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103-622: The ISU Judging System or the International Judging System (IJS), occasionally referred to as 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

206-536: A ballroom rhythm that was designated annually; and a free dance to music of the skaters' own choice. Beginning in the 2010–11 season , the compulsory and original dances were merged into the short dance , which itself was renamed the rhythm dance in June 2018, before the 2018–19 season . Source: Medals awarded to the skaters who achieved the highest overall placements in each discipline. Trimmed mean For most statistical applications, 5 to 25 percent of

309-642: A "graceful and appreciated" part of figure skating throughout the 19th century. They advanced between World War I and World War II ; by the late 1930s, all three basic spin positions were used. There are two types of spins, the forward spin and the backward spin . There are three basic spin positions: the upright spin , the sit spin , and the camel spin . Skaters also perform flying spins and combination spins . Figure skating lifts are required elements in pair skating and ice dance. There are five groups of lifts in pair skating , categorized in order of increasing level of difficulty. Judges look for

412-420: A combination because they take off from the back outside edge of the landing foot, or skating leg. To perform a salchow or flip on the back end of a combination, a half loop (which is actually a full rotation, but lands on a back inside edge of the landing leg) may be used as a connecting jump. In contrast, jump sequences are sets of jumps that may be linked by non-listed jumps or hops. Sequences are worth 80% of

515-480: 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

618-435: A fall as a loss of control with the result that the majority of the skater's body weight is not on the blade but supported by hands, knees, or buttocks. Jumps involve the skater leaping into the air and rotating rapidly to land after completing one or more rotations. There are many types of jumps, identified by the way the skater takes off and lands, as well as by the number of rotations that are completed. Each jump receives

721-421: A figure skating rink for an ISU event "if possible, shall measure sixty (60) meters in one direction and thirty (30) meters in the other, but not larger, and not less than fifty-six (56) meters in one direction and twenty-six (26) meters in the other." The scoring system rewards skaters who have good ice coverage, i.e. those who efficiently cover the entire ice surface during their programs. Olympic-sized rinks make

824-687: A full pivot position and the death spiral must be held for a minimum amount of rotation, depending on the level. The ISU is the governing body for international competitions in figure skating, including the World Championships and the figure skating events at the Winter Olympic Games . Medals are awarded for overall results; the standard medals are gold for first place, silver for second, and bronze for third place. U.S. Figure Skating also awards pewter medals for fourth-place finishers in national events. Additionally, at

927-469: A groove on the bottom of the blade creates two distinct edges , inside and outside. The inside edge of the blade is on the side closest to the skater; the outside edge of the blade is on the side farthest from the skater. In figure skating, it is always desirable to skate on only one edge of the blade. Skating on both at the same time (which is referred to as a flat ) may result in lower skating skills scores. The apparently effortless power and glide across

1030-402: A harness system installed to help skaters learn new jumps in a controlled manner. A heavy-duty cable is securely attached to two of the walls around the ice, with a set of pulleys riding on the cable. The skater wears a vest or belt, with a cable or rope attached to it, and the cable/rope is threaded through the movable pulley on the cable above. The coach holds the other end of the cable and lifts

1133-403: 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

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1236-601: A less stiff boot. Ice dancers may prefer a lower cut boot that is designed to enable more knee bend. Likewise, blades designed for free and pairs skating have a longer tail to assist landing. The blade profile and picks are designed to assist with spinning, jump entry, take-off, landing, and exit. Modern blade technology increasingly uses carbon fibre and materials other than steel to make blades lighter. These materials may also be more flexible and help cushion jump landings and be protective of young athlete's joints. Ice dance blades have short tails to enable close foot work and reduce

1339-403: 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

1442-405: 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

1545-422: 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

1648-406: A rule stating that a skater may perform each type of triple only once in a program, or twice if one of them is incorporated into a combination or sequence. For a set of jumps to be considered a combination , each jump must take off from the landing edge of the previous jump, with no steps, turns, or change of edge between jumps. Toe loops and loops are commonly performed as the second or third jump in

1751-415: A score according to its base value and grade of execution (GOE). Quality of execution, technique, height, speed, flow and ice coverage are considered by the judges. An under-rotated jump (indicated by   <   ) is "missing rotation of more than 1 ⁄ 4 , but less than 1 ⁄ 2 revolution" and receives 70% of the base value. A downgraded jump (indicated by   <<   )

