Maximum length for freestyle dress

[jjane45]

Um, the tradition at my rink's ice show is for adult ladies in the group number to wear longer dresses (below knee). Is it safe to have single jumps in such dresses and doing low sit spins? What do you think is a reasonable length limit for a low-level freestyle dress?

[Sk8tmum]

I would think that if it is a sit spin, you're risking getting the skates caught in the skirt, plus, it would drag on the ice in the spin. I do know that my daughter's freeskate coach requires her to change out of her dance dress before attempting any freeskate moves for safety (dance dresses being knee length and below). Plus, if the skirts are heavy, then, the weight could throw a skaters off balance. 

Generally, I see freestyle dresses "cut off" at mid-thigh. 

[aussieskater]

AFAIK, there is no mandated min or max length in the rules (unlike synchro, which has an ISU-mandated length of "must not fall below the top of the calf at the back").  I'd say that would be the absolute max you could safely go, and if they're doing sit spins they'll want to test it out carefully before deciding on length.

Edit - snap!  Sk8mum beat me to it!

[jjane45]

I don't worry as much about the forward shoot-the-duck in the number, but sit spins worry me. Have to check it out, it would be unfortunate to catch the blade!

OTOH, Alissa Czisny's LP dress this year was uncharacteristically long I think...

[dak_rbb]

My daughter wore a just-below-the knee length dress for her artistic program this last season.  It included an axel, dbl sal, and a sit spin (cannonball to broken leg which ended kneeling on ice and then standing back up to continue).  When ordering the dress, I really worried about the length—kept envisioning her stepping on it and ripping the whole thing to shreds as she got up from the spin.  However, it turned out to be no problem for her at all. Occasionally she grabbed the skirt along with her foot for a Y-spiral, but figured out how to avoid that.  The dress had a double layer chiffon skirt with a handkerchief hem where the longest parts came to just below her knees. Maybe the fact that it wasn't solidly long helped.  Here's a youtube link to the dress/program:  http://www.youtube.com./user/maiselcat#p/u/1/CWuxrtzYLHE

[aussieskater]

Wow dak-rbb - I love the colour of your DD's dress.  (Great program too!)

[Sk8tmum]

I don't worry as much about the forward shoot-the-duck in the number, but sit spins worry me. Have to check it out, it would be unfortunate to catch the blade!

OTOH, Alissa Czisny's LP dress this year was uncharacteristically long I think...

Yes, but, Alissa was quite cleverly cut; it wasn't a long skirt so much as a long section of a skirt, and it was cut so that it spun out of the way as she spun on the ice ...