A figure skating competition is a judged sports competition in figure skating .
62-652: The Richmond Trophy was an international figure skating competition for ladies' singles held annually from 1949 to 1980 at the Richmond Ice Rink in Twickenham , London . It was the only invitational international competition (as opposed to the ISU Championships ) held on a regular basis in the post-war years. The competition was sponsored by the National Skating Association and was largely due to
124-480: A document referred to as a protocol . This document uses specific notations as described below. If a skater attempts more than the allowed number of a certain type of element in a program, then the element is still described and called as such by the technical controller, but receives a base value of 0 as well as a GOE of 0, regardless of how the judges have marked it. On ISU protocol sheets, elements that have been nullified by this are denoted by an asterisk (*) next to
186-403: A jump has been called as having an incorrect take-off edge (for example, an inside edge on the take-off of a Lutz jump ), that jump is marked with e and receives a –2 or –3 GOE depending on the severity of the edge fault. Jumps that are under-rotated are marked with < or << depending on the degree of turns completed on the ice instead of in mid-air. < indicates that a jump had less than
248-403: A level four straight line step sequence. ChSt and ChSq are step sequences and spiral sequences that have no level and a fixed base value. Ice dance judging is similar to pairs and singles, but uses a separate set of rules and table of values. In the compulsory dance, steps are specified and "elements" are defined for each dance as subsets of the prescribed steps. For compulsory dance only, there
310-466: A local figure skating club . These events have open entries and typically many age or test level divisions, and are sanctioned by, and conducted using the rules of, the national skating federation in the country where they are held. Skaters from other countries may enter these events with the permission of their own federation. Made-for-television competitions in a variety of formats. At an international or major national skating competitions, skaters in
372-407: A maximum of seven jumps, one of which must be an Axel, (b) a maximum of three spins (one a combination, one flying and one with a single position), (c) a maximum of one step sequence, and (d) maximum of one choreographic sequence. The short program for senior pairs skaters for the season 2023-24 shall consist of the following required elements: (a) any hip lift take-off (hand to hip or upper part of
434-424: A particular program component. As judges, coaches, and skaters gain more experience with the new system, greater consensus may emerge. However, for the 2006 Olympics there were cases of 1 to 1.5 point differences in component marks from different judges. This range of difference implies that "observer bias" determines about 20% of the mark given by a judge. Averaging over many judges reduces the effect of this bias in
496-443: A somewhat modified procedure. Because of the impossibility of having more than one team on the ice at the same time, each team gets their own designated practice time before the competition, and a short warmup period immediately before their performance in which the team members usually file onto the ice and skate around in a choreographed formation to take up the opening position for their program. At synchronized skating competitions,
558-450: A very large number of competitors, they may be divided into groups for a qualifying or initial round, from which the best-placed skaters from each group advance to the final round. At club competitions it is also very common for the short program and free skating to be held as separate events with separate entries. Podium ceremonies are usually held in an off-ice area, and there is rarely a gala. Competitions in synchronized skating follow
620-399: A ½ turn but more than a ¼ turn completed on the ice, reducing the base value to 70% of its original value. << indicates a severe under-rotation (a ½ turn or more) and the jump is valued as if it had one less rotation (e.g. a triple would receive the value of a double). Jumps that are executed in combination or sequence are marked as a single element, with a base mark equal to the sum of
682-484: Is also a more rigorous set of qualifying events called Championship events. Skaters must qualify for the Championship events through their respective adult sectional championship, which is held separately from standard-track sectionals. Adult Sectionals are typically held in late February or early March, with Nationals occurring in mid-April. Skate Canada organizes the annual Canadian Figure Skating Championships and
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#1733085031521744-458: Is no program component score given for transitions and choreography. Instead there is a timing (TI) program component that is exclusive to the compulsory dance, leaving only four program components in the compulsory dance. In the original dance there are five marked technical elements. In the free dance, there are nine marked technical elements. Unlike singles and pair skating, the different program components are weighted differently in each segment of
806-412: Is released for Singles/Pairs and another for Ice Dance. Click "show" below to view the abbreviations and codes for different figure skating elements. The level of a spin or footwork sequence is denoted by the number following the element abbreviation. The number of rotations on a jump is denoted by the number preceding the element abbreviation. For example, 3A denotes a triple Axel, while SlSt4 denotes
