Category: Freestyle

I wrote about the cross-foot spin in a previous post. This post is about how its neglect led to different requirements for male and female skaters. The cross-foot spin became a short program requirement for men parallel to the layback spin requirement for women in 1975. It also began to parallel the layback spin in… Continue reading Layback & cross-foot spins →

One feature that differentiates jumps in figure skating is the takeoff edge. Jumps can start on any edge, but nearly all finish on the backward outside edge. The flip, for example, begins on a backward inside edge. In contrast, the Lutz takeoff is on a backward outside edge. These two jumps are otherwise identical: a… Continue reading Takeoff edges →

The cross-foot spin is a figure skating move that was once quite popular but is rarely performed today. Laurence Owen performed one at the end of her 1961 National Championship-winning free skate (jump ahead to 4:30 if you just want to see the final spin combination): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0114AudgYms While I was looking for a video, I… Continue reading The cross-foot spin →