From: npscott@cayley.uwaterloo.ca (npscott)
Subject: Triple JUMPS RULE ( WAS Re: Pro vs Am)
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 16:43:11 GMT

In article <1ig7piINNfcj@umbc8.umbc.edu>, ac999257@umbc3.umbc.edu (ac999257) writes:.
> 
> 
> Look at the sport of tennis. Except for collegiate tennis, it is
> an open sport. It used to not be an open sport. Do you think the
> quality of the game has improved? Has it affected the number of
> young vs old players in the sport? Is it still only the game of
> the rich and privileged? I'm sure people felt at the time
> that tennis became an open sport that it would adversely
> affect the game. But I sure don't think it has. 
> 
> I'm not sure who the first lady was to land a triple in figure 
> skating. But I recall hearing that she was criticized for 
> unladylike behavior and triples were banned. I also seem to
> recall that Elaine Zayak landed 7? triples to win the World
> Championship in 82, and by the next year, the women were limited
> to 5 in their long program (until at least 1988). Anyone --
> feel free to correct me on my stats.  But my point is that a sport
> that never changes with the athletes is a really boring sport


A WRONG interpretation of the rules here.  There isn't a limit to
the number of triple jumps allowed in a program at any point in the '80s.  The same rules still apply today.

The rule simply stated is the following.

1.  You can do any of the triple jumps in isolation ( in other words not in
    combinataion with other jumps ) only once.

2.  If the same triple jump is done in isolation more than once,
    the jump is not to be scored on each subsequent attempt in isolation.

In other words, you can do each of the 6 triple jumps in
isolation only once, but the unlimited allowance of triple jumps in combination
means that there still is an unlimited number of triples allowed in
general. 

For example, if you do a triple toe loop all by itself early in
the program, each subsequent time you attempt the triple toe loop, it would
have to be in combination with another jump.  

Watch both the men and the ladies in the single events.  You often find
the men and the ladies combining the triple jumps with a double
toe loop at the beginning of the program.  These combinations will NOT
count torwards that quota in rule 1.  Later, these triple jumps
are done in isolation so that the skater can show their endurance without adding
the difficulty of combinations.

Of course after the triple toe loop, you can attempt any of the other
triples in isolation but once attempted each of the other triples are
subject to rule 1.

There may seem to have been a limit at the beginning of the implementation
of this law simply because women had a limited number of triple jumps and
triple jump combinations in their repetoire.

Elaine Zayak often did the triple toe loop or the triple salchow in isolation
several times in her long programs.  This while technically difficult, gave her
program a very MONOTONOUS appearance.

This rule IMO, has encouraged the females to learn the more difficult
varieties of triple jumps ( loop , flip ,  lutz , axel ) and has
increase the variety of jumps performed.  As well combinations are
attempted more often as combinations do not count towards the quota.

As a result programs have become more difficult while still having
a great variety of jumps.

------------------------------------------

Nadia Scott
3B Computer Science - University of Waterloo

These opinions are mine and mine alone