868-449: Is sometimes called "the old scale", or "old system". Skaters were judged on "technical merit" (in the free skate), "required elements" (in the short program), and "presentation" (in both programs). The marks for each program ran from 0.0 to 6.0 and were used to determine a preference ranking, or "ordinal", separately for each judge; the judges' preferences were combined to determine placements for each skater in each program. The placements for
930-833: The Canadian Figure Skating Championships , while novice and pre-novice skaters qualify to skate at the Junior National Skating Championships, held separately from the national championship for juniors and seniors. Juveniles qualify directly from their sectional championships to the Junior National event. Skate Canada runs two separate tracks for synchronized skating competitions. The "festival" or recreational track allows for smaller teams, no test requirements, and more lenient age groupings, to encourage as many clubs as possible to field teams. The elite competitive track comprises competition at
992-583: The Canadian Figure Skating Championships . As in the United States, top finishers from the previous year and skaters with conflicting international assignments receive byes to the national championships. The top junior, novice, and pre-novice skaters from each sectional championship qualify to skate at either the Eastern or Western Challenge competitions. From the Challenge events, junior skaters qualify to skate at
1054-521: The Code of Points (COP) system, is the scoring system that has been used since 2004 to judge the figure skating disciplines of men's and ladies' singles , pair skating , ice dance , and synchronized skating . It was designed and implemented by the International Skating Union (ISU), the ruling body of the sport. This system of scoring is used in all international competitions sanctioned by
1116-420: The International Skating Union (ISU) are governed by the union's rules. Skaters are entered by their respective national skating federations. National championships are held by individual national skating federations and governed by their domestic rules. Results from national championships are excluded from SB and PB scores. Club competitions , also known as non-qualifying competitions , organized by
1178-503: The St. Ivel International , also held at the Richmond rink but earlier in the fall and including competition in all four disciplines of skating, which by 1980 was already established as one of the more prestigious competitions on the international circuit. Therefore, the ladies-only Richmond Trophy event was discontinued. Figure skating competition International competitions sanctioned by
1240-502: The 2018–2019 season, see List of highest historical scores in figure skating . For highest junior scores prior to the 2018–2019 season, see List of highest historical junior scores in figure skating . Like gymnastics and diving competitions, judging in figure skating is intrinsically subjective . Although there may be general consensus that one skater "looks better" than another, it is difficult to reach agreement on what causes one skater to be marked as 5.5 and another to be 5.75 for
1302-515: The GOE results in increasing or decreasing the base value by 10 % in single and pair Skating and by 16 % in ice dance. The total of all element scores gives the final Technical Element Score (TES). In addition to the Technical Element Score, the judges award points on a scale from 0.25 to 10.00 with increments of 0.25 for different program components to grade the overall presentation of
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#17330850315211364-485: The Grade of Execution (GOE) scoring system for each program element ranged between –3 and +3. Starting with the 2018–2019 season, the GOE was expanded to range between –5 and +5. Hence, the International Skating Union (ISU) have restarted all records from the 2018–2019 season and all previous statistics have been marked as "historical". The ISU only recognizes the best scores that are set at international competitions run under
1426-580: The ISU adopted the New Judging System (NJS), or Code of Points, in an effort to establish a more objective system. This became mandatory at all international competitions in 2006, including the 2006 Winter Olympics . The ISU released an explanation of the advantages of the new system over the 6.0 system. Under the ISU Judging System, the base value of each element performed by the skater is identified by
1488-492: The ISU's rules, and does not recognize, for example, scores that are obtained at national figure skating championships. The competitions recognized by the ISU are: Winter Olympics (including the team event), Youth Olympics (including the team event), World Championships , World Junior Championships , European Championships , Four Continents Championships , GP events , Junior GP events , Challenger Series events , and World Team Trophy . For highest scores achieved prior to
1550-466: The ISU, including the Olympic Games . The ISU Judging System replaced the previous 6.0 system . It was created partially in response to the 2002 Winter Olympics figure skating scandal , in an attempt to make the scoring system more objective and less vulnerable to abuse. U.S. Figure Skating has released a summary of the new judging system. Figure skating was formerly judged on a 6.0 scale. This scale
