Figure skating is exactly the subject from which the countdown of numerous Olympic gold medals in Russia began. This fact is already admirable. That is why the history of figure skating in Russia interests many people.
Famous award
The first Olympic medal in the history of Russia of this test is stored in St. Petersburg (in the Hermitage, in the numismatics department). It is easy to confuse a small award with an ancient coin: its reverse depicts the so-called St. George the Victorious in the vestments of a crusader knight. And this is not surprising, because the history of figure skating originates as something large-scale in England.
The medal depicts the symbolism of Britain in its full presentation, in principle, it can be assumed that this is George the Victorious, only in the European version. Back in 1908, this award was included in the set of top trophies at the Fourth Olympiad in London. The fact that the medal turned out to be small is explained quite simply. It was the first and last time in the history of the birth of figure skating, when the award was cast from 583 precious metal. This fact made the victory even more triumphant.
Of course, modern Olympic medals in figure skating, in big sport are made of silver with gilding on top.
Winner of this award
The first Olympic athlete in the history of figure skating in Russia is Nikolai Kolomenkin, who took the pseudonym Panin to participate. He thought that was what brought him luck. At the Olympic Games in London, Nikolai easily defeated the Swedish athlete Ulrich Salkhov, who was considered invincible, since he won the first figure skating championships.
There is a legend that a foreign athlete, in whose honor the jumping element is named today, saw Nikolai’s bid and withdrew from the competition. The story is this: for a day of refereeing, a drawing of figures to be performed by Kolomenkin is proposed; they look and unanimously begin to claim that this is impossible and some kind of mistake has occurred. But Salikhov saw that Panin in training is doing the entire proposed program. After that, he decided not to speak.
Fancy patterns, similar to the ornament, were in large numbers in the program of Kolomenkin's performance. If you study the history of figure skating, it will become clear that the ability to roll figures on ice was considered a sign of high skill. The more complex the patterns, the correspondingly stronger the skater. That is why sport is called figure skating.
In the twentieth century, after each number, the judges went to the rink and studied the trail created by the skater. Until the end of the twentieth year in solo skating, the figures indicated by the skate were an obligatory element at the Olympic Games.
Feature Athlete Panin
When figure skating appeared, it was customary to start the movement with the right foot. And this trend has existed for many years. But if you look closely at Kolominkin’s speeches, the question arises: “Why did he start almost all of his figures with his left foot?”
It turns out that in childhood, his mother gave him iron skates with two ribs, which all Soviet children dreamed of. Of course, Panin adored them and almost took him to bed, but still he shared them with his sister. Since riding alone is boring, each of the guys rode in the same boot, sister - in the right. The champion always said that his left leg is better trained, so almost all figures start with it.
First skaters
The age of the Soviet champions is admirable. For example, the same skater Nikolai Kolomenkin won the Olympics when he was 37 years old. Of course, since then this sport has rapidly grown younger.
The current generation of young athletes are skating in parallel with how they learn to walk, and enrollment in many circles has been open since three years. For children who came to figure skating later, trainers rarely have any hopes. Of course, when this sport appeared, the competition was not outrageous.
Seven years today for figure skating - it is very late to start practicing and prepare for the championships. The competition for young men is not so strict: according to unofficial polls, only one boy comes to train for 10 girls. And in many Moscow sports skiing schools, in older age groups, there is not a single representative of the stronger sex.
Next champions
Figure skating is truly one of the most spectacular sports. It seems that athletes from Russia have always been on the Olympic podium. This is actually not the case. After the successful performance of Panin in London in Russia for almost 50 years, there were no champions. Outstanding coach Tamara Moskvina, and in the mid-twentieth century - a figure skater, performed for the first time at the European Championships. Prior to this, women representing the USSR in large-scale world competitions did not participate.
This is explained by the fact that Soviet skating was at that level of skill that did not allow to occupy high places. Therefore, for a long time no one tried to participate in world competitions. Only gradually, when the athletes began to ride, watch the skaters from other countries skate, did the Soviet champions take their podium. At the first - after the break - European Championships, the Russian figure skater Moskvina did not even enter the top three. However, it was thanks to that relay that all of figure skating had a new element.
Bilmann
It was Moskvina who, for the first time in the whole world, created and herself performed a rotation with an extended leg above her head. It happened in 1960. According to the trainer, she saw this rotation in gymnasts at the Lesgaft University of Physical Education and decided to perform it on ice. Element Moskvina was named in honor of the Swiss figure skater Denise Bilmann. The true author of the rotation captures by assuring that he is not offended by anyone.
When Tamara played at the European Championships in 1962, she was awarded 24th place. Naturally, no one remembered this number, and only the trainers of other athletes reviewed it then. When Moskvina sat with Denise and discussed their skating, a foreign athlete said that her coach suggested that this element be performed, as the girl was quite flexible.
After that, Moskvina goes into pair skating and performs already with Alexei Myshin. They were the main rivals and partners of the famous star couple of the sixties, Belousova and Protopopov, the first Olympic winners of the Soviet Union in skating together. Together they studied in a sacred place, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in St. Petersburg.
First available ice rink
It’s hard to imagine that figure skating training today can take place in the church. It turns out that in Soviet times, this place was the only available. The area measuring 17x18 meters is the first artificial skating rink, in which Belousova, Protopopov and Ovchinnikov, Marina Moskvina, Mishin and so on began.
Did the walls of the church affect the personalities of the first Olympic athletes and winners in pair skating? Probably yes. In those days, there were no longer any indoor ice rinks in Leningrad - only in that place was it possible to practice all year round.
When the athletes arrived at 8:00 in the morning, there was still humidity, because there was no heating then, and under the white plaster the faces of the saints appeared. It should be understood that then it was not blasphemy, because in the whole country there was a spiritual desolation.
