Happy Koninkrijksdag!

Happy Koninkrijksdag!

For the non-Dutch, today (15 December) commemorates the signing of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands (or the Statuut voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). To celebrate this holiday, consider this blog post a tribute to the windmills of figure skating (windmills being a famous feature of the Netherlands).

Arms constitute an important part of the aesthetic picture in figure skating. The good use of arms in a figure skating program can highlight a key choreographic movement, enhance nuances in the music, convey an emotion.

On the flip side, however, arms can also be immensely distracting, particularly if the skater does not quite know what to do with his or her arms, and/or is desperately trying to fulfill the "upper body movement" requirements as demanded by CoP. Such skaters are highly reminiscient of windmills, aimlessly thrusting their arms up and down throughout their programs except when they stop to pose. Normally such an unsightly use of arms merit scorn and derision, but today, we will celebrate them in all their flailing, eye-poking glory.

Evan Lysacek, as we can see from the photograph above, has naturally long limbs that make them perfectly suitable for that enviable windmilling action. Coupled with his spastic way of moving across the ice and an admirable commitment to fulfilling the "upper body movement" CoP bullet point, Mr. Lysacek is arguably the pre-eminent windmill in figure skating. With his penchant for high kicks, sometimes his legs even manage to join in the action as well. What prodigious flapping action, unfettered by the pesky constraints of music or aesthetics! Truly, I am in awe--such windmilling action can surely produce enough energy to mill quite a few bags of flour.

Here is an excellent example of Mr. Lysacek's windmilling prowess in action (the best is during his step sequence):

Like at the 2010 Olympic Games, Evgeni Plushenko is the first runner-up to Mr. Lysacek when it comes to windmilling his arms.

Alas, Mr. Plushenko is not quite as blessed as Mr. Lysacek is when it comes to having the naturally long limbs essential to imitating the rotational motions of any respectable windmill. Nevertheless, Mr. Plushenko valiantly works hard to make up for the difference, flailing his arms with an impressively single-minded determination that launches him into the first runner-up position for sheer effort alone: