.gif)
Death spiral (figure skating)
Encyclopedia
Death spiral is an element of pair skating
performed with the man in a pivot position, one toe anchored in the ice
. Holding his hand, the woman circles her partner on a deep edge with her body almost parallel to the ice. It is a required element in pair skating
.
Death spirals can be performed in all four variants of inside/outside and forward/backward edges. The outside edge death spirals are considered more difficult than the inside edge variants, with the forward outside death spiral the most difficult of all.
Pairs may increase their score by incorporating a difficult entry or exit and/or holding the position during the death spiral. These may be one of the spiral positions, the Biellmann, shoot-the-duck, or other position. Pairs may also change the hand hold during the death spiral.
, although it was first performed with the skaters holding both hands and the lady not fully lowered towards the ice. The current one-handed version was developed in the 1940s by the Canadian pair Suzanne Morrow
and Wallace Diestelmeyer. The other death spiral variants were invented by Ludmila Belousova
and Oleg Protopopov
in the 1960s. They assigned the following names to them: Cosmic spiral (Backward Inside), Life spiral (Forward Inside), and Love spiral (Forward Outside).
, the death spiral is abbreviated as "Ds" in the protocol, with the edge listed before and the level listed afterwards. The abbreviations are:
A level three backward inside death spiral would be written as BiDs3.
For the 2007-2008 season, the back inside death spiral was the required death spiral for the senior pairs short program. For the 2008-2009 season, the required death spiral was the forward inside.
Pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...
performed with the man in a pivot position, one toe anchored in the ice
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
. Holding his hand, the woman circles her partner on a deep edge with her body almost parallel to the ice. It is a required element in pair skating
Pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...
.
Variations
Pairs may increase their score by incorporating a difficult entry or exit and/or holding the position during the death spiral. These may be one of the spiral positions, the Biellmann, shoot-the-duck, or other position. Pairs may also change the hand hold during the death spiral.
History
The backward outside death spiral was invented in the early 1900s by Charlotte OelschlagelCharlotte Oelschlagel
Charlotte Oelschlägel, aka Charlotte Hayward was a German professional skater. For most of her life, she used only her first name as her stage name....
, although it was first performed with the skaters holding both hands and the lady not fully lowered towards the ice. The current one-handed version was developed in the 1940s by the Canadian pair Suzanne Morrow
Suzanne Morrow
Suzanne Morrow Francis was a Canadian figure skater. She competed in pairs with Wallace Diestelmeyer. The couple won the bronze medal at the 1948 Winter Olympics and the 1948 World Figure Skating Championships...
and Wallace Diestelmeyer. The other death spiral variants were invented by Ludmila Belousova
Ludmila Belousova
Ludmila Yevgenyevna Belousova is a Russian pair skater who represented the Soviet Union. With her partner Oleg Protopopov, she is a two-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion .- Career :Belousova started skating relatively late, at age 16. She met Protopopov in 1954 and they began...
and Oleg Protopopov
Oleg Protopopov
Oleg Alekseyevich Protopopov is a Russian pair skater who represented the Soviet Union. With his partner Ludmila Belousova, he is a two-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion .- Career :Protopopov started skating relatively late, at age 15...
in the 1960s. They assigned the following names to them: Cosmic spiral (Backward Inside), Life spiral (Forward Inside), and Love spiral (Forward Outside).
ISU Judging System
Under the ISU Judging SystemISU Judging System
The ISU Judging System , is the scoring system on the event and on the level of competition. At the senior international level, single and pairs short programs contain eight technical elements. The actual eight elements are detailed for single skaters in ISU rule 310...
, the death spiral is abbreviated as "Ds" in the protocol, with the edge listed before and the level listed afterwards. The abbreviations are:
| Edge | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Forward Inside | FiDs |
| Forward Outside | FoDs |
| Backward Inside | BiDs |
| Backward Outside | BoDs |
A level three backward inside death spiral would be written as BiDs3.
For the 2007-2008 season, the back inside death spiral was the required death spiral for the senior pairs short program. For the 2008-2009 season, the required death spiral was the forward inside.