The Moves They Don't Want You to See
While they often seem flawless to most viewers, the top competitors in the women’s figure skating event have all received deductions for underrotating their jumps and most have been penalized at some point for entering a lutz jump on the wrong edge. These errors are often difficult to discern, even to the most avid fans, so the technical panel of judges can use video replay to determine if these violations have occurred. Below are explanations of the mistakes and a look at how often the top skaters in the Olympic women’s figure skating event have been affected.
What the move looks like
Skater-by-skater analysis*
Underrotation on the Takeoff
The skater begins too much of her jump rotation before her skates have left the ice. This deduction is usually called on toe loops. An underrotation deduction, called a downgrade, can be costly: it is at least two-thirds of the value of the jump attempted.
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Triple toe
Underrotation on the Landing
The skater's foot lands more than a quarter turn short of the jump's full rotation. This deduction can be called on any jump. An underrotation deduction, called a downgrade, can be costly: a downgraded triple lutz means a deduction of at least 4.1 points.
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Triple toe
Wrong Edge on Takeoff
The skater enters the jump on the wrong edge. Usually called on lutzes and flips. Shown below is an incorrect entry to a lutz, which is known as a “flutz.” The deduction can be as much as 3 points.
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Triple lutz
Miki AndoAge 22Japan
Ando, the 2007 world champion, was crushed after finishing 15th at the 2006 Olympics and is out for redemption. She won both of her Grand Prix assignments in 2009 and was the runner-up at the Grand Prix final. She is also the only woman to land a quadruple salchow in competition. Her most recent attempt at that difficult jump, however, was downgraded for underrotation.
| Jumps (from most difficult to least) |
Base value of jump |
Number attempted |
Number under- rotated |
Percentage underrotated |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All jumps | 200 | 24 | 12 | % | |||
| Triple axel or quad jump | 8.2 | + | 1 | 1 | 100 | % | |
| Triple lutz | 6.0 | 42 | 5 | 12 | % | ||
| Triple flip | 5.5 | 26 | 4 | 15 | % | ||
| Triple loop | 5.0 | 23 | 8 | 35 | % | ||
| Triple salchow | 4.5 | 11 | 1 | 9 | % | ||
| Triple toe loop | 4.0 | 15 | 2 | 13 | % | ||
| Double axel | 3.5 | 35 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double lutz | 1.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double flip | 1.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double loop | 1.5 | 39 | 3 | 8 | % | ||
| Double salchow | 1.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double toe loop | 1.3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
Number of jumps with wrong edge deductions: 0 (0% of all jumps attempted)
Mao AsadaAge 19Japan
Asada, the 2008 world champion, is known for her execution of the triple axel, a jump that is difficult even for some men. She performed two to win the Four Continents event last month, which gave her confidence coming into the Olympics. Of her 28 jumps that have been downgraded at major international competitions in recent years, 7 of them were for underrotating triple axels.
| Jumps (from most difficult to least) |
Base value of jump |
Number attempted |
Number under- rotated |
Percentage underrotated |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All jumps | 240 | 28 | 12 | % | |||
| Triple axel or quad jump | 8.2 | + | 20 | 7 | 35 | % | |
| Triple lutz | 6.0 | 22 | 1 | 5 | % | ||
| Triple flip | 5.5 | 48 | 2 | 4 | % | ||
| Triple loop | 5.0 | 29 | 8 | 28 | % | ||
| Triple salchow | 4.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple toe loop | 4.0 | 13 | 2 | 15 | % | ||
| Double axel | 3.5 | 45 | 1 | 2 | % | ||
| Double lutz | 1.9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double flip | 1.7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double loop | 1.5 | 36 | 6 | 17 | % | ||
| Double salchow | 1.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double toe loop | 1.3 | 9 | 1 | 11 | % | ||
Number of jumps with wrong edge deductions: 11 (5% of all jumps attempted)
Rachael FlattAge 17United States
Flatt, the 2010 United States champion, is known for her consistency and ability to perform triple jump after triple jump. Only 3 percent of her jumps in major international competitions have been downgraded, though she has had a wrong-edge call on about 9 percent of her lutzes or flips. Her fifth-place finish at the 2009 world championships was the highest placement there for an American women's singles skater.