Unusual education of champions
Former partner of Tamara Moskvina - Alexey Mishin, a trainer who uses magic tricks for training. His base of lessons is called the laboratory of miracles. The "wizard" himself trained more than one generation of world and Olympic athletes.
Schedule Alexei Mishin all the time clogged. He either hurries from his office to the ice rink, or to the choreography room, and after that he goes back to training. There, he independently holds the guys in the safety box, which is still used in the circus. Teaches athletes to jump and constantly maintain balance.
Single skating stars: Alexei Urmanov, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Evgeni Plushenko - this is an incomplete list of those who studied under Alexei Mishin.
Book creation
A trainer whose surname is written in the United States Adult World Figure Skating Hall of Fame is known for his mathematical method. One of his many books is called Figure Skating as a Space Flight. Co-author Mishina, inventor Victor Shapiro in an interview said that the book helps to look at this sport from a different perspective. There are many unique facts in it, for example: the skater feels the same as a test pilot.
The book contains photographs showing Evgeni Plushenko in a 4-turn jump, and a pilot going on a picket. An interesting fact is that their faces are exactly the same. That is, the loads that act in both cases are equivalent. The only difference is that the skater this load lasts a few fractions of a second (maximum - 0.8). And the pilot can reach a quarter of a minute.
To measure the parameters of jumps and rotations, a special device was invented, which was created using elements of the navigation system of submarines. It has all the settings and sensors that are required for operation. And when the athlete begins to perform the rotation, information from the device is transmitted non-contact by the monitor.
The idea to create a system for Victor Shapiro came back in 2002. The fact that figure skating is one of the most subjective sports, the creator realized, watching the Olympics in Salt Lake City. It turns out that such an idea was still in figure skating in the 19th century. Victor believes that sports should be judged as whigs and swimming, for a time. This way of refereeing has entered the history of figure skating as one of the most scandalous and controversial.
Biased assessments
Despite the fact that Shapiro’s invention did not reach the masses, changes in refereeing in figure skating did occur. This happened when Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won the Olympics, but the gold was awarded not only to them, but also to Canadians. After that, the bias of figure skating judges, conspiracy and unsportsmanlike behavior of Olympic officials were discussed for a long time in the sports world.
However, the story of Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze changed the rules in calculating grades. The new system, which is over 14 years old, is popular today. Each judge has the right to give a rating for the quality of the performance of elements from -3 to 3 points. There is a group of technical specialists who determine what elements the athlete performed, accrue points based on the table (it is in it that the cost of each movement is fixed). Video repetitions are also provided. If one specialist named the third level, and the assistant does not agree, then at any time after the end of the program they can turn on the video replay of the element and watch it at any speed, even in single-frame mode.
Figure Skating Grade System
Artistry in sports such as figure skating has always been highly valued. That is why he has a lot in common with dancing, namely with ballet. To create an image on ice, special attention is paid to choreography and plastic. In an effort to create a modern production, choreographers often depart from static foundations, using new musical compositions and movements. However, figure skating is a glide, so not all dance steps are suitable for him.
Do not forget that figure skating is primarily a technical sport, so even the most beautiful performance can turn into something gray, ordinary if the athlete is not physically prepared. Behind the outer gloss and grace of a professional skater is always a true athlete. Strong body, legs, abs and back, but plastic top.
Additions to the number
The music played by the skater makes the sport a spectacular show. It is unacceptable to forget the dance program, and no one will allow you to perform in silence. As history shows, skaters of the past once managed to prove themselves without accompaniment. At the World Championships in Bratislava, music turned off during a performance by Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev, but they did not stop their performance. They had to perform to the applause of the hall, not paying attention to the judges.
It so happened that the couple was passing by when the music stopped, next to the Beetle, the team coach - he told them to continue. It has already been instituted for Russian athletes that they are obliged to fulfill any task that he gives. Therefore, for Irina and Alexander, what the coach said was not even discussed, although, of course, they saw the referee. He whistled and knocked, trying to stop them, but since there was a team, it was carried out.
Everything was done as well as possible, of course, the couple won a gold medal. It was a period when a small addition to the rules appeared in figure skating: it was no longer possible to perform without music. A few years later, Gordeeva and Grinkov performed at the European Championships and Sergei began to get rid of a pantspin. But they continued their number, although the referee gave signals to stop. Their result was annulled.
With the music of Soviet athletes, there were not only technical, but also ideological overlays. Natalia Bestemyanova recalls how once they wrote a slander on her and composer Shostakovich. Some amateur and music lover from St. Petersburg sent a letter to the leadership that the couple was using the fascist march in their speeches. They rode to the "Leningrad Symphony" by Shostakovich. This music shows struggle and victory.
Image Addition
Skater clothing is another component that helps make the performance more successful. An attractive and well-chosen suit also influences the decision of the judge. Clothing should emphasize the idea of the room, complement its content. The skater’s costume is born to the music: the artist listens to the composition to which the skater will perform and, according to the associations, invents the dress. Modern costumes are sewn from specialized stretching materials so that they sit like a glove. Clothing should be functional, comfortable so that the athlete does not fall off any details. Points are removed even if the feather flies on the ice.
The most advantageous color is dark blue, deep: it looks bright. Of course, you need to roll out the program, but the costume helps in this case. For example, if you take a dress of pale color, pastel shades, it "needs to be worked out," as athletes say.
Figure skating is not just a sport. This is an ice theater: the design and colors of the stage costumes of champions influence sports fashion. For example, Medvedev came out in a dress with a blue and white gradient. So, many little champions followed suit, began to perform in similar costumes at competitions.
The development of figure skating in Russia is constantly gaining momentum. If earlier only outstanding athletes could boast some elements, today children of 15 years old perform the same movements.