Before you become an expert in a particular field, you must first know the basics. In every sport, mastering the basics is the first step to achieving success. It is always good to know that these basics would not be the basics that they are now if no one would have done them in the past. The certain moves, glides, and slides would not have been practiced by many athletes now if not for the professionals who have done them in the past. Figure Skating is one of the most popular winter sports, and now let us reminisce and travel back in time as we recall the sport’s firsts.
Jackson Haines, 1976 Hall of Fame for Figure Skating from the United States of America, was first to wear blades permanently attached to the boots. He also introduced figure skating with musical accompaniment and become the standard afterwards. Axel Paulsen from Norway, 1976 Hall of Fame, first performed the Axel jump in 1882, which was later on named after him. The Axel jump is a figure skating jump with a forward take off. Swedish skater Ulrich Salchow , 1976 Hall of Fame, first developed ice skates with slightly serrated blades. He also invented the Salchow jump, a jump with a back inside take off edge and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. Another figure skating jump is the loop jump, which take offs on a back outside edge and lands on the same edge. The loop jump is invented by skater Werner Rittberger, and is sometimes called the Rittberger in Europe.
Alois Lutz first performed the Lutz in competition in 1913, which is a toe-pick jump which takes off on the back outside edge and lands on the same edge of the opposite foot. Norwegian skater Sonja Henie, 10-time World Champion in figure skating and included in the 1976 Hall of Fame, introduced the short knee-length skirt during her routines. Female skaters traditionally wear baggy clothing and long skirts while skating, and Sonja Henie broke tradition. She was also the first female to perform an Axel jump. Cecilia Colledge, 1980 Hall of Fame in figure skating from Great Britain, was the first female to perform a double jump in a competition. She also first performed the Camel spin (leaning forward while free leg is extended backwards and knee is above hip level) and the Layback spin (upright spin where the back is arched, free leg in attitude position and the head is bent) which were originally made for women.
Dick Button was the first to perform a double Axel in a competition and a triple loop jump. He also invented the flying camel spin in the 1940s which was then called Button camel. Carol Heiss-Jenkins, 1976 Hall of Fame from the USA, was the first female to land a double Axel. She was known for doing a series of alternating clockwise and counterclockwise single axels.
The first skater to land a triple Axel in a competition was Vern Taylor in the 1978 World Figure Skating Championships. Midori Ito from Japan, 2004 Hall of Fame, was the first female to so in the 1988 NHK trophy.
It is always good to know a sport’s firsts. It will make us realize that really, all things come from something, and all these things can evolve into something bigger and better. The above mentioned people started it, and it is time for the next generations to continue what they have initiated.