| Jumps (from most difficult to least) |
Base value of jump |
Number attempted |
Number under- rotated |
Percentage underrotated |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All jumps | 89 | 3 | 3 | % | |||
| Triple axel or quad jump | 8.2 | + | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | |
| Triple lutz | 6.0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple flip | 5.5 | 18 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple loop | 5.0 | 5 | 1 | 20 | % | ||
| Triple salchow | 4.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple toe loop | 4.0 | 4 | 1 | 25 | % | ||
| Double axel | 3.5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double lutz | 1.9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double flip | 1.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double loop | 1.5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double salchow | 1.3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double toe loop | 1.3 | 15 | 1 | 7 | % | ||
Number of jumps with wrong edge deductions: 8 (9% of all jumps attempted)
Elene GedevanishviliAge 20Georgia
Gedevanishvili, who finished 10th at the 2006 Turin Games, has had three of her double jumps and nine of her triples downgraded in major international competitions in recent years. She has had wrong-edge calls on about 5 percent of her 155 jumps. Gedevanishvili, who also finished 10th at the 2009 worlds, is coached by Robin Wagner, who coached Sarah Hughes to an Olympic gold medal in 2002.
| Jumps (from most difficult to least) |
Base value of jump |
Number attempted |
Number under- rotated |
Percentage underrotated |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All jumps | 155 | 12 | 8 | % | |||
| Triple axel or quad jump | 8.2 | + | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | |
| Triple lutz | 6.0 | 19 | 2 | 11 | % | ||
| Triple flip | 5.5 | 8 | 1 | 13 | % | ||
| Triple loop | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple salchow | 4.5 | 13 | 4 | 31 | % | ||
| Triple toe loop | 4.0 | 22 | 2 | 9 | % | ||
| Double axel | 3.5 | 36 | 2 | 6 | % | ||
| Double lutz | 1.9 | 6 | 1 | 17 | % | ||
| Double flip | 1.7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double loop | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double salchow | 1.3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double toe loop | 1.3 | 33 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
Number of jumps with wrong edge deductions: 8 (5% of all jumps attempted)
Kim Yu-naAge 19South Korea
All eyes are on Kim, the reigning world champion, who has lost only once in nearly two years. Kim, who is expected to give South Korea its first figure skating gold, has had about 6 percent of her jumps downgraded in major international competitions. She was most recently downgraded for a triple-triple combination and an individual triple toe loop at the Grand Prix Final in Tokyo.
| Jumps (from most difficult to least) |
Base value of jump |
Number attempted |
Number under- rotated |
Percentage underrotated |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All jumps | 233 | 13 | 6 | % | |||
| Triple axel or quad jump | 8.2 | + | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | |
| Triple lutz | 6.0 | 43 | 3 | 7 | % | ||
| Triple flip | 5.5 | 30 | 1 | 3 | % | ||
| Triple loop | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 25 | % | ||
| Triple salchow | 4.5 | 15 | 1 | 7 | % | ||
| Triple toe loop | 4.0 | 44 | 4 | 9 | % | ||
| Double axel | 3.5 | 58 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double lutz | 1.9 | 1 | 1 | 100 | % | ||
| Double flip | 1.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double loop | 1.5 | 10 | 1 | 10 | % | ||
| Double salchow | 1.3 | 1 | 1 | 100 | % | ||
| Double toe loop | 1.3 | 17 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
Number of jumps with wrong edge deductions: 6 (3% of all jumps attempted)
Carolina KostnerAge 23Italy
Kostner, the runner-up at the 2008 worlds, is the three-time and reigning European champion, but she has been plagued by inconsistency. She was 12th at the 2009 worlds and ninth at the 2006 Turin Games. Of 206 jumps she has executed in major international competitions in the last four years, 8 have been downgraded.
| Jumps (from most difficult to least) |
Base value of jump |
Number attempted |
Number under- rotated |
Percentage underrotated |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All jumps | 206 | 8 | 4 | % | |||
| Triple axel or quad jump | 8.2 | + | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | |
| Triple lutz | 6.0 | 20 | 2 | 10 | % | ||
| Triple flip | 5.5 | 36 | 2 | 6 | % | ||
| Triple loop | 5.0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple salchow | 4.5 | 14 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple toe loop | 4.0 | 24 | 4 | 17 | % | ||
| Double axel | 3.5 | 40 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double lutz | 1.9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double flip | 1.7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double loop | 1.5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double salchow | 1.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double toe loop | 1.3 | 21 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
Number of jumps with wrong edge deductions: 1 (0% of all jumps attempted)
Alena LeonovaAge 19Russia
Leonova finished seventh at the 2009 world championships, but skated well in Grand Prix events last fall. She was the runner-up at the NHK Trophy in Tokyo, and was third at the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow. She has had wrong-edge calls on 10 of her 120 jumps and downgrades on 7 of them.