1854-451: A specific edge with the free leg held at hip level or above. Spirals are distinguished by the edge of the blade used (inside or outside), the direction of motion (forward or backward), and the skater's position. A spiral sequence is one or more spiral positions and edges done in sequence. Judges look at the depth, stability, and control of the skating edge, speed and ice coverage, extension, and other factors. Some skaters can change edges during

1957-446: A spin, the toe pick will cause the skater to lose momentum, or move away from the center of the spin. Blades are mounted to the sole and heel of the boot with screws. Typically, high-level figure skaters are professionally fitted for their boots and blades at a reputable skate shop. Professionals are also employed to sharpen blades to individual requirements. Blades are about 4.7 millimetres ( 3 ⁄ 16 inch) thick. When viewed from

2060-400: A spiral, i.e. from inside to outside edge. Spirals performed on a "flat" are generally not considered as true spirals. Spiral sequences were required in women's and pair skating prior to the 2012–13 season, but from the 2012–13 season onward, they were replaced by the choreographic sequence. The choreographic sequence consists of moves in the field, unlisted jumps, spinning movements, etc. and

2163-436: A summary of the new judging system. Figure skating was formerly judged on a 6.0 scale. This scale 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;

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2266-605: A technical specialist identifies the elements and assigns each one a level of difficulty, ranging from B (Basic) to Level 4 (most difficult). For each element, a panel of judges determines the GOE, ranging between −5 and +5, according to how well the skater executes the element. The GOE is weighted according to the base value of the element. Through the ISU guidelines skaters must perform a minimum of seven elements in their short program and twelve elements in their long program. The ISU defines

2369-414: A truncated mean is when estimating the location parameter of a Cauchy distribution , a bell shaped probability distribution with (much) fatter tails than a normal distribution . It can be shown that the truncated mean of the middle 24% sample order statistics (i.e., truncate the sample by 38% at each end) produces an estimate for the population location parameter that is more efficient than using either

2472-401: A twist lift. The ISU defines dance lifts as "a movement in which one of the partners is elevated with active and/or passive assistance of the other partner to any permitted height, sustained there and set down on the ice". Dance lifts are delineated from pair lifts to ensure that ice dance and pair skating remain separate disciplines. After the judging system changed from the 6.0 system to

2575-401: A variety of off-ice training and conditioning methods due to rinks being closed due to COVID-19. Since 1980, all figure skating competitions must be held in completely covered and enclosed rinks. The rule was expanded to include practice rinks in 1984. According to figure skating historian James R. Hines, the development of indoor ice rinks, other than the development of the bladed skate during

2678-417: 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 the base marks for

2781-406: Is "missing rotation of 1 ⁄ 2 revolution or more". A downgraded triple is treated as a double jump, while a downgraded double is treated as a single jump. An edge violation occurs when a skater executes a jump on the incorrect edge. The hollow is a groove on the bottom of the blade which creates two distinct edges, inside and outside. The inside edge of the blade is on the side closest to

2884-528: Is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games , with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are men's singles, women's singles , pair skating , and ice dance ; the four individual disciplines are also combined into a team event, which was first included in

2987-446: Is a waltz jump, which can only be done in a half-leap and is not classified as a single, double, or triple jump. Triple jumps, other than the triple Axel, are commonly performed by female single skaters. It is rare for a female skater to land a quadruple jump, and very few female single skaters have been credited with quads in competition. Senior-level male single skaters perform mostly triple and quadruple jumps in competition. The final of

3090-497: 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 the same "trimmed mean" procedure that

3193-476: Is composed of the following three people: The Technical Panel is assisted by two people: The role of 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

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3296-562: Is integral to the discipline. The ability to skate well backwards and forwards are considered to be equally important, as is the ability to transition well between the two. Step sequences are a required element in all four Olympic disciplines. The pattern can be straight line, circular, or serpentine. The step sequence consists of a combination of turns, steps, hops and edge changes. Additionally, steps and turns can be used as transitions between elements. The various turns, which skaters can incorporate into step sequences, include: Choctaws are

3399-458: Is most robust. As with other trimmed estimators , the main advantage of the trimmed mean is robustness and higher efficiency for mixed distributions and heavy-tailed distribution (like the Cauchy distribution ), at the cost of lower efficiency for some other less heavily tailed distributions (such as the normal distribution). For intermediate distributions the differences between the efficiency of

