, transport, accommodation, catering, competitions, and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Within the closed loop, participants will be allowed to move only between Games-related venues for training, competitions and work. A dedicated Games transport system will be put in place.

3. Spectators/Ticketing

   • Tickets will be sold exclusively to spectators residing in China’s mainland, who meet the requirements of the COVID-19 countermeasures.

   • Specific requirements on COVID-19 countermeasures for spectators from China’s mainland and the details of ticketing arrangements are under discussion and development, and will be released to the public in due course once they are finalized.

4. Accredited guest policy

   • Beijing 2022 and the IOC underlined that all activities are being assessed and optimized to focus on essential aspects of Games delivery. Stakeholders will apply this principle for their plans and delegation composition.

   • In line with this principle, the IOC EB decided to cancel the accompanying guest category for all stakeholders.

5. Travel

   • Beijing 2022 will assist those stakeholders that are not in a position to book their pre-Games or Games-time flights independently.

6. Accommodation

   • Besides athletes and some delegation officials who are accompanying athletes living in the Villages, all participants travelling to Beijing will reside in Beijing 2022-contracted hotels that will be compliant with the COVID-19 countermeasures for the Games.

7. Testing

   • All domestic and international Games participants and workforce in the closed-loop management system will be subject to daily testing.

What It Means

Participants who are not fully vaccinated will have to arrive in Beijing three weeks earlier than they might have planned to quarantine.  This would seem to say unvaccinated athletes would lose three weeks of training time prior to the games if they cannot get an exemption - a disruption in training no athlete can afford.

The closed loop management system appears it will be organized as an extended "bubble," with participants confined to official hotels, venues, food service locations and the official transportation system.  This would seem to preclude moving about the city outside of the bubble at any time, starting with arrival at the airport, and ending with departure at the end of the games.

There will be daily testing of all participants.  Where and how this will be done is yet to be announced.

Participants will be required to stay in LOC-contracted hotels.  Anyone who booked a non-contracted hotel will now have to try and obtain accommodations through the LOC, which is something that needed to be completed at the beginning of the year.  This will no doubt induce sticker shock for some media who attempted to save on the cost of accommodations by not using LOC-contracted hotels.  For example, earlier in the year it was possible to book non-contracted hotels for less than half the price of contracted hotels - in some cases a savings of over $2000 (or more) for a 20 day stay at the games.  The LOC has announced adjustments to the accommodation booking and cancellation policies to deal with expected cancellations and new bookings.

Spectators from non-mainland China will be prohibited.

Other Rumors

Rumors have swirled for several weeks concerning policies for participants at the games.  One of these was the 21 day quarantine, which we now know applies to non-vaccinated participants. Another rumor concerns details of the vaccination policy, which we will not repeat, as the current policy announcement seems quite clear that fully vaccinated participants with WHO recognized vaccines will meet requirements.

One further rumor which we will repeat, is that media will not be allowed to bring their cell phones and computers into the country, and will be given LOC provided devices that will then be returned at the end of the games.

When first hearing of this, the purpose was hard to understand, but subsequently a news report out of Lithuania provided a hint of what may be involved here.

Recently the government of Lithuania advised its country's residents to stop using Chinese manufactured cell phones, as the devices were found to censor hundreds of terms in internet use that the Chines government finds objectionable.  In addition, the devices are said to provide usage information to a server in Singapore, that is suspected of providing the usage  information to Chinese authorities.

Putting two and two together, it is reasonable to suspect the purpose of the rumored games devices policy is to force all media to use devices that have installed malware that will allow Chinese authorities to monitor everything media say and do on the devices during the games.  We have no proof of this, but it certainly sounds in-character for the Chinese government; and if the policy is implemented, a reasonable person would conduct themself assuming everything they do with the devices will be monitored by Chinese authorities.

Bradley Lord’s 1961 U.S. Gold-Medal Winning Performance

A Template for the Ages

by Liz Leamy

(7 May 2021)  In light of the fact that this past winter marks the 60-year anniversary of the 1961 U.S. World figure skating team who tragically lost their lives on the Sabena Flight 548 crash near Brussels, Belgium on route to the World Figure Skating Championships that February, it is enlightening, inspirational and gratifying to learn about the incredible depth and talent, as well as the touching personal stories of those individuals who had been on that flight.

