I have an 11 year old who skates ISI pairs levels with an 8 year old. They have been working together for 9 months and are moving to pairs 3 (ISI). The only problem I see is that they jump and spin in opposite directions. My son spins the traditional direction (not sure if it is clockwise or counter clockwise since I am not a skater) and she spins and jumps "left handed".
I have read that they would be called a mirrored pair. Is this acceptable or does one of them have to switch directions. I figure now is the time to know before they start heading to higher levels. They are moving quickly. I plan to talk to the coach about this, of course, but I am curious to hear opinions.
Thanks for any advice.
LK
Yes they can be a "mirrored pair" - a good example of this is when Kristi Yamaguchi skated pairs with Rudi Galindo. I believe they may have been World Champions one year... it can be done!
The only time this may be a problem is in the pairs spin (where they are spinning while intertwined with each other - in the element one of the skaters will have to spin in a direction that they are not particularly comfortable with but this is not something you will have to be concerned about for a long time to come!
Thanks for your reply!
I showed the post to my son who exclaimed that this must be why they are having trouble with the Waltz Spin - A pairs 3 requirement.
I am also most relieved that we can keep our current partner. The kids really get on well and I would love to see them progress to USFS competitions.
I am a "lefty" pairs skater, which makes me very rare. I perform lifts, pair spins, and (training for) death spiral in my partner's direction. We (usually) mirror solo spins and jumps. Mirrored pairs are definitely not a problem.
The most important thing in pairs skating is maintaining a strong relationship between partners because it takes a really long time to learn.
Quote from: icedancer on January 24, 2014, 04:12:02 PM
The only time this may be a problem is in the pairs spin
I haven't had any problem. In my experience, pair spins on my weak side are considerably easier than solo spins on my strong side, though they take more strength.
It's often easier for left handed skaters to reverse.
I would also suggest that it's easier for most skaters to learn to spin in the opposite direction than it was to spin in the first place.. but it does take time and lots of practice :)
The good news is that it's easier to spin in your "bad" direction when you have a partner leading you. :)