Charlotte spiral: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 03:43, 14 May 2007

Revision as of 18:15, 1 June 2007

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{{Unreferenced|date=December 2006}}

[[Image:Charlotte(sasha.cohen).jpg|thumb|180px|[[Sasha Cohen]] performs a charlotte]]

The '''charlotte''', (pronounced 'shar-LOT'), also known as the '''candle stick''', is a [[figure skating]] [[spiral (figure skating)|spiral]] move. The skater bends forward and glides on one leg with the other one lifted into the air. The difference between a charlotte and a regular spiral is the position of the upper body; during a typical spiral, the skater's torso is upright, but during the charlotte, the skater's torso is as close to the grounded foot as possible. When performed well, the skater's legs are almost in a straight [[Split (gymnastics)|vertical split]] position. The charlotte requires great flexibility and balance.

A charlotte can be performed either forward or backward. The rarely-performed forward Charlotte is more difficult--the skater risks tripping over the toe pick and falling on her head.{{fact}}

The charlotte is named for [[Germany|German]] skater [[Charlotte Oelschlagel]], who first performed the move in the early 1900s. [[Michelle Kwan]] and [[Sasha Cohen]] are generally credited as bringing the move back into popularity during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The position is almost never been performed by men, notable exceptions being [[Rohene Ward]] and a few others.

==References==

* [http://www.skatejournal.com/turnglide.html Figure skating glossary]

{{figure skating}}