3502-458: 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

3605-409: 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

3708-465: Is required for the men's, women's and pair free program. A death spiral is a required element of pair skating. There are four varieties distinguished by the lady's edge and direction of motion. The man performs a pivot , one toe anchored in the ice, while holding the hand of his partner, who circles him on a deep edge with her body almost parallel to the ice. As of 2011, the woman's head must at some time reach her skating knee. The man must also be in

3811-579: The 2022 CS U.S. Classic , 34 years after the first-ever quadruple jump (a quad toe loop) was landed by Canada's Kurt Browning at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1988. Some elite skaters can complete a jump in about one second, with 26 inches of height and 10 feet in distance. The takeoff speed of a jump can reach up to 25 kilometers per hour. Prior to most jumps, a figure skater needs to skate backward to build power and speed. Toe jumps are launched by digging

3914-478: The 6.0 system . A second award ceremony was held in which the top two teams were both awarded gold medals. In 2004, 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

4017-555: The ISU Challenger Series . The sport is also associated with show business. Major competitions generally conclude with exhibition galas, in which the top skaters from each discipline perform non-competitive programs. Many skaters, both during and after their competitive careers, also skate in ice shows, which run during the competitive season and the off-season. The term "professional" in skating refers not to skill level but competitive status. Figure skaters competing at

4120-527: The ISU Judging System (IJS), dance lifts became more "athletic, dramatic and exciting". There are two types of dance lifts: short lifts , which should be done in under seven seconds; and combination lifts , which should be done in under 12 seconds. A well-balanced free dance program in ice dance must include dance lifts. Along with other forms of skating , figure skating is one of the only human powered activities where travelling backwards

4223-434: 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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4326-430: The 10% trimmed mean (discarding 1 point from each end) and the 20% trimmed mean (discarding 2 points from each end), and then interpolating, in this case averaging these two values. Similarly, if interpolating the 12% trimmed mean, one would take the weighted average : weight the 10% trimmed mean by 0.8 and the 20% trimmed mean by 0.2. The truncated mean is a useful estimator because it is less sensitive to outliers than

4429-486: The 14th century and the practice of fastening boots permanently to skates in the 19th century, has had the greatest effect on figure skating. It allowed for skating year-round, as well as anywhere in the world, and prevented the cancellation of competitive events due to the lack of ice in outdoor rinks. The first attempts to make artificial ice occurred during the 1870s in England and the U.S. The first notable indoor ice rink

4532-502: 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

4635-480: The 6.0 system and the ISU Judging System, the judges consider the "complete package" when evaluating performances, i.e. the best jumper is not always placed first if the judges consider the difference in jumping execution to be outweighed by another skater's speed, spins, presentation, etc. Ice dance competitions formerly consisted of three phases: one or more compulsory dances ; an original dance to

4738-567: The 6.0 system. Under the ISU Judging System, the base value of each element performed by the skater is identified by 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

4841-488: 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

4944-492: 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

5047-904: The Olympic level (senior) at local, regional, sectional, national, and international competitions. The International Skating Union (ISU) regulates international figure skating judging and competitions. These include the Winter Olympics , the World Championships , the World Junior Championships , the European Championships , the Four Continents Championships , the Grand Prix series ( senior and junior ), and

5150-527: The PCS. For ties in the overall score, ties are broken based on the free segment placement. In 2008, the ISU ruled to reduce the number of judges from twelve to nine. The need to reduce costs was given as the prime reason for this change. Since the highest and lowest extreme scores are discounted, the scores of seven judges (rather than ten) determine the outcome of competitions. Figure skating Figure skating

5253-549: The Winter Olympics in 2014 . The non-Olympic disciplines include synchronized skating , Theater on Ice , and four skating . From intermediate through senior-level competition, skaters generally perform two programs (the short program and the free skate ), which, depending on the discipline, may include spins , jumps , moves in the field , lifts , throw jumps , death spirals , and other elements or moves. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to

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5356-515: The World, European, Four Continents, and World Junior Championships, the ISU awards small medals for segment results (short and free program) (Since 2009). A medal is generally attributed to only one country, even if a partnership is composed of skaters with different nationalities. A notable exception was the pair skating partnership between Ludowika Eilers and Walter Jakobsson ; their 1910–11 medals were attributed to both Germany and Finland. Beyond

