Have you ever watched pairs skating and thought, âWell, thatâs not terrifying enoughâ? Or thought that synchro was heading in the right direction but just had too many people and not enough danger? Maybe you would have liked synchro pairs fours skating!
Thereâs not much info out there about this former event; the Wikipedia page is four sentences long. As far as I can tell, in the more recent past, it was mostly performed in Canada by pairs skaters and was an event at Canadian Nationals for many years, until it was discontinued in 1997. Elements included side-by-side lifts, side-by-side throw jumps, side-by-side death spirals, as well as double death spirals, four-person spins, and the whole team jumping at once. (A little more information if youâre curious: skateguard1.blogspot.com/2015/01/threes-company-fours-crowd-skatings.html)
Personally, while I think some of the elements are really cool (look at that double death spiral and the spins!), I would not be suprised if the main reason it was discontinued was the danger - imagine any one of those jumps or lifts going awry, and you have great conditions for a pileup.
(Video sources: 1988 Worlds Gala, Hough & Ladret & Benning & Johnston; 1989 Skate Canada Fours Competition, Menzies & Wheeler & MacNeil & Watson)
LOVE FOURS
Needs to make a comeback
Stars on Ice make this happen
History.Â
