tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428443.post7319575144219336100..comments2023-07-06T04:55:31.144-07:00Comments on Axels, Loops, and Spins: What happened to the Axel?Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12064343000309585083noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428443.post-56826618584661472692007-11-26T09:51:00.000-08:002007-11-26T09:51:00.000-08:00His axel is just beautiful. Ilia vs Johnny...Ilia...His axel is just beautiful. Ilia vs Johnny...Ilia would stomp him! That would be fun!Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12064343000309585083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428443.post-1215779408530499982007-11-26T03:00:00.000-08:002007-11-26T03:00:00.000-08:00Completely agree with you putting 1998 gold medali...Completely agree with you putting 1998 gold medalist Ilia Kulik as one of the best Axel jumpers. I was reminded how great he was yesterday while watching the NBC special Kristi Yamaguchi - Friends and Family. I had forgotten how formidable he was back in the competitive days and he still has the amazing technique and form. Would love to see an Ilia vs. Weir competition.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428443.post-49705719199998205062007-11-25T11:18:00.000-08:002007-11-25T11:18:00.000-08:00Well, if one is an Ilia fan (and I am) the axel is...Well, if one is an Ilia fan (and I am) the axel is alive and well. He does doubles all the time and triples are now creeping back into his routines - he did one last night in Lake Placid at the opening of SOI and it's planned in his first number "Inspiration." When he does them, the form, height, amplitude is exactly what it always has been and that's amazing considering he is 10 years out from his win in Nagano. <BR/><BR/>Ilia has discussed the 3A in interviews with the Krew and is very interesting on the subject. He knows that it's his jump and that he understands it technically in the most minute detail. We were talking about the problem that many of the men you've discussed have with it, skidding into the lift off, and he said that he has actually practiced entering the jump in every way he could possible conjure up including a skid - that you have to learn how to do that if you're going to rely on the jump in competition. He has also coached (with greater or lesser success) some top men in the 3A (I'm thinking of both Lambiel and Takahashi) but says that coaching elite skaters isn't really teaching much as they have their way of doing things established and most (not all) of them will not deconstruct and reconstruct any jump, regardless of their difficulties with it. His strength in coaching this jump is that he really can take it apart bit by bit and build it up again on the floor (where he insists that it should be mastered)and then he says it just gets better on the ice. All very interesting. <BR/><BR/>NancyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com