| Jumps (from most difficult to least) |
Base value of jump |
Number attempted |
Number under- rotated |
Percentage underrotated |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All jumps | 120 | 7 | 6 | % | |||
| Triple axel or quad jump | 8.2 | + | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | |
| Triple lutz | 6.0 | 11 | 2 | 18 | % | ||
| Triple flip | 5.5 | 21 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple loop | 5.0 | 8 | 1 | 13 | % | ||
| Triple salchow | 4.5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple toe loop | 4.0 | 14 | 1 | 7 | % | ||
| Double axel | 3.5 | 21 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double lutz | 1.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double flip | 1.7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double loop | 1.5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double salchow | 1.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double toe loop | 1.3 | 23 | 3 | 13 | % | ||
Number of jumps with wrong edge deductions: 10 (8% of all jumps attempted)
Mirai NagasuAge 16United States
Nagasu had a shaky season after winning the United States championship in 2008 because a growth spurt disrupted her jumps. She is back on track, though, and finished second at nationals last month, where she enthralled fans with a performance to Bizet’s "Carmen" in the long program. But three of her triple jumps were downgraded and scored as doubles. Like some others, Scott Hamilton, an NBC analyst and 1984 gold medalist, had failed to see that Nagasu cheated the landing and initially thought that she had won the championships.
| Jumps (from most difficult to least) |
Base value of jump |
Number attempted |
Number under- rotated |
Percentage underrotated |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All jumps | 58 | 19 | 33 | % | |||
| Triple axel or quad jump | 8.2 | + | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | |
| Triple lutz | 6.0 | 10 | 3 | 30 | % | ||
| Triple flip | 5.5 | 10 | 5 | 50 | % | ||
| Triple loop | 5.0 | 3 | 2 | 67 | % | ||
| Triple salchow | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 100 | % | ||
| Triple toe loop | 4.0 | 4 | 3 | 75 | % | ||
| Double axel | 3.5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double lutz | 1.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double flip | 1.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double loop | 1.5 | 5 | 4 | 80 | % | ||
| Double salchow | 1.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double toe loop | 1.3 | 13 | 1 | 8 | % | ||
Number of jumps with wrong edge deductions: 6 (10% of all jumps attempted)
Joannie RochetteAge 24Canada
Rochette, the silver medalist at the 2009 worlds, was considered a medal contender entering the Games. Her mother died Sunday, but Rochette still plans to compete. Rochette has among the cleanest jump records of all the top Olympic women's skaters and has had just 2 percent of her jumps in major international competitions in the past four seasons downgraded for underrotation. None of her lutzes or flips were called for having wrong edges.
| Jumps (from most difficult to least) |
Base value of jump |
Number attempted |
Number under- rotated |
Percentage underrotated |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All jumps | 223 | 5 | 2 | % | |||
| Triple axel or quad jump | 8.2 | + | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | |
| Triple lutz | 6.0 | 38 | 1 | 3 | % | ||
| Triple flip | 5.5 | 34 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple loop | 5.0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple salchow | 4.5 | 24 | 2 | 8 | % | ||
| Triple toe loop | 4.0 | 17 | 1 | 6 | % | ||
| Double axel | 3.5 | 37 | 1 | 3 | % | ||
| Double lutz | 1.9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double flip | 1.7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double loop | 1.5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double salchow | 1.3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double toe loop | 1.3 | 28 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
Number of jumps with wrong edge deductions: 0 (0% of all jumps attempted)
Akiko SuzukiAge 24Japan
Suzuki stopped skating for the entire 2003-4 season while battling anorexia, but she is back stronger than ever. She won the Grand Prix event in Beijing and finished third in the Grand Prix final. Suzuki has had wrong-edge calls on about 14 percent of her lutzes or flips, the most of all Olympic women's skaters competing this winter.
| Jumps (from most difficult to least) |
Base value of jump |
Number attempted |
Number under- rotated |
Percentage underrotated |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All jumps | 88 | 5 | 6 | % | |||
| Triple axel or quad jump | 8.2 | + | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | |
| Triple lutz | 6.0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple flip | 5.5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple loop | 5.0 | 10 | 1 | 10 | % | ||
| Triple salchow | 4.5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Triple toe loop | 4.0 | 4 | 2 | 50 | % | ||
| Double axel | 3.5 | 18 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double lutz | 1.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double flip | 1.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double loop | 1.5 | 6 | 1 | 17 | % | ||
| Double salchow | 1.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | ||
| Double toe loop | 1.3 | 11 | 1 | 9 | % | ||
Number of jumps with wrong edge deductions: 12 (14% of all jumps attempted)
Credit: The New York Times
* Based on an analysis of all jumps attempted in major international competitions in the last four seasons. Competitions included: all Grand Prix competitions, world championships, Four Continents championships and European championships. Single jumps are included in the totals.