1612-543: The Technical Panel. The purpose of this panel is to identify all of the elements performed by the skater in real time as they happen. The panel is also responsible for identifying any "technical errors" to jumps; identifying falls of the skater; and the "levels of difficulty" performed in Spins and Steps. The Technical Panel is composed of the following three people: The Technical Panel is assisted by two people: The role of
1674-476: The US Figure Skating national championship stands. The US Figure Skating Junior national championship has been removed, and all skaters juvenile and above must advance through their respective sectional championship, whether it be Eastern, Midwestern, or Pacific Coast. The qualifying season for juvenile skaters through senior skaters begins at one of nine regional championships, which are now typically held in
1736-526: The US these are test or skill levels. For example, a skater who competes in the junior division must have passed the junior skating test in that particular discipline, but not yet the senior test. In practice, the skills required to pass the tests are well below those that are required to be competitive at the corresponding level, and skaters choose which level to test based on the level they think they can compete at successfully, rather than vice versa. As of 2012, only
1798-538: The activity of Arnold Gerschwiler , coach of many champions at the Richmond rink. At the last event in November 1980, participation was down to only eleven competitors, attributed to scheduling conflicts with the growing number of other international competitions such as Skate Canada International . Moreover, the National Skating Association had two years previously started another international competition,
1860-503: The actual competition ice surface for each competition segment before the event, which allows them to orient themselves in the arena and check for any problems with the timing or sound quality of their music. Coaches are not permitted on the ice with their skaters at competition practices, and instead stand or sit behind the rink boards. At international competitions except for the Olympic Games, skaters are not permitted to skate except on
1922-481: The adoption of the IJS was in the way it alienated casual figure skating fans; whereas the 6.0 system was universally understood due to its simplicity and intuitive scale, the large cumulative scores given by the IJS are less intuitive. Judging bias was also found to be about 20 percent greater in the IJS than in the 6.0 system, with judges being inclined to give higher marks to skaters from their own country. Initially under
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1984-433: The appearance of haphazard or biased judging. The aim of the IJS is to ensure that the judging of figure skating competitions is more consistent with the judging of sports such as diving and gymnastics . It also includes features intended to make judging more resistant to pressure by special interests. However, there is debate as to whether the new system is in fact an improvement over the old 6.0 system. One criticism of
2046-436: The base marks for the individual jumps. However, a combination or sequence can be downgraded – marked with +COMBO (combinations in the short program) or +SEQ (combinations and sequences in the free skate) – in which case the sum of the base values of the jumps is reduced to 80% of its original value. Every spring/summer the ISU releases rule updates which include a current Scale of Values (SOV) for different types of element. One
2108-511: The competition, the start orders and warmup groups are determined by current standings, with either a random draw within each group or competitors skating in reverse order of standing, depending on the rules of the particular competition. As of 2007, all international and most national competitions use the ISU Judging System to determine competition results. The judges, event referee, and technical panel officials sit together on one side of
2170-454: The competition. The highest factored component(s) in each segment are skating skills and timing in the compulsory dance, interpretation in the original dance, and transitions in the free dance. The calculation of these factors is described in Rule 353. After being trialed in 2003, the IJS replaced the old 6.0 system in the 2004–2005 figure skating season. Up to and including the 2017–2018 season ,
2232-491: The competitions leading up to them. The competition levels in Canada, from highest to lowest, are: Canada's figure skating organization is divided into 13 sections which generally correspond to provincial boundaries. Sectional championships for singles, pair skating , and ice dancing are generally held in November. The top four finishers at each level advance to the next event. Senior skaters qualify directly from sectionals to
2294-491: The death spiral of the Short Program, (h) maximum of one choreographic sequence. The panel's points for each Program Component are multiplied by a factor depending on the event. For singles and pair skating, the factor is uniform for all components, as follows: The factors in ice dance are different for each Program Component and depend on the dance type. Following an event, the complete judges' scores are published in
2356-447: The element codes to the judges' computers for marking. For each element, all of the judges award a mark for Grade of Execution (GOE) that is an integer between –5 and +5. The GOE mark is then translated into a value using the Scale of Value (SOV) table which is published regularly by ISU Communications. The GOE values from the nine judges are averaged using the " trimmed mean " procedure, where
