SPINNING INTO THE QUAD DILEMNA

The International Skating Union (ISU) technical committee for singles and pairs has revised the scale of values for some elements — in particular, quadruple jumps — and instituted new guidelines for judges when it comes to under-rotations. These changes have drawn criticism from some sectors in the skating community, while others believe they will result in a more level playing field.

The biggest change being debated is that the quad Lutz, quad loop, and quad flip now have the same base value of 11.00 points. In the past, this was the value of only the quad flip. The quad Lutz used to have a base value of 11.50 points, and the quad loop 10.50. The triple Lutz and the triple flip also now have the same base value of 5.30 points. A triple Lutz previously had a base value of 5.90 points.

Fabio Bianchetti, chairman of the ISU technical committee, commented on these