Best spirals in ladies skating (both past & present)

[Lanie]

Sasha! For all the reasons IceAlisa stated.

[BmcC102]

My favorites:
Sasha in 02
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDWCr...ailpage#t=214s

Again Sasha...I find the following to be one of the most musical spirals I've ever seen. I love how she changes her hands to match the low brass/timpani at 4:23:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px2VR...ailpage#t=250s

There's such lovely tension in her hands and arms leading up to that moment. I feel she innately understands musical phrasing.

The interesting thing with Sasha was that she rarely did the same exact hand motions, etc. during her programs from one performance to the next; I've always felt that she lets the music speak to her in that exact moment. This is why I find her to be so musical.

Dick explains why this is a bad position here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfA91...tailpage#t=56s

[IceAlisa]

Sasha's musicality combined with her exquisite positions and grace are the features that made me an uber.

[zilam98]

hi,
it's a simple code
you take the link of a youtube video, and then you add this at the end:
#t=XmYs
then you plug in numbers where x and y are (x for minutes, y for seconds)

thank you! that makes it easier to get to the part in question directly than to have to watch through the entire video when you dont need to at that time.

[zilam98]

Another (slightly easier) way is to go to the YT video and find the time you want to mark (I usually go a second or two ahead). Pause the video and right-click the video marker. It'll give you the option to "copy video URL at current time" or something like that; I think it's the 2nd option. Then just copy and paste the link!

thanks for this too. the more options, the better

[RockTheTassel]

Count me as another fan of Sasha's spiral. I know it's been said, but she could hit the positions like no other and really use them to highlight the performance. I can appreciate a spiral with a nice COE, but I've always preferred the ones that have nice positions and extension.

[hlp728]

Love Kwan and Cohen spirals. Katrina Hacker's flexibilty on the spiral impressed me.

[Marco]

I know that Kwan had better change of egde and generally her change of edge spiral was excellent. However, her spiral glory is seen only in that one spiral and maybe also in her charlotte. And that's all!! COE arabesque and backward charlotte. Tell her to do Y spiral, fan spiral or biellman spiral and hold it for a few seconds with the same sureness and control she has in her COE arabesque. People, you won't see it there! She was brilliant only in COE, that's all.

Hmm I suggest you see more Kwan performances before you make statements like that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr01qTQ1_FI (the opening fan spiral is a beauty, and so is the back Charlotte to forward inside spiral combination, as well as the closing back COE spiral - the camera angle was actually pretty good in showing the COE)

Others have posted some other clips of hers doing other spiral positions and spiral combinations. Kwan's spirals are most definitely not just about the COE and the Charlotte. She would enter, combine and exit her spirals in different ways and all the while masking everything seamless.

[briancoogaert]

For me Sasha's spirals wins hands down because of many different reasons. I know that Kwan had better change of egde and generally her change of edge spiral was excellent. However, her spiral glory is seen only in that one spiral and maybe also in her charlotte. And that's all!! COE arabesque and backward charlotte. Tell her to do Y spiral, fan spiral or biellman spiral and hold it for a few seconds with the same sureness and control she has in her COE arabesque.

http://youtu.be/OHfgjszz_Tk?t=2m13s

Anyway, Sasha's spiral is impressive but never had the deep edge, nor the speed of Michelle's. That's why I definitely think Michelle's spiral is better.

[bartek]

Hmm I suggest you see more Kwan performances before you make statements like that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr01qTQ1_FI (the opening fan spiral is a beauty, and so is the back Charlotte to forward inside spiral combination, as well as the closing back COE spiral - the camera angle was actually pretty good in showing the COE)

Others have posted some other clips of hers doing other spiral positions and spiral combinations. Kwan's spirals are most definitely not just about the COE and the Charlotte. She would enter, combine and exit her spirals in different ways and all the while masking everything seamless.

Sorry but her fan spiral doesn't even come close to Sasha's. Sasha has the best fan spiral in the world, better even than Mao.

In terms of Charlotte Sasha is the queen as well. Not only did she do "simple" backwards Charlottes on a flat like Kwan but she also did some forwards Charlottes on flatt and some Charlottes on the edge which are extremely difficult to do.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNQCFfITCYQ&t=2m5s Backward Charlotte by Sasha on a flat, the best perfect position with perfectly pointed and turned out foot and good speed and ice coverege too.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxrVHHr8d2U&t=3m14s Here is a wonderful spiral sequence: I spiral to fan spiral, change of edge arabesque (don't tell me she can't change the edge solidly in her spiral) and at the end bachward Charlotte with perfect split position but done on the edge which is very difficult to do. I know the edge is very shallow but still. Notice how quick she goes from one spiral to another. There's like one second between COE and Charlotte.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4F9vYAq_Gk&t=3m34s Here's another backward Charlotte on the edge.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNweTvOwfAM&t=1m39s Now this is just out of this world. Forward Charlotte on the outside edge. Very dangerous. I also love the split jump she put into her spiral sequence. That's creativity.

