Dr. Alan Blinn's Report

Report to Ice Skating Australia on the Third International Congress 
on Medicine and Science in Figure Skating.

The Third International Congress on Medicine and Science in Figure Skating was held at the World Figure 
Skating Championships in Vancouver, Canada on 17 March 2001. The congress had simultaneously running 
workshops, and as such, it was impossible to attend all sessions. The theme of the congress was “Improving 
Performance Through Nutrition and Training”.

This report will highlight some of the presentations I attended.

There are many concerns regarding the increasing frequency of injuries in junior (and later senior) female 
skaters. Many of the injuries are hip related (e.g. Tara Lipinski) and stress fractures. Dr. Susan Crawford, 
RDN, Ph.D. noted the poor compliance of females in achieving the necessary calcium requirements during 
puberty – predisposing them to injury later on in training. 90% of bone mass is attained by 17 years of age, 
but it is rare that females meet the calcium requirements during this time. This is especially true of girls dieting 
to lose weight. Dr Crawford was of the opinion if diet alone failed to meet the daily calcium requirements, 
calcium supplements must be used in order to prevent injuries.

Another seminar concentrated on Nutritional Supplements for Athletes. There is a fair amount of concern 
regarding the non-prescription nutritional aids (usually food or herbal products) as there is little (if any) 
consumer protection regarding the contents of the products. Since most of these products are “non-
therapeutic”, they fall under the category of “food” and have few regulations regarding the content, potency, 
effectiveness or safety of the products. Contamination of products is a concern, and would be an issue if
contaminated by a banned substance, as labeling of the products is often vague. There is sketchy evidence 
(none was given at the seminar) for the claims of antioxidants protecting tissues against sporting injuries.

The last workshop I was able to attend was on Physiological Assessment of the Figure
Skater, presented by Dr Kelly Lockwood, Ph.D. Dr Lockwood is a former figure skater
and coach who is an exercise physiologist. She also works with Jan Ullmark. Her
presentation included assessment of skaters and which physiological parameters provide
predictors of competitive success. The results of her study showed the following to be the
predictors of success, ranked in order of importance:
1. Strength to mass ratio (core body strength and leg strength)
2. Flexibility – to prevent injury (although too flexible is bad as it decreases your
strength)
3. Power – a function of strength and is related to jumping ability.

Dr Lockwood’s seminar stressed the importance of using the results of physiological testing as a training 
“prescription”. After all, why bother testing if you're not going to use the results to improve your overall 
fitness?

The take-home message from her presentation was “Develop the athlete, then develop the figure skater”.

I was able to speak to Dr Lockwood after the seminar and during the championships. Her university 
appointment permits her to travel for research. There is a possibility of her coming to Australia, which 
she discussed with Wendy Langton and myself. Her expertise and enthusiasm would be of great benefit 
to our skaters. I am happy to pursue this further if the ISA council members wish.

Alan Blinn

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