Quarter jumps in female figure skating have been a subject of debate for many years amateurs and specialists of this discipline. These complex elements, requiring tremendous physical capabilities and incredible skill, can easily bring their performers the highest points with which you can win any competition. A whole generation of new skaters builds their careers around quadruple jumps and achieves victories with their help.
However, these jumps are still not fully legalized. Adults and young skaters are allowed to execute them, but only in free programs. Short rentals remain clearly regulated - they must contain a double or triple axel, any other triple jump, as well as a cascade of two triple or one triple and one double jump. An attempt to complete the fourth jump will only lead to the fact that he will not receive a single hundredth point, and it will be impossible to complete another jumping element instead. The same applies to double jumps, unless otherwise specified, and single jumps - the rules in this sense are quite strict and are not directed only against quadruple jumps.
Gradually, these restrictions cause more criticism, and the requirements to abolish them are becoming louder. First, famous coaches and figure skaters spoke about this, and now the Russian Figure Skating Federation has taken their side. Its president, Alexander Gorshkov, has announced that he will ask the International Skating Union (ISU) to change the rules next season.
“Our federation has initiated consideration of the issue of allowing quadruple jumps in the short program among women,” RIA Novosti quoted Gorshkova as saying.
“The change in the technical rules is as follows: proposals are sent until September, which our federation did. We are waiting for a response from the technical committee, which should follow before the start of the congress, ”the general director of the FFKKR Alexander Kogan described the procedure.
The ISU Congress will be held in the summer of 2020 in Thailand, so there will be no changes in the rules until the next season. Figure skaters will have to compete under the current regulation for another year.
The arguments of those who want to allow quadruple jumps in short programs are understandable. In our time, this element can no longer be considered quite rare. Five active skaters have already performed pure quad jumps at official competitions. The list of “quadists”, as they are called in the world of figure skating, includes Russians Anna Shcherbakova, Alexandra Trusova and Kamila Valieva, as well as Kazakhstani Elizabeth Tursynbaeva and American Alisa Liu. In addition to them, several more skaters tried to perform quadruple jumps in training.
At one time, exactly the same restriction existed among men - in the late 1990s, four-turn jumps were allowed only in free programs, and in short rents only a few mandatory elements had to be performed, among which there were no four jumps. This rule is hopelessly outdated, and it is already difficult to imagine that one of the men did not start a short program with at least a fourth sheepskin coat.
The ban on quadruple jumps in short programs also theoretically puts the “quadists” in unequal conditions with the “trixelists” - figure skaters armed with a triple axel. They can perform this jump three times in two rentals, although it also belongs in terms of complexity to the elements of "ultra-si" and has a huge price compared to other elements. Three triple axels have a base value of 24 points, and two quadruple lutz - 23. Tulup and salchows will bring even less points to their performers. At the same time, mistakes in quadruple jumps are punished more strictly - the flip and the lutz can get fines not only for undercuts, but also for incorrect repulsion ribs.
To many fans, especially from Russia, the current version of the rules seems to be behind the times. After all, figure skating is developing, and no restrictions should stop this progress. If someone has the strength to show elements that others can’t afford, then athletes should use this and gain more cherished points.
However, at the moment, permission to perform quadruple jumps in a short program can lead to a number of deplorable consequences. Already now, one cannot help but notice the huge gap that has formed between Trusova and Shcherbakova and the rest of the skaters. They compete in their own league, not letting anyone in the first places, even if they were not able to score many points in the short program. “Trixelists,” who in theory should use the opportunity to perform one jump more, still lose. And this difference will become even greater if you allow one or even two quadruple jumps to be performed in a short program.
In a completely hopeless situation, there will be skaters who do not make extremely complicated jumps at all. As a rule, such athletes try to score their points with the help of components - choreography, skate possession and imagery. But their limit in the short program for technology is 30–34 points. Only the most titled girls can receive more on a regular basis. “Quadists" are enough to make two jumps in solo and cascade to get almost the same points. At the same time, efforts will be completely different.
The cancellation of another rule, which causes no less irritation, could solve this problem. These are the so-called “factors” - coefficients by which points for components are multiplied. If for men in the short program the second mark coincides with the one set by the judges, then for girls it is multiplied by 0.8 and becomes lower. Technique is evaluated equally. In arbitrary programs, the “factors” are 2 in men and 1.6 in women. Since the girls have already begun to perform quadruple jumps and there is a demand to legalize them in a short program, then the rating for the components should be like that of men. However, this amendment for skaters still exists and inhibits the development of their choreographic skills.
The abolition of existing rules will also provoke a chase for quadruple jumps with renewed vigor, and it will negatively affect the quality of execution not only of themselves, but also of the rest of the elements. Why should you devote time to other jumps, spins and choreography if the lion's share of points will still be brought by quadruples?
The last stage of the Grand Prix in China showed that the judges are not going to generously endow for the mere fact of performing such jumps. Shcherbakova did not receive as many points as she expected, since her four-member Lutz was rated much stricter. Nobody needs such nit-picking and small judicial scandals, but the higher the stakes, the more they will be.
The imposition of restrictions is not necessarily a step backward and a halt in development. More recently, figure skating did not cease controversy surrounding the jumps in the second half of the program. Until 2018, you could put them all at the end of the program and earn extra points on this. As a result, it was decided to keep this bonus valid, but not to extend it to all jumps.
The situation with quadruple jumps is exactly the same. They are generally allowed, but must take their place, namely - in arbitrary rentals, in which the skaters are by default free to perform anything. And the very essence of short programs is that they consist of a certain set of mandatory elements, and if this principle is called into question, then it is worth considering the abolition of the mandatory execution of an axel or other elements. You can go further and stop observing the rules aimed at a variety of jumps, because for those who are easiest to be given edge jumps, I probably would like only to perform them.
Sooner or later, ISU will still have to allow women to quadruple in short programs, as was the case with men. But maintaining the balance that exists now is also necessary.