[Loves_Shizuka]

This thread should just get merged with the US ladies chat thread

[smarts1]

Now that I think about, I'm surprised there has been no mention of Czisny.

And I was never really a fan of Michelle's spiral. The edge was top notch, but I was not a fan of the line and the back position. I remember when she debuted the fan spiral at 2005 Worlds... It was ...

[ks777]

Now that I think about, I'm surprised there has been no mention of Czisny.

And I was never really a fan of Michelle's spiral. The edge was top notch, but I was not a fan of the line and the back position. I remember when she debuted the fan spiral at 2005 Worlds... It was ...

Because Czisny's spiral looks kinda weird..

[smarts1]

Because Czisny's spiral looks kinda weird..

Well, I think Kwan's looks weird too (minus the edge)... But everyone is singing praises about her spiral...

[iarispiralllyof]

In terms of Charlotte Sasha is the queen as well. Not only did she do "simple" backwards Charlottes on a flat like Kwan but she also did some forwards Charlottes on flatt and some Charlottes on the edge which are extremely difficult to do.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4F9vYAq_Gk&t=3m34s Here's another backward Charlotte on the edge.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNweTvOwfAM&t=1m39s Now this is just out of this world. Forward Charlotte on the outside edge. Very dangerous. I also love the split jump she put into her spiral sequence. That's creativity.

michelle exits her charlotte here by change of edge and holds practically the same position for the same time as sasha's first charlotte on edge (from 05), so kwan's obviously capable of doing a charlotte on edge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqVXK8xdpV0#t=3m46s

sasha's last charlotte spiral on edge from 2010 (transitioning from an arabesque) is great. alissa czisny did it first in 2008 and 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7eNDmgq704#t=2m42s

and here's a recent charlotte by michelle with improved position from her older ones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNMnd...e=fvst#t=2m56s

and a michelle y spiral on edge again in case people didn't see it before

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T50xiHVKtU0#t=2m47s

and I love this angle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDdQQNZG-EU#t=1m56s

Well, I think Kwan's looks weird too (minus the edge)... But everyone is singing praises about her spiral...

it only looks weird by ballet standards, but figure skating isn't ballet. haven't you seen the early spirals posted here that were considered amazing in the 60's and 70's? the very reason for a spiral being called a spiral is because of the edge, a fact people forget. it has nothing to do with being flexible like silly putty, which is why originally people's legs were barely above their hip level

i personally did mention alissa czisny in one of my first posts in this thread. she's part of the gumby generation

[UGG]

Well, I think Kwan's looks weird too (minus the edge)... But everyone is singing praises about her spiral...

never heard MK's spiral described as "weird".

IMO MK overall has the best ladies spiral. Sasha has the most beautiful spiral position. Alissa's is weird because her leg is kind of turned outward. I know u said u liked Emily's earlier however her chin is practically touching the ice. Her split position is really really pretty but I don't think she would be able to achieve it if she held her head up higher like MK and Sasha. That is why I find theirs more impressive than Emily. But like I said-emily's split is very pretty.

[smarts1]

^Well Emily's biellman is top notch--the edge and the position is amazing.

As for MK's... I don't know. There's just something about the position of the back to the position of the leg that doesn't make it look as pure to me as Sasha's. Of course, Michelle beats Sasha on edge quality though...

[kwanatic]

I think Alissa has pretty spirals but the angle she holds her leg is a bit odd looking. It's more out to the side than behind her, even though she gets lovely extension.

I can agree that Sasha's positions were more difficult and more extended than Michelle's but, as Dick always said, there's just something about the way Michelle does her spiral that no one else can match. The strength of the edge, the power and the emotion she pours into that move is incredible...and the joy on her face every time was just undeniable. She wasn't just doing the move, she actually felt what she was doing.

What I will say about both Michelle and Sasha is that few people were able to use their spirals as effectively as those two did in their programs. I can't name a current lady (US or other) who uses their spirals to great effect...mostly b/c a lot of the heart has been removed from programs nowadays, but also b/c no one has the power that those two had when they skated.

[IceAlisa]

Yes. Sniff. Those were the days.

[Tanja90]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5JnZ...ailpage#t=201s

This is the best spiral seq I've ever seen! She has not al lot of flexibility but her connection with the music, speed, ice coverage is second to none!