5459-482: 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

5562-431: 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

5665-410: The back outside edge (with counter-clockwise rotation, for single and multi-revolution jumps), but have different takeoffs, by which they may be distinguished. Jumps are divided into two different categories: toe jumps and edge jumps . The number of rotations performed in the air determines whether the jump is a single, double, triple, or quadruple (commonly known as a " quad "). The simplest jump

5768-451: The blades from rust when the skates are not being worn. In competition, skaters are allowed three minutes to make repairs to their skates. There are many different types of boots and blades to suit different disciplines and abilities. For example, athletes who are performing advanced multi-rotational jumps often need a stiffer boot that is higher and gives more support. Athletes working on single or double jumps require less support and may use

5871-456: The combined value of the same jumps executed in combination. A figure skater only needs to be able to jump in one direction, either clockwise or counter-clockwise. The vast majority of figure skaters prefer to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction when jumping. Thus, for clarity, all jumps will be described for a skater jumping counter-clockwise. There are six jumps in figure skating that count as jump elements. All six are landed on one foot on

5974-457: 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 ,

6077-492: 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

6180-422: The differences in skill between skaters more apparent but they are not available for all events. If a rink has different dimensions, a skater's jump setup and speed may be hindered as he or she adjusts. Ice quality is judged by smoothness, friction, hardness, and brittleness. Factors affecting ice quality include temperature, water quality, and usage, with toe picks causing more deterioration. For figure skating,

6283-421: The early 20th century, no skaters have been allowed to represent two countries in the same competition. In singles and pairs figure skating competition, competitors perform two programs: the short program , in which they complete a set of required elements consisting of jumps, spins and steps; and the free skate , also known as the long program , in which they have a slightly wider choice of elements. Under both

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6386-509: 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 the highest and lowest values are discarded and an average

6489-422: 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

6592-399: The ends are discarded. For example, given a set of 8 points, trimming by 12.5% would discard the minimum and maximum value in the sample: the smallest and largest values, and would compute the mean of the remaining 6 points. The 25% trimmed mean (when the lowest 25% and the highest 25% are discarded) is known as the interquartile mean . The median can be regarded as a fully truncated mean and

6695-404: The field is a pre-determined required sequence that demonstrated basic skating skills and edge control. In the context of a competitive program, they include sequences that may include spirals , spread eagles , Ina Bauers , hydroblading , and similar extended edge moves, along with loops, twizzles, and different kinds of turns. A spiral is an element in which the skater moves across the ice on

6798-546: 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

6901-428: The following when evaluating pair lifts: speed of entry and exit; control of the woman's free leg when she is exiting out of the lift, with the goal of keeping the leg high and sweeping; the position of the woman in the air; the man's footwork; quick and easy changes of position; and the maintenance of flow throughout the lift. Twist lifts are "the most thrilling and exciting component in pair skating". They can also be

7004-472: The half toe loop (ballet jump), half loop, half flip, walley jump , waltz jump , inside Axel, one-foot Axel, stag jump, and split jump . There are two kinds of split jump: Spins are an element in which the skater rotates, centered on a single point on the ice, while holding one or more body positions. They are performed by all disciplines of the sport. As The New York Times says, "While jumps look like sport, spins look more like art. While jumps provide

7107-565: The highest levels of international competition are not "professional" skaters. They are sometimes referred to as amateurs, even though some earn money. Professional skaters include those who have lost their ISU eligibility and those who perform only in shows. They may also include former Olympic and World champions who have ended their competitive career, as well as skaters with little or no international competitive experience. In addition to performing in ice shows, professional skaters often compete in professional competitions, which are held throughout

7210-458: The highest scores; calculate the mean value of the remaining scores . The Libor benchmark interest rate is calculated as a trimmed mean: given 18 responses, the top 4 and bottom 4 are discarded, and the remaining 10 are averaged (yielding trim factor of 4/18 ≈ 22%). Consider the data set consisting of: The 5th percentile (−6.75) lies between −40 and −5, while the 95th percentile (148.6) lies between 101 and 1053 (values shown in bold). Then,

