Surya Bonaly from France became the first
female skater who attempted Quad jump (Quad Salchow, 4S) at European Championship 1990.
She fell in this attempt.
She landed a Quad Toe Loop, 4T in Olympics 1992.
However, her jump was under-rotated and hence not ratified as a Quad jump.
Sasha Cohen from USA succeeded a Quad Salchow (4S) in the warm-up for Skate America 2001.
However, she aborted the jump during the competition.
Miki Ando from Japan landed a fully rotated Quad Salchow (4S) in Junior Grand Prix Final 2002.
She went down in history as the first
female skater who landed a ratified quad jump.
For 16 years, no female skaters attempted or landed quads in competition besides Miki Ando. Until..
Alexandra Trusova from Russia made history during the Junior World Championship 2018.
She landed 2 Quad Jumps (4S and 4T) in a single program.
A huge leap forward for women’s skating.
Later in 2018, She went on a land Quad jumps combination (4T+3T)
and Quad Lutz (4 Lz), the hardest quad ever landed by all skaters be it male or female in her program
And that is history made right there.
2019, a new era of Women’s figure skating
began.
The Quad Revolution.
Many female skaters started attempting quads.
The 15 years old from Moscow, Anna Shcherbakova (Russia)
She became the first woman to land Quad Lutz in combination (4Lz+3T), the highest scored element in figure skating currently (Less than 5 male skaters had landed this in competition.)
She landed another 4 Lz right after, became
the first female to land 2 Quad Lutz in a single program. (Less than 3 male skaters had done that)
Alexandra Trusova, attempted 4 quads in a
single program, 4S, 4Lz, 4T+3T, 4T+Euler+3T.
A feat only less than 5 top male skaters had done.
Say hello to the future, and remember this moment
She also landed the first Quad Flip (4F) by
female skater in Grand Prix Final 2019.
And 4T+1E+3S
She can land quads. She did it again and again.
She was the first female skater to cross 100 technical scores (TES) in Skate Canada 2019.
Her TES would be enough to land her Silver for the Men’s competition in that event.
Guys, we really have seen the sport change
in the blink of an eye.
She’s pushing other skaters that are older
to learn quad.
She is changing the sport in so many ways.
We’ve seen it in Men’s skating.
We know the amount the quad was rewarded
and how it affected overall artistry and overall skating and performances.
And we might have the same argument again in women’s skating with these young Russians.
For sure and that’s always the way it is.
The points you can get on rotating the quads.
It’s the rotation more important than everything else.
That’s sort of what you have to do and to
look at because you cannot make up.
Skating world has now taken notice.
We can go back to back weeks in the Grand
Prix Circuits, with teenage quad jumpers winning gold medals.
There is one skater (responsible for that),
Eteri Tutberidze, their coach
This is a Grand Slam, home run (for Team
Tutberidze)
Her skaters won all 6 Grand Prix Events and won 1,2,3 in Grand Prix Final, smashing the world records after records).
All the ladies (Top female skaters in recent
years including the reigning Olympic Champion, Alina Zagitova and Silver Medalist, Evgenia Medvedeva) were trained in Team Tutberidze.
Eteri Tutberidze | The woman who started it all | Interview
Ted (ISU Commentator): First of all, I wanted to thank you for the extraordinary job that you do.
How did you even really started a new era of skating.
It’s beautiful what your skaters and your
coaching team have done.
And it’s improved our sport worldwide.
Young skaters, especially young junior ladies never did quads before.
I don’t even know if anybody had ever thought about that.
Was there a particular moment that you thought
“Hey, you know what? I think these girls can do that!”
Eteri (Coach of most quad ladies):
Maybe, you know, during the practice, especially in junior, girls are usually better than boys.
They jump better and stronger.
So that’s the point.
If junior girls can jump better than junior
boys,
why do we only develop boys in the senior ranks for quads and not develop girls in the junior ranks?
Should we continue doing the same thing?
And for me, girls can do better here.
Anna Shcherbakova (Skater who did quads): We started quad training long time ago.
Even when almost no one else did.
At that time my coach looked into the future
and understood that (the quad era for ladies) would happen one day.
It’s important we see quads as normal jumps
and not jumps to be afraid of.
We should see quad as another jump
and think we can do it.
Alexandra Trusova (Skater who landed the first 4T, 4F, 4Lz for ladies): I always wanted to do things no one else did.
So I did jumps, and tried to make them higher.
And I asked Eteri for quads training
and she let me do it.
Eteri: It’s the fear.
We are trying to show that this is a system.
That it’s possible (for women to do quads).
Anna: I want to show that not just men can
do quads.
I can do as well.
Alexandra: Why boys can do and girls cannot?
Girls can jump too.
I just want to be the first.