2418-422: The element name. In free skating, for jumps executed twice as solo jumps, the second jump is marked as +REP and receives 70% of its base value. Jump elements performed after the halfway point of a program are marked with x and receive a 10% bonus added to their base value. If a jump has been called as having an unclear take-off edge, that jump is marked with ! and receives a –1 to –2 GOE depending on severity; if
2480-488: The event in order to qualify for a judging appointment. Following the competition, there may be a podium ceremony on the ice where medals, trophies, and flowers are awarded. Many competitions conclude with a gala or exhibition where the top finishers from each discipline, and sometimes invited skaters from the host country or club, perform show programs in a non-competitive setting. Qualifying and club competitions usually follow similar procedures. At these events, because of
2542-542: The final score, but there will remain about a 2% spread in the average artistic marks from the randomly selected subsets of judges. Aside from intra-expert subjectivity, skating is very open to misjudgement from everyday spectators who only see skating casually, e.g. every four years at the Olympics. A skater's jump may look perfect, but the general public will not be aware that the competitor landed on an incorrect edge, therefore receiving fewer points for an element, resulting in
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2604-511: The first half of October. The top four skaters from each regional advance to one of three sectional championships in November, from which the top four advance to the national championship in January. (Up until the 1990s, competitions were held later in the season, with regionals typically in November and sectionals often not until January.) The regions and sections are: Some skaters are also given "byes" through qualifying based on their results from
2666-510: The highest and lowest values are discarded and an average is calculated from the remaining seven values. This average value (which may be positive or negative) is finally added to the base value to produce the judging panel's overall score for the element. Judges also mark the Program Components, which are: Skating Skills; Presentation; and Composition. These Components are marked on a scale of 0.25–10 with 0.25 increments and averaged using
2728-404: The ice together for few minutes of warmup, then each skater performs their program alone on the ice. The skaters then wait off the ice in the kiss and cry area for their marks to be read, while volunteers (usually children) called sweepers collect any flowers or other gifts from the ice. There is usually a break to resurface the ice after every 2 groups. In the second and subsequent phases of
2790-427: The ice, close to the ice level. The referee is responsible for running the competition, such as signalling the announcer and music booth, timing the warmup periods, and resolving any issues involving accidents or disruptions. Accountants are responsible for tabulating the marks and competition results. At many competitions, there are also trial judges sitting in a group behind the working officials, who practice-judge
2852-399: The judges is to evaluate the quality of each element performed (Technical Score) and the quality of the performance (Presentation Score). At most international events and other large National Championships (such as the U.S. Championships), there are nine judges. At smaller competitions the panel might consist of between four and seven judges. An odd number of judges was needed to break ties in
2914-507: The judges' objectivity. In June 2016 the ISU Congress voted to abolish anonymous judging altogether. While the IJS has minimized the number of ties and the need for multiple tiebreaks, as there were under the old 6.0 system, ties do still occur for both overall score and also for single segments of the competition. Short/rhythm segment ties are broken based on the TES score and free segment ties on
2976-439: The judges' stand is positioned high above the ice for better visibility of the formations, and there is a second referee at ice level responsible for dealing with accidents and safety issues. The United States Figure Skating Association holds national championships in five skill divisions. From highest to lowest, these are: Unlike the International Skating Union , which categorizes novice, junior, and senior skaters by age, in
3038-592: The leg position), (b) double or triple twist lift, (c) double or triple throw jump, (d) double or triple solo jump, (e) solo spin combination with only one change of foot, (f) death spiral forward inside, and (g) step sequence. The free skating program for senior pairs skaters must contain: (a) maximum of three lifts, not all from the same group, (b) maximum of one twist lift, (c) maximum of two different throw jumps, (d) maximum of one solo jump, (e) maximum of one jump combination or sequence, (f) maximum of one pair spin combination, (g) maximum of one death spiral different from
3100-491: The levels follow the ISU age guidelines for junior and senior level competitors, so that skaters who are age-eligible for both ISU junior and senior events often compete in both national competitions. The national championships in synchronized skating are also held as a separate event. ISU Judging System The ISU Judging System or the International Judging System (IJS), occasionally referred to as
