Figure Skating


Book Description

As a sport, an art, a fitness activity, nothing quite beats figure skating for excitement, grace, beauty, or fun. Now former U.S. Champion figure skater John Misha Petkevich shows how you can find your full potential as a figure skater no matter what your age or ability. The lavishly illustrated volume includes: Detailed instructional-photo sequences What to look for in skates, clothing, rinks, and instruction Getting started 6 basic turns that every figure skater should know 15 spins that you can master The keys to preforming 19 clasic figure skating jumps and splits




Championship Figure Skating


Book Description




Kiira Korpi


Book Description

Finnish figure skater Kiira Korpi's career included triumphal championships and bitter disappointments. Trained from early childhood in a sport that demands uncompromising self-discipline and unrelenting work, her "fight until you make it" attitude brought her success and fame--and an insidious performance anxiety. Mental and physical burnout forced her retirement in 2015. With interviews and quotes from family, friends, coaches and competitors, Korpi's candid memoir describes the making and eventual undoing of a champion, reveals a darker side to the "ice princess" image of women's figure skating and advocates a more holistic, athlete-centered model of training.




Figure Skating Now


Book Description

Today's most exciting figure skaters are spotlighted in this richly illustrated book, updated to include the 2003 Worlds competition. Photos.




Don Laws


Book Description

At the 1984 Olympics, American Scott Hamilton skated into the history books when he claimed a gold medal in Sarajevo. Beside him the entire time was his coach, Don Laws. A member of the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame and a U.S. Junior Champion, Laws is one of the most respected and admired ice skating coaches in the world. In addition to Hamilton, Don was the coach of champions Michael Weiss and Patrick Chan. This authorized biography tells the story of Law's exemplary life and chronicles his singular dedication to figure skating. Don Laws: The Life of an Olympic Figure Skating Coach recounts Don's youth, from his childhood in Washington, D.C. to his Junior Men's Figure Skating Championship to his triumphs as a coach on the international stage. Featuring personal interviews with many of his former pupils, this humorous and enlightening biography captures Don's dedication to the sport and to his students. In addition, this book goes behind the scenes of the controversial new judging system--for which Laws was one of only four coaches worldwide to take part in its creation--as well as touches upon the break between Don Laws and his star pupil, Patrick Chan. Including exclusive interviews with Scott Hamilton, Michael Weiss, premier Russian coach Tamara Moskvina, former International Skating Union member Sonia Bianchetti, and current ISU President Ottavio Cinquanta, this book is a one-of-a-kind look at a man who never broke from his beliefs and ideals and never wavered in his love for the sport. A chapter devoted to skating techniques laid out by Laws will be a helpful tool for figure skating coaches; but for the figure skater, and for any fan of the sport, it will be the stories, interviews, photographs, and history that make this book entertaining and inspiring.







Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating


Book Description

Figure skating is the most popular televised sport at the Olympic Winter Games and is the oldest of the winter sports, having first been contested at the Games of the fourth Olympiad in London in 1908. No other sport creates such a perfect balance between athleticism and artistry, and the athletes—many of them household names like Oksana Baiul, Brian Boitano, Nancy Kerrigan, Evan Lysacek, Katarina Witt, and Kristi Yamaguchi—spend years in training to make it look effortless. The Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating relates the history of the sport through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, appendixes, and over 800 cross-referenced dictionary entries on hundreds of skaters, past and present, but also on skating countries, governing bodies, skating disciplines, technical elements, skating styles, and many other subjects. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the history of figure skating.




Figure Skating's Greatest Stars


Book Description

A beautifully illustrated celebration of the best athletes from this widly popular sport.




Landing It


Book Description

The Olympic champion skater recalls his life, from a childhood spent fighting a disease that stunted his growth to eventual triumph in the 1984 Olympics and the later revelation that he had contracted testicular cancer.




Ice Skating


Book Description

Now there's a masterfully written guide that shows beginning and recreational skaters the fundamental skills of ice skating. In Ice Skating: Steps to Success, Karin K "nzle-Watson--nine-time Swiss National Champion, former Professional World Champion, and one of skating's best instructors--shares with readers the steps that she and many of her students learned on their way to becoming elite competitive skaters. Most instruction books available on ice skating tend to focus on advanced jumps or spins, assuming the reader will learn the basics through professional instruction. Ice Skating: Steps to Success, however, covers fundamental skills in a way that's easy to understand and apply. Part of the highly popular Steps to Success Series, this book includes 11 steps (chapters) that progress from basic to intermediate skills. It features over 300 illustrations that make it possible to learn proper form and technique. Readers will learn how to: - attain the posture and control required for basic skills; - use standard methods of gaining forward and backward speed; - execute four different methods of stopping; - fall properly and get up easily; - change direction without loss of control; and - control the skate edges in order to prepare for advanced maneuvers, including jumps, spins, and footwork. With Ice Skating: Steps to Success, beginning and recreational skaters will develop a solid foundation of skills to help them gain confidence in their abilities and enjoy the sport more.