7313-407: The ice exhibited by elite figure skaters fundamentally derives from efficient use of the edges to generate speed . Skates used in singles and pair skating have a set of large, jagged teeth called a toepick on the front of each blade. The toepicks are mainly used to help launch the skater into the air for the take-off when performing jumps. Ice dance blades have smaller toepicks than blades used for

7416-415: The ice surface temperature is normally maintained between −5.5 and −3.5 °C (22.1 and 25.7 °F), with the Olympic disciplines requiring slightly softer ice (−3.5   °C) than synchronized skating (−5.5   °C). Typically after every two warm-up groups, an ice resurfacer cleans and smooths the surface of the ice sheet. Inadequate ice quality may affect skaters' performances. Some rinks have

7519-417: 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

7622-447: The intricate footwork and close partnering in dance. Dancers' blades also have a smaller toepick as they do not require the large toepick used for jumping in the other disciplines. Hard plastic skate guards are used when the skater must walk in his or her skates when not on the ice, to protect the blade from dirt or material on the ground that may dull the blade. Soft blade covers called soakers are used to absorb condensation and protect

7725-514: 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

7828-438: The judges' preferences were combined to determine placements for each skater in each program. The placements for 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

7931-528: The left foot.) Edge jumps use no toe assist, and include (in order of score value): Again, these descriptions assume a counter-clockwise direction of rotation, landing backwards on the outside edge of the right foot. (For clockwise rotation, the skater takes off using the alternative foot and always lands backwards on the outside edge of the left foot.) Several other jumps are usually performed only as single jumps and in elite skating are used as transitional movements or highlights in step sequences. These include

8034-590: 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

8137-403: The maximum likelihood estimate is more difficult to compute, leaving the truncated mean as a useful alternative. It is possible to perform a Student's t-test based on the truncated mean, which is called Yuen's t-test, which also has several implementations in R . The scoring method used in many sports that are evaluated by a panel of judges is a truncated mean: discard the lowest and

8240-471: The mean and the median are not very big, e.g. for the student-t distribution with 2 degrees of freedom the variances for mean and median are nearly equal. In some regions of Central Europe it is also known as a Windsor mean , but this name should not be confused with the Winsorized mean : in the latter, the observations that the trimmed mean would discard are instead replaced by the largest/smallest of

8343-415: The mean but will still give a reasonable estimate of central tendency or mean for many statistical models. In this regard it is referred to as a robust estimator . For example, in its use in Olympic judging, truncating the maximum and minimum prevents a single judge from increasing or lowering the overall score by giving an exceptionally high or low score. One situation in which it can be advantageous to use

8446-511: The most difficult movement to perform correctly. They require more strength and coordination than many other pair elements, and are usually the first or second element in a program. According to the International Skating Union (ISU), "the Woman must be caught in the air at the waist by the Man prior to landing and be assisted to a smooth landing on the ice on a backward outside edge on one foot" during

8549-466: 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

8652-470: The other disciplines. During a spin, skaters use the sweet spot of the blade, which is one of two rockers to be found on a blade and is the roundest portion of the blade. The sweet spot is located just behind the toe pick and near the middle of the blade. The other rocker is the more general curvature of the blade when stroking or gliding. Ice dancers' blades are about an inch shorter in the rear than those used by skaters in other disciplines, to accommodate

8755-584: The overall presentation of 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

8858-417: The percentage of points to discard does not yield a whole number, the trimmed mean may be defined by interpolation, generally linear interpolation, between the nearest whole numbers. For example, if you need to calculate the 15% trimmed mean of a sample containing 10 entries, strictly this would mean discarding 1 point from each end (equivalent to the 10% trimmed mean). If interpolating, one would instead compute

8961-594: The remaining values. Discarding only the maximum and minimum is known as the modified mean , particularly in management statistics. This is also known as the Olympic average (for example in US agriculture, like the Average Crop Revenue Election ), due to its use in Olympic events, such as the ISU Judging System in figure skating , to make the score robust to a single outlier judge. When

9064-436: The risk of blade clash in close complex moves. They may also be thinner to assist with glide and fast changes of edge. Off-ice training is the term for physical conditioning that takes place off the ice. Besides regular physical exercise, skaters do walk-throughs of jumps off the ice to practice sufficient rotation and height of their jumps, and to practice consistency in landing on one foot. In 2020/2021 many athletes relied on

