FWIW, as soon as we had basic sit spins, my friends and I would do "wacky spins" all the time, challenging each other in a follow-the-leader game. If you blew it, fine, but if you could nail it and add on, that was achievement with instant feedback. I was part of a great group of skating friends: we would watch each other and critique, so we supervised each others' practices to some extent, including the basic position stuff.
I have my students "mix it up" with variants once the spins are recognizable. I do it partly to alleviate the boredom of practicing the basic position over and over, partly to develop some choreography options for the present/future, and partly to make them more aware of their body during the maneuver. One of my skaters just started to really spin about two months ago. We worked on upright/scratch spins and I introduced an upright tuck about two weeks ago and voila! She's spinning better than ever, although she needs more revolutions for the program she's doing. While the tuck is too short, her scratch spin has improved dramatically.
I mix it up on jumps as well, although I don't think any of them will compete under IJS at any point in their singles career. It teaches them that checking is vital and that proper in-air position allows for variety. Someone who's taking off square, prerotating and flailing just can't do a half-flip with their hands on their hips in the air. (My newest position is the "snooty skater" where they have to look down their nose at the audience with their left shoulder in front and hands on hips.) It definitely makes a Basic Skills program much more fun and interesting if you can vary the basics with arm, head and free foot positions. You have to be careful to not make the element look like something else, which would confuse the judges, but it can be done.
I use video to review and critique ... "If you had centered the spin before doing the tuck, you wouldn't have spun out." "You want to bring your hands to your sides, but keep your shoulders checked." Ilike to mess with the harness for really over-their-skill-set moves. I have one skater who is made of rubber and can put her foot in her ear, but doesn't spin all that well. During a lesson, I said that she needs to improve her spins because she has the flexibility to do a catch-foot or Biellman spin. I put her on the harness just to give her a feel for that position, then introduced the camel spin off-harness. In less than a month of minimal skating, she has a recognizable camel, but it's not stable enough for a catch-foot. Yet. That's a goal she's working towards. (She only has a 15-minute practice, once/week.)
If skaters go to camps, clinics or workshops, those coaches will have them do drills that challenge them position-wise. "Watch what I learned in camp - I can grab my skating foot!" Why should those coaches look like heroes for making spins or jumps more interesting when the regular coach can do the same? By challenging them weekly, my skaters shine when they go to a camp because they're not flustered and they can stretch their skills even further with confidence.