Pair Skating

Pairs

Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union (ISU) regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The teams perform both singles elements in unison and elements such as acrobatic lifts that are unique to pair skating, with the goal of giving an impression of "two skating as one". Pair skating is difficult because achieving this degree of unison requires similar technique and timing on all elements of the performance, as well as practice and trust between the partners. Pair skaters perform all of the same elements as singles skaters, with a few extra elements, such as lifts, that set the discipline apart from simply being two singles skaters skating together.

TRICKS

Throw jump - a move in which the man assists the lady into the air and she lands on her own. Throw jumps can be done with any of the jump takeoffs, done as doubles, triples, or quadruples for elite pair teams. The toe loop and salchow are considered the easiest jumps while the loop and flip are more difficult; the most difficult throw jump is the axel. The most difficult throw jump that has been completed in competition is the throw triple axel jump. It was first performed by Rena Inoue and John Baldwin Jr at the 2006 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. It was first performed in international competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Pair spin- a spin in which the two spin around a common axis while holding each other. The additional balance obtained by holding onto a partner allows pair skaters to obtain spin positions that would be difficult or impossible for a singles skater to achieve.

Death spiral - a move in which the man performs a pivot while swinging the lady around on a deep edge in a position almost horizontal to the ice.

Lift - lifts are categorized by the grip and position used to initially lift the lady over the man's head. For example, in a hip lift, the man lifts the lady with his hand on her hip, and a press lift uses a hand-to-hand grip. The hardest type of lift is considered to be the Axel lasso lift, in which the lady rotates a full turn while she is lifted by the man in a hand-to-hand grip. In normal lifts, the man performs turns on the ice before setting the lady down; a carry lift, by contrast, is a lift without rotation.

Twist lift - a move that begins with the man assisting the lady in an Axel or toe-assisted jump where she rotates and is caught mid-air by the man, who then places her down back on the ice. Double and triple twist lifts are commonly seen at the elite level; the first quadruple twist lift was performed by Marina Cherkasova and Sergei Shakrai at the 1977 European Championship.[citation needed]

Side-by-side elements include: jumps, spins, and step sequences. Keeping in line with "two skating as one", the quality of a side-by-side element is not evaluated by an average of each skater's completion. Instead, skaters should begin a side-by-side element together, maintain unison and close proximity to each other throughout, and finish together. Pairs sometimes shout auditory cues to their partner in order to maintain and adjust their timing throughout a side-by-side element.