3162-530: The national championships and qualifying events held separately from those in the other disciplines. There are no regional championships in this discipline; teams qualify for the U.S. Synchronized Team Skating Championships at one of three sectional competitions. Adults (skaters 21 and older) in the US have a separate competitive track which culminates in the U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships (colloquially Adult Nationals). Most divisions at this competition are non-qualifying events with open entries, but there
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#17330850315213224-459: The new ISU rules, the judges' marks were anonymous, which removed any public accountability of the judges for their marks. However, problems with this system came to the forefront during the Sochi Olympics in 2014 following Russian skater Adelina Sotnikova 's victory over Yuna Kim . In large part due to the judging and technical panels including four Russians, these results sparked a debate over
3286-890: The novice, junior, senior, and adult levels. The top 4 teams from each section qualify to compete at the Skate Canada Synchronized Nationals. Competitions organized by the Japan Skating Federation begin with 6 block championships: The block championships are held in October. In November, there are two regional championships—East Japanese and West Japanese—leading to the Japan Figure Skating Championships for senior-level skaters, which are usually held in December. National competitions for novice and junior competitors are held separately. In Japan,
3348-406: The number of competitors, skaters may only get a brief practice without music on the competition ice surface. Particularly in the lower-level age or skill divisions, it is common to use closed judging to save time; in this case, the judges record each skater's marks after their performance, but the marks are not read, only posted at the conclusion of the competition. At competitions where there are
3410-431: The officially designated practice sessions once they have been credentialed at the competition. The start order for the initial phase (short program or compulsory dance) of the competition has traditionally been determined by random draw, but at some competitions is now the reverse order of seeding or qualification placement. Again, skaters are divided into warmup groups. During the competition, each group of skaters takes
3472-430: The old 6.0 system, but this is no longer necessary with averaging marks in the ISU Judging System. Each element performed has a base value (which depends on its difficulty), and the judges assign a Grade of Execution (GOE), which can increase or decrease the base value. The GOE is marked as an integer from -5 to +5 since the 2018–19 season . Before the system change, the scale went from -3 to +3. Each plus or minus step in
3534-546: The performance. Since the 2022–23 season , the judging panel evaluates three components: Composition (CO), Presentation (PR) and Skating skills (SK). Before the system change, the judges evaluated five components: Skating skills (SS), Transitions (TR), Performance (PE), Composition (CO) and Interpretation (IN). The total of all components is called the Program Component Score (PCS). The judging panel consists of up to nine judges and one referee. The Technical Panel sends
3596-517: The previous season's competitions, if they qualify for the Junior or Senior Grand Prix Final, or if they are assigned by the USFSA to international competitions that conflict with their qualifying competitions. Skaters are currently not eligible for byes at any level if they cannot compete in their qualifying competition due to injury or illness. In the US, synchronized skating has its own competition track with
3658-471: The same "trimmed mean" procedure that was used for averaging the GOE marks. Judges also have the power to input majority deductions such as Music Violations and Costume/Prop Violations. The Referee inputs other deductions such as Time Violations, Interruption in Excess and Costume Failures. The number and type of technical elements included in a skating program depend on the event and on the level of competition. At
3720-456: The same event are divided into groups for practice sessions before the competition. Because of safety concerns, there are usually no more than 6 singles skaters, 4 pair skating teams, or 5 ice dancing couples on the ice at the same time. After a warmup period, each skater's program music is played in turn. The other skaters must exit the ice while each skater performs their program. Skaters are usually given at least one "official" practice on
3782-468: The senior international level, the short program for senior singles skaters must contain seven technical elements: (a) double or triple axel, (b) triple or quad jump , (c) jump combination including triple or quad jumps (maximum one double jump), (d) flying spin , (e) camel or sit spin with only one change of foot, (f) spin combination with only one change of foot, and (g) step sequence . The free program for senior singles skaters must contain (a)
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#17330850315213844-442: The two programs were then combined, with the free skate weighted more heavily than the short program. The highest scoring individual (based on the sum of the weighted placements) was declared the winner. A judging controversy occurred during a pair skating event at the 2002 Winter Olympics , which used scoring based on the 6.0 system . A second award ceremony was held in which the top two teams were both awarded gold medals. In 2004,
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