Figure skating spins

thumb|[[Amber Glenn|Amber Glenn performing an upright spin]]

Spins are an element in figure skating in which the skater rotates, centered on a single point on the ice, while holding one or more body positions. They are performed by all disciplines of the sport, single skating, pair skating, and ice dance, and are a required element in most figure skating competitions. As The New York Times says, "While jumps look like sport, spins look more like art. While jumps provide the suspense, spins provide the scenery, but there is so much more to the scenery than most viewers have time or means to grasp". However, as researchers Lee Cabell and Erica Bateman stated in 2018, "Unfortunately, modern figure skaters often do not achieve these types of revolutions because the rules require skaters to perform spins in different body positions".

World champion and commentator Scott Hamilton reported that Robertson would spin so fast that he would break blood vessels in his hands. According to Scott Hamilton, spins are often used "as breathing points or transitions to bigger things"

Upright spin

thumb|[[Denise Biellmann, 2011]]

The upright spin is one of the three basic figure skating spin positions. The ISU defines an upright spin as a spin with "any position with the skating leg extended or slightly bent which is not a camel position". It was invented by British figure skater Cecilia Colledge, who was the first to execute it. Variations of the upright spin include the layback spin, the Biellman spin (created by world champion Denise Biellmann), the full layback, the split, the back upright spin, the forward upright spin, the scratch spin (also called the blur spin), and the sideways leaning spin

Sit spin

The sit spin, invented by American figure skater Jackson Haines, "represents one of the most important spins in skating". It is executed on one foot, in a sitting position, with the knee of the skating leg bent in a one-legged crouch position and the free leg held in front, to the side, or to the back. It is difficult to learn, requires a great deal of energy, and may not be as exciting to perform as other elements, such as jumps, but it has variations that make it more creative and pleasurable to watch.

Camel spin

Colledge was responsible for the invention of the camel spin (also called the parallel spin); she was the first to perform it in the mid-1930s. Writer Ellyn Kestnbaum speculates that the camel and layback spins, which "heightened the visual function of the skater creating interesting shapes with her body", were, for the first ten years after their inventions, performed mostly by women and not by men because it was easier for women to achieve the interesting shapes the camel spin creates than it is for men. American skater Dick Button, however, performed the first forward camel spin, a variation of the camel spin, and spins became a regular part of the repertoire of male skaters. The camel spin is executed on one foot and is an adaptation of the arabesque ballet pose to the ice. When executed well, the stretch of the body should create a slight arch or straight line.

Flying spins

A flying spin is the combination of a jump and a spin. A flying spin can be appealing for the audience to watch and exciting for the skater to perform. Petrovich describes three types of flying spins: the flying camel, the flying sit spin, and the butterfly. The flying camel consists of a jump from a left forward outside edge, about one revolution in the air, with the landing executed in a camel spin. Dick Button might have been the first skater to successfully execute the flying camel; for many years, it was called the "Button camel". The flying sit spin was first performed by Buddy Vaughn and Bill Grimditch, who were students of figure skating coach Gustav Lussi, but Button and Ronnie Robertson made it famous. It consists of a take-off from a left forward outside edge, a sit spin position in the air during one-and-a-half revolutions, and a landing in a sit spin. According to Petkevich, "When the jump is high, it can be an exhilarating maneuver for skater and audience alike". The butterfly spin is so named because it describes the position in the air. It consists of a take-off from both feet, a body position horizontal to the ice, and a landing in a back spin. It is often performed at the end of a skater's program because, although it adds to a program's technical content, it does not require much precision or energy to execute.

The jump section of flying spins is executed at the beginning of the spin and is part of the entrance into it. The angular momentum at the entrance, like for all spins, must be converted into pure rotational momentum. In ordinary jumps, angular momentum allows the skater to travel a long distance across the rink and propel high into the air, but for flying spins, the principles that govern the spin dominate the jump portion of the spin. The goal is to minimize forward motion on the jump portion. Creating speed on the spin portion is also a goal, but a flying spin never achieves the speed of a basic spin because some of the forces assigned to achieving the speed in a basic spin must be used to achieve height on the flying spin's jump portion. Centering the spin after the jump depends on converting all the angular momentum into rotational momentum. Mastering the flying spin takes less time and practice if skaters have already mastered basic spin techniques and good jumping ability.

