WORD OF THE DAY

One of the most challenging moves in figure skating is the axel, in which a skater jumps from the forward edge of one foot, spins in the air, and lands on the outside edge of the opposite skate.

Doing a single axel is hard enough, but most competitive figure skaters learn to do double or even triple axels, rotating up to three times in the air before landing on the ice. Axels are deceptively tricky because starting on one foot and landing on the other requires an extra half-rotation. The jump is named for Axel Paulson, who invented it in the 19th century.