Bradley Lord, in particular, was a driven and talented 21 year-old top American contender who represented the Skating Club of Boston at the 1961 U.S. Championships in Colorado Springs where he famously clinched his first U.S. title with a remarkable free skate that still stands in terms of its choreography, execution and overall layout.

Lord, who had been second in the figure portion of that competition, held at the original Broadmoor World Arena, triumphantly pulled up to the first place overall with his electric program, edging out his talented rival, Gregory Kelley, a 16 year-old Newton, Massachusetts native who was the 1959 U.S. junior champion who wound up claiming silver at the 1961 U.S. Championships to earn a spot on that U.S. World team.

Skating to an operatic medley of Pagliacci, La Taviata and Sleeping Beauty, with visible determination, command and strength, Lord, who came from a family of Italian descent and lived in Swampscott, a North Shore coastline town nearly 15 miles north of Boston, demonstrated astonishing technical and artistic aptitude as well as notable speed and energy throughout his entire program, performing every primary turn and step including rockers, counters, loops, Mohawks and Choctaws performed in both directions, among other notable things.

At the same time, Lord does some show stopping moves, including a back-to-front pivot with a complete change of direction, clockwise-direction split jump (he is a counter-clockwise jumper and spinner) and double loop landed on a left-back inside edge, all of which generated thunderous applause from the packed crowd at the Broadmoor arena.

For Lord, it was all about doing his best.

“After I had skated, I felt I did the best I could,” said Lord, who attended Boston University and had wanted to eventually pursue a career in commercial art. “As long as I had done [my] best, I was happy. I knew Greg [Kelley] was a strong free skater and it all depended on how I did.”

Although this program dates all the way back from 1961, and Lord’s technical content consisted of double jumps (all of which were high, fast and technically solid), his components were dazzling on all counts and could still stand in competition today.

Specifically, his connecting steps were rich and complex, his skating skills were superior and his choreography and presentation is intriguing, full of depth and clear, powerful and effective in terms of its narrative and messaging, rendering this program as a true template for much of what the International Judging System stands for today.

Lord, who had placed fourth at the 1960 U.S. Championships and sixth at that year’s World Championships, was coached by Montgomery ‘Bud’ Wilson, a Canadian Olympic bronze medalist (who was awarded the Bronze Star for heroic military efforts as an artillery officer during World War II) at the Skating Club of Boston, who also did the choreography for this program as well.

Known as a ‘great guy and friend’ among his peers at the storied Skating Club of Boston venue where he trained all the way from the group lesson level up through the National and World Championship level, Lord had faced some struggles throughout his competitive career.

For one, he was said to have worked extremely hard to pay for his skating expenses, and had taken several aside jobs to help cover costs.

Further, Lord labored extremely hard to get through the challenging eight U.S. Figure Skating school figure tests, most of which did not come easy to him (or most anyone else, for that matter).

At the same time, Lord worked dogmatically to prepare to face off against Gregory Kelley, the formidable young American international contender who was fifth at the 1960 U.S. Championships and ninth at the1960 Worlds.

Known for his terrific speed and high jumps, Kelley, like Lord, had worked with Montgomery Wilson for many years at the Skating Club of Boston, but had made a coaching change several years prior to the 1961 U.S. Championships so he could train with Eduard ‘Edi’ Scholdan, an Austrian figure skater and coach at the Broadmoor Arena in Colorado Springs.

Somehow, all of these challenges only seemed to motivate Lord in his pursuit of winning the 1961 U.S. title, something that was evident in his victorious free skate performance.

Ultimately, his impact among those who knew him, just as like his skating, was potent and still resonates to this day.

“Bradley was so nice. He would always come by to chat to see how we were all doing,” said Nancy Madden Leamy, a U.S. national coach based in Greenwich, Connecticut who trained with Lord at the Skating Club of Boston growing up. (She was also coached by Montgomery Wilson.) “We all worked hard at the club and then many of us would then go out to eat afterward and would sit together and just talk and laugh. It was a lot of fun and we had a good time.”

Certainly, the legacy of all the talented and fascinating members of the 1961 U.S. World team, as illustrated in the work and story of Bradley Lord, has had a great effect on so many and continues to serve as a powerful prototype and means of inspiration today for those who comprise the domestic and global skating world in terms of their skating, determination and perhaps more than anything, heart.