Spin combinations

Spin combinations are required in the short programs and free skating programs of single skaters and pair skaters. Flying spins and basic spins can be combined in any number of variations. The maintenance, or acceleration, of the rotational momentum created on the entrance of the first spin is the most important principle governing the execution of spin combinations, which require quick movements during the spins' transitions. When a change of feet is required to successfully perform spin combinations, the center of rotation of subsequent spins should be as close as possible to the center of rotation of the first spin of the combination. Spin combinations must include more than one position and may or may not involve a change of foot.

center|thumb|620x620px|[[Caroline Zhang performing a combination spin, 2007]]

Rules and regulations

Single skating

If a skater performs a spin that has no basic position with only two revolutions, or with less than two revolutions, they do not fulfill the position requirement for the spin, and receives no points for it. A spin with less than three revolutions is not considered a spin; rather, it is considered a skating movement. The flying spin and any spin that only has one position must have six revolutions; spin combinations must have 10 revolutions. Required revolutions are counted from when the skater enters the spin until they exit out of it, except for flying spins and the spins in which the final wind-up is in one position. Skaters increase the difficulty of camel spins by grabbing their leg or blade while performing the spin.

A skater must make at least two revolutions in one position, without interruption; if this requirement is not fulfilled, the position is not counted. A change of foot of any spin, with at least three revolutions, must occur both before and after a spin position. If they fall while entering a spin, the skater can fill the lost time by executing a spin or spinning movement immediately afterwards; however, this movement will not be counted as an element. The ISU states, "If the spinning centers (before and after the change of foot) are too far apart and the criteria of 'two spins' is fulfilled (there is a curve of exit after the first part and the curve of entry into the second part), only the part before the change of foot" will earn points.

Difficult spin variations increase the level of a spin and are worth more points. These variations include movements of the body part, head, leg, arm, or hand that require flexibility or physical strength and that affect the balance of the skater's main body core. There are 11 categories of difficult spin variations; three are in the camel spin position, based on the direction of the skater's shoulder line.

A spin combination must have at least "two different basic positions with two revolutions in each of these positions anywhere within the spin". Skaters earn the full value of a spin combination when they include all three basic positions. The number of revolutions in non-basic positions is included in the total number of revolutions, but changing to a non-basic position is not considered a change of position. The change of foot and change of position can be made at the same time or separately, and can be performed as a jump or a step-over movement. Non-basic positions are allowed during spins executed in one position or, for single skaters, during a flying spin.

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Pair skating

Solo spin combinations

The solo spin combination must be performed once during the short program of pair skating competitions, with at least two revolutions in two basic positions. Both partners must include all three basic positions to earn the full possible points. There must be a minimum of five revolutions made on each foot. Spins can be commenced with jumps and must have at least two different basic positions, and both partners must include two revolutions in each position. A solo spin combination must have all three basic positions (the camel spin, the sit spin, and upright positions) performed by both partners at any time during the spin to receive the full value of points, and must have all three basic positions performed by both partners to receive full value for the element. A spin with less than three revolutions is not counted as a spin; rather, it is considered a skating movement. If a skater changes to a non-basic position, it is not considered a change of position. The number of revolutions in non-basic positions, which may be considered difficult variations, is counted towards the team's total number of revolutions. Only positions, whether basic or non-basic, must be performed by the partners at the same time.

If a skater falls while entering into the spin, they can perform another spin or spinning movement immediately after the fall, to fill the time lost from the fall, but it is not counted as a solo spin combination. A change of foot, in the form of a jump or step over, is allowed, and the change of position and change of foot can be performed separately or at the same time.

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Pair spin combinations

Both junior and senior pair teams must perform one pair spin combination, which may begin with a fly spin, during their free skating programs. Pair spin combinations must have at least eight revolutions; the minimum number of required revolutions "must be counted from the entry of the spin until its exit". If spins are done with less than two revolutions, pairs receive zero points; if they have less than three revolutions, they are considered a skating movement, not a spin. Pair teams cannot stop, except for a short step when changing directions, while performing a rotation. Spins must have at least two different basic positions, with two revolutions in each position performed by both partners anywhere within the spin; full value for pair spin combinations is awarded only when both partners perform all three basic positions. A spin executed in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions is considered one spin. When a team simultaneously performs spins in both directions that immediately follow each other, they earn more points, but they must execute a minimum of three revolutions in each direction without any changes in position.

Pair teams receive more points if the spin contains three difficult variations, two of which can be non-basic positions, although each partner must have at least one difficult variation. The pair team must each perform at least one change of foot, although not necessarily at the same time. The spin can also begin with a fly spin; they earn more points if one or both partners perform a difficult entrance or any fly entrance. They also earn more points if they perform a difficult exit. A difficult exit, in which the skaters exit the spin in a lift or spinning movement, is defined as "an innovative move that makes the exit significantly more difficult". They earn more points if their change in directions immediately follow each other, if the man lifts the woman while he is one foot for at least one revolution, and when they perform at least six revolutions "without any changes in position/variation and foot (camel, sit, difficult upright)". If one or both partners fall while entering a spin, they can execute a spin or a spinning movement to fill up the time lost during the fall.

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