LOBES...by George Pickard

Every skate dance has its own particular pattern of skating steps.  These patterns consist of a series of curved line edges, with the possible addition of straight-line flats for greater flexibility and variety.  The flow of the dance takes the skater in a general counter-clockwise direction around the rink floor.  Skaters in performing the skate dances are expected to closely adhere to the printed diagrams as set down by their authors.

 A number of years ago the RSROA adopted a uniform system for laying down the patterns for its skate dances; both from the standpoint of the diagrams, as well as their actual skating.  Until that time, a dance composer would sketch, in free hand, his new dance as he felt the path of its edges should be placed in traveling about the skating floor.

 When someone took it upon himself to learn the new dance, he would first have to memorize a long chain of skating edges, and then try to follow the free hand diagram and attempt to make it accommodate the individual floor conditions of the rink.  Because of sometimes poor draftsmanship and novel dance innovations by the author, coupled with the wide variety in shapes and sizes of roller rinks, a skater would often despair of ever achieving any scheme to skate dancing at all.  No two persons were likely to agree as to just how a particular dance should be skated.  Partnership unity could only be achieved after long periods of mutual practice.   A truly standardized scale for evaluation and judging g of skate dancing was at that time nearly impossible. 

The RSROA adopted a system for the standardization of skate dance diagrams and dance techniques which made use of an imaginary reference line (BASELINE) that would travel straight up the length of the skating surface and be curved on the ends of the rink.  All curved portions of the dance pattern would begin and end at the straightaway Baseline.  Each of these curved portions of the dance might consist of only a single edge or of a combination of edges.  These curved segments of the dance pattern are referred to as LOBES.  FLATS are the absence of edge or curve, and are to travel in a straight line, directly down the straightaway Baseline.  (See fig. #1.)  The factors involved in the production of a lobe are:  AIM, LEAN and MOTION.  These are the same ingredients that make up an individual edge.

 THE INDIVIDUAL LOBE:

When a lobe shall consist of more than a single edge, all the edges that make up the lobe shall conform to the constant curvature of the lobe, just as if the lobe were one continuous edge from baseline to baseline.

 Lobes which travel into the center of the dance pattern, being to the inside of the Baseline reference point, are called CENTER LOBES and the rotation of their edges are in a clock-wise manner.  These lobes make indentations on the over-all dance pattern.

 Lobes which travel outward, toward the rink barrier and return, being to the outside of the Baseline, are know as BARRIER LOBES and the rotation of their edges are in the same counter-clockwise fashion as the general pattern of the dance.  A continuous, unbroken Barrier Lobe traveling completely around the rink would cause the dance pattern to be either round or oval.

 Dances are constructed from various sizes of lobes.  In a particular dance the size of the lobe will be solely determined by the number of musical beats allotted to it; thereby determining the length of time that the skate will travel on the lobe.  A good means of better visualizing the correct skating of lobes is to consider them as hills, laid on their sides.  A LOBE IS OF UNIFORM CURVATURE.  The angle of ascent onto the lobe is the same as the angle of descent.  The skate will travel the same length up to the peak of the lobe, as it will travel down from the peak.  There are no cliffs when considering any lobe3.  Therefore, a lobe totaling 10 musical beats will have 5 beats traveling upward toward the peak of the lobe and will have 5 beats returning downward from the peak.  This same rule holds true for all lobes, regardless of the number of beats in the lobe.  The best way to handle an unfamiliar lobe in a dance is to count the number of beats in order to locate the peak and then use this as a reference point in the correct arcing of the lobe. (See Fig. #2)

On the corners of the rink, the dance pattern is quite often a continuous Barrier Lobe, which will curve around the entire end of the rink.  This situation is referred to as a CORNER BARRIER LOBE and extends from the baseline ending of the last Center Lobe, around the entire end of the rink, to the start of the next Center Lobe on the other straightaway baseline.  The curvature of the Corner Barrier Lobe does not, as a rule, create an even, uniform arc.  The curve of this lobe may be arranged to suite the size and shape of the individual rink.  However, the peak or center of this lobe must be placed in the exact center of the skating surface; both sides of the arc must be proportionate and equal.  This has the effect of centering your dance evenly upon the skating surface, and at the same time allows for a slight variation of the patter for rink conditions. (Please note: Some of today’s dances are an exception to this symmetrical corner lobing.) 

