Hi a parent told me there is a rule change that spirals have no points in a program so there is no point on putting them in. I am kind of bummed because my dd has one of those Sasha Cohen spirals.
Sigh. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
IJS used to have a "spiral sequence" that was required in the programs and had point values with +/- GOE. That was eliminated, which means spirals aren't scored as elements, but that doesn't mean they don't add value to a performance.
Spirals, spreadeagles and other unscored elements add to the program's overall artistry and help garner points on scored elements. A skater with a knockout spiral at the right point of the music builds their "second mark" by adding to music interpretation or artistry. Under IJS, this is the "program component score." Under 6.0, this is the "presentation score."
Spreadeagles are in the same category - there's nothing outright that says "an outside spreadeagle will add x points to your score." Yet, watching a skater perform one and step up into a double axel adds to the artistry and the difficult entry into the axel, adding +GOE to that element. Some skaters will perform a spiral and snap into a back camel, providing a difficult entrance and adding to their score.
I don't think I've ever seen a program without a spiral. It's also used as a breather, to allow the skater to glide and catch their breath during the program.
Topic: rules change (Read 2464 times)