Descending from over-crowded Amtrak yesterday, gratefully home from cold, rainy, hostile Mannahatta, Caroline and Jane informed me that after two
years off the
ice, just getting
back into it this week, Jane landed two
perfect Axels *, high, strong, and graceful.
Flying.
Axel Paulsen
* The Axel is a figure skating jump with a
forward take off. It is named after Norwegian figure skater Axel Paulsen.
Paulsen was the first skater to perform the jump in 1882. An Axel jump has an
extra ½ rotation in the air because of its forward
take off. The jump takes off from the left forward outside edge and lands on the right back outside edge.
Although the Axel has a counterclockwise
rotation, it can be
reversed for a clockwise jump. The Axel can also be done as a double jump with
2½ rotations, or as a triple
jump with 3½ rotations. No
skater has yet accomplished a quadruple
Axel in competition.
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