Reporter asked Yuzuru Hanyu (Top Male Skater): Will you consider getting some training with the Russian coach?
(He meant Team Tutberidze, the team that started the women quad revolution)
Hanyu: I actually learn a lot from the junior
Russian girls and senior Russian girls too.
So, if I can.. 
Ted: And I want to know, so when you started to teach the young girls the quads,
were you ever worried about injuries?
Eteri: Each jump I’m really cautious about
them getting injured.
Really.
Anna: We have worked for triple jumps for
long before started the quad training.
When it’s clear that my triples were strong
and consistent enough,
we started quad training with “fish pole” [Harness training system]
This is probably the most critical part
because you have an opportunity to actually feel the jump.
Don’t be afraid because the coach helps.
The coach can lift you up a bit at some point, hold you a little, and give direction.
When at some point the coach said “I’m
not doing anything but skating with you so you can be sure”
that’s when we began our real quad jump training without harness.
Sometimes the coach told me “I’m not doing anything”
but then when I started jumping without fish-pole I would feel the difference.
You will get used to it eventually.
Though at first it seems impossible.
At the beginning of training, you would feel
it’s very difficult.
After much training, you started thinking,
it’s quite possible.
When you start learning a new jump, you must think of every little details.
Like how do I make the three turns (jump entry)
think of the turns, the arms, the legs.
But after you have done it for long time,
you might think of something irrelevant entering a jump.
Quads become like triples for me.
I don’t have to think.
I think only about the speed.
It’s automatic.
For my entry of jumps in the competition,
I control my speed.
Think about all the details so everything
will be like in the practice.
Alexandra: I’m not afraid of quads.
It’s just one more rotation.
For me personally roller-coaster is more scary.
For single jumps, you just jump like this,
and land.
Then for double jumps, you spin.
You spin as fast as you can and land.
Same for triples.
As for quads, you spin for a long, long, long
time, and when you are ready to land,
you just stand and let yourself land.
Ted: I notice that with all your young ladies
doing these quads,  I haven’t seen them injured.
Like you must be doing something extremely well.
Eteri: No no no.
During the competitions, like every jump (we are concerned), because we do get injured.
Anna (Describing her injury in 2018): Actually, yeah I heard something cracked.
But somehow I didn’t realize that was my
foot.
I didn’t know what it was.
It was then someone told me, yes, you had
a fracture.
Well.. it was a terrible moment.
Now I understand that this is an experience
for me.
But then it was very hard for me because it
was the beginning of the new season.
We were ready to enter international competitions (Junior Grand Prix).
We have been looking forward for a long time.
And I just learnt quad.
I wanted to show it.
And you suddenly understand, one clumsy move and your whole plans was ruined.
It was hard when it happened.
I asked myself a lot of “why”.
Then it was harder when you realised how long you had to sit out from competitions and trainings that you missed.
Then came the important and complex recuperation process.
You basically had to relearn how to skate
when you were back on ice.
Parents helped as well
Yeah, the recovery from injury was a critical
moment for me.
Ted: Do you limit the number of jumps for
each practice?
Eteri: Yes yes.
When I see that their legs are getting tired
and not pushing so much, I’d be like
“Ok, that’s enough”
Ted: And do they want to keep going?
Eteri: Sometimes.
Alexandra: I have days off.
When my coaches see that I’m tired, they
give me some days off.
Eteri: Practice and pray.
When all things are done, we only need them to stay healthy.
Ted: It’s remarkable what had happened and who knows where this will go.
But congratulations for all your young ladies plus your coaching staff.
Such a superb job.
[Eteri Tutberidze won the Best Coach Award in the first ever Inauguration ISU Skating Awards 2020]
Ted: And you have some other very good skaters coming up don’t you?
Eteri: I hope so too.
[Kamila Valieva from Team Tutberidze won all competition golds in the Junior competition in season 2019-2020, including Junior Grand Prix Final and Junior World Championship]
She jumps 4T+2T, and 4T in a single program.
Her team also has numerous other skaters dominating all novice level domestic competitions in Russia, mostly jumping quads.
Ted: Some skaters mature faster and this is very difficult.
It’s amazing what you have done with these
young ladies but they will grow.
And they will change.
Do you have some ideas or plans or thought process for moving these very talented young ladies as they grow and mature?
It’s probably the most difficult part.
Eteri: It is.
We don’t know what’s gonna be tomorrow.
So just step by step, day by day, what we
can do today
to not have any regret for not doing something that they could do. That's all.
The stage can be a wonderful partner in the process of self-discovery.
What a life in the theatre has taught me is
to trust one’s instincts and that takes courage.
Better to consider opportunities now than
in 10 years when life may limit your choices.
Live life with no regrets