9167-481: The sample median or the full sample mean. However, due to the fat tails of the Cauchy distribution, the efficiency of the estimator decreases as more of the sample gets used in the estimate. Note that for the Cauchy distribution, neither the truncated mean, full sample mean or sample median represents a maximum likelihood estimator, nor are any as asymptotically efficient as the maximum likelihood estimator; however,

9270-507: The scale went from -3 to +3. Each plus or minus step in 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

9373-410: The side, the blade of a figure skate is not flat, but curved slightly, forming an arc of a circle with a radius of 180–220 centimetres (71–87 inches). This curvature is referred to as the rocker of the blade. The "sweet spot" is the part of the blade on which all spins are rotated; this is usually located near the stanchion of the blade, below the ball of the foot. The blade is also "hollow ground";

9476-440: The six jumps to be landed cleanly as a quad in international competition is the elusive quadruple Axel . A few male skaters made valiant efforts to land the immensely difficult four-and-a-half revolution jump (most notably two-time Olympic Champion from Japan, Yuzuru Hanyu ), but failed to land one cleanly and fully-rotated. The first clean and fully-rotated quad Axel was successfully landed by American men's skater Ilia Malinin at

9579-413: The skater by pulling the cable/rope. The skater can then practice the jump with the coach assisting the completion. This is used when a skater needs more help on a jump. However, if the coaches see fit, they could use another harness usually called "the fishing pole harness." It is named that because it looks similar to a fishing pole. The skater will put on the harness and the coach will adjust it so it fits

9682-401: The skater, the outside edge is on the side farthest from the skater, and a flat refers to skating on both edges at the same time, which is discouraged. An unclear edge or edge violation is indicated with an 'e' and reflected in the GOE according to the severity of the problem. Flutz and lip are the colloquial terms for a Lutz and flip jump with an edge violation. In 1982, the ISU enacted

9785-421: The skater. The skater will go and do the jump with very little help from their coach. They can also do the jump on any pattern they choose, whereas, the other harness, they must do in a straight line. Figure skating consists of the following disciplines: Each element receives a score according to its base value and grade of execution (GOE), resulting in a combined technical elements score (TES). At competitions,

9888-401: The sport. This system of scoring is used in all international competitions sanctioned by 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

9991-453: The suspense, spins provide the scenery, but there is so much more to the scenery than most viewers have time or means to grasp". According to world champion and figure skating commentator Scott Hamilton , spins are often used "as breathing points or transitions to bigger things" Figure skating spins, along with jumps, spirals, and spread eagles were originally individual compulsory figures , sometimes special figures. Unlike jumps, spins were

10094-399: The toe pick of one skate into the ice, using it to vault into the air with the opposite leg. The main toe jumps are (in order of score value): All of the above descriptions assume a counter-clockwise direction of rotation, landing backwards on the outside edge of the right foot. (For clockwise rotation, the skater takes off using the alternative foot and lands backwards on the outside edge of

10197-414: The two-foot equivalents of rockers and counters. Other movements that may be incorporated into step sequences or used as connecting elements include lunges and spread eagles . An Ina Bauer is similar to a spread eagle performed with one knee bent and typically an arched back. Hydroblading refers to a deep edge performed with the body as low as possible to the ice in a near-horizontal position. Moves in

10300-554: The world, each with its own format and rules. The term "figure skating" is an English language term; the sport is called Eiskunstlauf in German and patinage artistique in French. The most visible difference from ice hockey skates is that figure skates have a set of large, jagged teeth called toe picks on the front part of the blade . These are used primarily in jumping and should not be used for stroking or spins. If used during

10403-856: Was made in 1876, by John Gamgee , in Chelsea along the north bank of the Thames River ; it measured 24 by 40 feet. By the end of the 19th century, many major cities in Europe and North America had indoor rinks. There is significant variation in the dimensions of ice rinks. Olympic-sized rinks have dimensions of 30 m × 60 m (98.4 ft × 197 ft), NHL -sized rinks are 26 m × 61 m (85 ft × 200 ft), while European rinks are sometimes 30 m × 64 m (98 ft × 210 ft). The ISU prefers Olympic-sized rinks for figure skating competitions, particularly for major events. According to ISU rule 342,

10506-401: Was needed to break ties in 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,

10609-468: 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 the senior international level,

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