When I was a little girl, my parents bought me a cute little pair of double runner ice skates. The skates were pink and strapped right on to my shoe! Those little pink skates gave me so much joy! I had no fear of the ice. I happily skated with my parents and siblings for hours! Just a bit later, I tried to skate on "real" figure skates. It took a few moments to realize that balancing on a single blade did not feel the same, but soon, I was enjoying skating even more.
Ice skating on double runner blades will not cause any harm and may give young children confidence on the ice, but "real figure skating" is just not possible on double runners.
Double Runner Figure Skates - PriceGrabber Shopping Image
Patrick Chan, Evan Lysacek, and Brian Joubert - Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Figure skating fans have a hard time telling the difference between triple toe loops and triple toe Walleys, triple flips, and triple Lutzes. All these jumps require a toe pick vaulting action.
Both the toe loop jump and toe walley jump are similar since the toe pick assist is done with the same foot for either jump. What makes the two jumps different is the entry edge. Lutzes and flips also can be distinguished by the entry edge. A Lutz must be taken off from a back outside edge, and staying on that back outside edge can be very difficult. If a skater allows the blade to change to an inside edge, the jump does not receive full credit and becomes a Flutz.
Flip Jump Take Off - Photo Still by JO ANN Schneider Farris
I was so very sad to hear that Russian figure skater, Andrei Lutai, will not be competing in the Olympics. Just last week, after competing in Skate America, Lutai was arrested in Lake Placid, New York. He has been charged with drunk driving and auto theft. In response, the Russian Skating Federation has banned Lutai from competitive figure skating for one year. Lutai's Olympic dreams "went out the door" because of one stupid move.
Russian Figure Skater Andrei Lutai - Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images
