Figure Skating - Part D - by Anne Shier (a.k.a. "Annie")

(Based on the book, “Winter Olympics:  An Insider’s Guide to the Legends, the Lore, and the Games”, Vancouver Edition, copyright 2008 by Ron C. Judd)

Pairs and Ice Dancing Scoring:

Symmetry of movement is key for pairs, but the scoring is otherwise similar to that for singles skaters.  The main difference is that pairs obviously work from a different list of essential elements for their short program. 

Ice dancing is all about flow.  The sport emphasizes the grace of skating pairs, who essentially ballroom-dance their way around the ice rink.

Thus, scoring centres on how well the pairs move to music, how they execute their footwork, and how well they work together (not, as you might suspect, how little they are wearing while out on the ice).

The primary difference in ice dancing comes in the competition format, which includes three rounds.  The compulsory round, in which skaters complete a set of required maneuvers, is worth 20 percent of the final score.  Next is an “original dance” round, in which all skaters get the same rhythm to dance to, but can create their own routine to it.  This round is worth 30 percent.  The final round, worth 50 percent, is the free dance, with routines customized by each dance pair.

Judges apply the same scoring standards, with a technical score and program component score, as are applied to singles and pairs skaters.

If you fail to understand a word of the new scoring system, don’t worry.  You’re not alone.  Just wait for TV commentators Dick Button and Scott Hamilton to figure it out and explain it.

The Jumps:

Jumps provide the most bang-for-the-buck in figure skating.  With a little – okay, a lot – of practice, you can learn to identify them.  Here’s a list of the most common ones.  Note that most of these jumps can be – and most often are – done with two or three revolutions before landing.

Jumps with a Toe takeoff:

Lutzes:  Launched by the right toe pick, with takeoff from the back outside edge of the left foot (in short form, it is LBO takeoff).

Flips:  Launched by the right toe pick, with takeoff from the back inside edge of the left foot (in short form, it is LBI takeoff).

Toe Loops:  Launched by the left toe pick, with takeoff from the back outside edge of the right foot (in short form, it is RBO takeoff).

Jumps with an Edge takeoff:

Axels:  Because the jump is launched from a forward edge (the left outside edge), is has an extra half revolution and thus, it’s considered the most difficult jump.  It’s landed on the back outside edge of the free foot (short form is LBO takeoff).

Loops:  Launched from a right back outside edge and landed on the same edge (short form is RBO takeoff).

Salchows:  Launched from a left back inside edge.  Watch for the swinging opposite leg during launch (short form is LBI takeoff).

Training and Equipment:

Figure skaters, not surprisingly, spend the vast majority of their time on the ice, practicing jumps, body positioning, spins, transitions, and footwork, often to the point of exhaustion.  But, this is a total-body sport, and the same types of training techniques – running, resistance and weight training, and reflex drills – used by other athletes have made their way into the modern figure skater’s training quiver.  Some top skaters also devote many hours to formal dance training and other pursuits bordering more on art than athleticism; it is necessary, they say, to become a complete skater, balancing fluidity with power.

Equipment has changed only modestly over the decades.  Figure skates are boots with high ankles for support.  Their blades are made of steel, which are not flat on the bottom, but concave, providing skaters with a sharp inside and outside edge from which to launch jumps and carve turns.  (The blades are so sharp that they are actually melting the ice for an instant, allowing forward motion on a thin layer of water.)  Figure skates also have a blunt, serrated tip, called a toe pick, used to launch certain jumps, and stop abruptly.

Skating uniforms aren’t really uniforms at all, but costumes that become part of the show.  They’re all made of stretchy, breathable fabric – in every conceivable colour and style combination, particularly in ice dancing, known for its avant-garde ensembles.

copyright 2014, Anne Shier.  All rights reserved.