Coach Pieter Kollen, Skating Director at Indiana/World Skating Academy in Indianapolis, has released his revolutionary design in figure skating blades. The blade, called the K-Pick®, will significantly improve toe jumps. Basic benefits include improved grip for greater control, precision take-offs, extra stability, increased confidence and reduced risk of injury. The three toe jumps (toe loop, flip and lutz) make up half of the six figure skating jumps. The other three jumps are called edge jumps (axel, loop and salchow) and will not be affected by this new design.

This is the first major modification of the figure skating blade since the 1950's. "The blade is doing all the things we had projected them to do," claims Kollen. "It reduces the slippage, therefore, the energy generated (from the takeoff) doesn't dissipate as much and allows that energy to be used vertically."

Roger Margerson, Managing Director of Hattersley & Davidson Limited (parent company to the world's largest blade manufacturers, John Wilson Skates and Mitchel & King (MK) Skates of Sheffield, England), is responsible for developing the method of producing the K-Pick on the various models that will be available to the general public. Margerson met with Sally Stapleford, Technical Chairman for Figure Skating to the International Skating Union (ISU), the world governing body for figure skating and speed skating, and said Ms. Stapleford had "absolutely no objection" to the K-Pick®. The new blades are scheduled to be released to the general public by October 22, 1999--in time for the upcoming competition season.

The K-Pick® was used and tested by skaters at I/WSA in the trial and development period. "The selected skaters are ascending the amateur ladder, desiring to make their mark at the national level," said Kollen. "These skaters represent the great majority of skaters who will be using this blade," he said. I/WSA skater George Atkinson has been testing the blades for more than four months. "It makes my toe jumps a lot bigger and I have a lot cleaner takeoffs," he says. Another I/WSA skater, John Hoenig proclaimed, "I hang in the air a lot longer. I'm still in the air and I'm thinking 'wait a second, I should have landed by now.'"

The K-Pick® was first introduced to coaches at the end of May at the Professional Skaters Association (PSA) (the international organization of figure skating coaches) Annual Conference and the Ice Skating Institute's (the governing body of recreational skaters and rink managers) trade show and conference.

The blade was so well received that Margerson projects that within the next year and a half, every blade produced except the introductory ones would be the new K-Pick® blade. The blade will be available this fall in several different models of John Wilson Skates and MK Skates.

"We are very excited about this system," said PSA Executive Director, Carole Shulman. "We feel this is the most exciting development in blade technology in decades!"

Barbara Roles-Williams, coach of several Olympic and World competitors, said there is a significant difference in the spring of the jump as compared to the blade that skaters currently use. "You can see that the hole in the ice is smaller with the K-Pick®. That shows that the energy goes vertical instead of into the ice. This will revolutionize toe jumping. I think you will see a lot more people doing quad toe jumps because of this blade."

James Disbrow, President of the United States Figure Skating Association said, "(The K-Pick®) obviously will create new methodology for different jumps and for different moves and certainly helps skaters create a new cutting edge. I think this is important. As in any business, there's always a necessity to not only create, but to use and continue to improve products that will make our sport grow."