LOBE AIM:  The employed skate’s angle, or degree of departure from the baseline, one each new lobe is referred to as the AXIS of the dance.  Although dance axis might vary between certain dances, the axis of any particular dance will never change when once set on the first lobe of the dance.  An important factor, often overlooked, is that the angle of descent from the lobe, and its return to the baseline, is exactly the same as the original axis of the lobe.  The axis of the dance will determine the depth of the individual lobes, in conjunction with the length of time on each lobe, the amount of lean, and the skate speed.

The term AIM, as used in dance skating, is the starting direction of all edges.  An edge, originating from the baseline, must have its Aim conform to the Axis of the dance.  All secondary edges, or subsequent strokes on the lobe, must be properly aimed to follow the general curvature of the entire lobe, maintaining a constant, even arc.

When any one of the possible eight skating edges shall originate the lobe from the baseline, it will have a fixed direction of Aim.  Having their Aims into the center of the rink, ROF—LIF—LOB—RIB edges are to be used to start Center Lobes only.  Barrier Lobes will use LOF—RIF—ROB—LIB edges to initiate the lobe, since these edges originate an arc aimed toward the barrier of the skating surface.

LOBE MOVEMENT: All edges on a particular lobe are to be aimed parallel to the general curvature of the lobe.  As in all progressive strokes, the pushing foot will execute its push toward the rear of the direction of the engaged skate’s travel.  Some skaters find that they are unable to properly propel themselves in this fashion without serious loss of speed.  Furthermore, they attempt to accommodate their fault, by using a push with a more direct movement out to the side.  Then they discover that the curvature of the lobe is sacrificed and that the dance pattern varies.

Not maintaining a constant lean throughout the skating of their lobes is the cause of this trouble, which produces flats upon the lobe and brings about the loss of push efficiency.  When the new skating foot takes the surface, it must continue the arc of the lobe, while the former skating foot now becomes the tangent to the lobe.  It is then that the skater is able to gain side push, which is the sole means of dance propulsion, from pressure on the inside of the tangent pushing foot.  (See Fig. #3)

THE VALUE OF LEAN:  The amount of lobe curvature is determined by the extent of the lean, the principle of skate guidance remains:  if you wish to skate to the left, you must lean out to your left side; and if you wish to skate to the right, you should lean over to your right side.  The more the lean is increased, the greater the influence upon the change of skate direction.  The degree of lobe curvature is to be solely influenced by the amount of constant lean during the skating of the arc.  There can be no place for hooking or body English to influence the lobe, since this will destroy the even curvature.

The torso of the body should be carried with the hips and shoulders “stacked” over the top of the employed skate.  Lean is always out to the side of the body, left or right.  Except during rotation for turns, the body should face “square” to the direction of skate travel, throughout the lobe.  Lobe accuracy is destroyed when the use of lean and body balance is faulty.

Lean will always be maintained toward the center of the lobe being skated.  The lean is always toward the straightaway baseline, since all the straightaway arcs will begin and end at this point.  In describing the kind of lean used by a person in a dance, usual reference is made as to whether the lean is in toward the center of the rink or out toward the barrier.  This sometimes is also referred to as inner and outer leans.

ROCKOVER BETWEEN LOBES:  Because the body leans into the center of every lobe, there must be a change of every lobe, there must be a change of body lean between lobes.  When leaving a lobe to skate another, and there is not a change of skate direction involved (i.e. forward to backward), the body will ROCKOVER from the right side to the left side lean or vice-versa.

A Rockover must be made on the old lobe, prior to the initial stroke of the new lobe.  The old lobe is to be continued slightly beyond the baseline, with the flat of the Rockover occurring on the baseline.  The new lobe will then take place slightly beyond the baseline.  This will insure correct lobe lean, aim and power, since there will be no possibility of attempting to Rockover, aim, and push at the same time and having the new lobe ruined because the flat of the Rockover is at the point of the new stroke.  (See Fig. #4).  If not aimed properly, and a Rockover is not correctly executed, the new lobe will not start its arcing in the proper direction, but will continue the arc from the previous lobe.  The arc cannot then be uniform since the lean was assumed after the edge had been stroked.