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Free skating

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The free skating segment of figure skating, also called the free skate and the long program, is the second of two segments of competitions, skated after the short program. Its duration, across all disciplines, is four minutes for senior skaters and teams, and three and one-half minutes for junior skaters and teams. Vocal music with lyrics is allowed for all disciplines since the 2014—2015 season. The free skating program, across all disciplines, must be well-balanced and include certain elements described and published by the International Skating Union (ISU).

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Figure skating

Figure skating

Figure skating 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, when contested 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, first included in 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, which, depending on the discipline, may include spins, jumps, moves in the field, lifts, throw jumps, death spirals, and other elements or moves.

Short program (figure skating)

Short program (figure skating)

The short program of figure skating is the first of two segments of competitions, skated before the free skating program. It lasts, for both senior and junior singles and pair skaters, 2 minutes and 40 seconds. In synchronized skating, for both juniors and seniors, the short program lasts 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Vocal music with lyrics is allowed for all disciplines since the 2014-2015 season. The short program for single skaters and for pair skaters consists of seven required elements, and there are six required elements for synchronized skaters.

2014–15 figure skating season

2014–15 figure skating season

The 2014–15 figure skating season began on July 1, 2014, and ended on June 30, 2015. During this season, elite skaters competed at the ISU Championship level in the 2015 European, Four Continents, World Junior, and World Championships. Other elite events included the Grand Prix series and Junior Grand Prix series, culminating in the Grand Prix Final, and the inaugural ISU Challenger Series.

International Skating Union

International Skating Union

The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands, in July 1892, making it one of the oldest international sport federations. The ISU was formed to establish standardized international rules and regulations for the skating disciplines it governs, and to organize international competitions in these disciplines. It is now based in Switzerland.

Overview

The free skating program, also called the free skate or long program, along with the short program, is a segment of single skating, pair skating, and synchronized skating in international competitions and events for both junior and senior-level skaters.[1][2] The free skating program is skated after the short program.[1][3] Its duration, across all disciplines, is four minutes for senior skaters and teams, and three and one-half minutes for junior skaters and teams.[4][5] Vocal music with lyrics has been allowed in all disciplines since the 2014—2015 season. The first time vocal music was allowed at the Olympics was in 2018.[6][7][note 1]

According to figure skating historian James R. Hines, the Viennese style of figure skating, which developed into the international style adopted by the International Skating Union (ISU), the organization that oversees figure skating, "provides a direct link to modern free skating".[9] Free skating, developed when skaters connected individual compulsory figures into a cohesive program, has been a part of international competitions throughout the ISU's history, becoming more important and popular after World War II. The free skate, along with compulsory figures, were segments in competitions until 1973, when the short program was added.[10]

American skater Nathan Chen holds the highest single men's free skating program score of 224.92, which he earned at the 2019–20 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.[11][note 2] Alexandra Trusova from Russia holds the highest single women's free skating score of 166.62, which she earned at 2019 Skate Canada.[13] Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov from Russia hold the highest pairs free skating score of 157.46, which they earned at the 2022 European Championships.[14]

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Short program (figure skating)

Short program (figure skating)

The short program of figure skating is the first of two segments of competitions, skated before the free skating program. It lasts, for both senior and junior singles and pair skaters, 2 minutes and 40 seconds. In synchronized skating, for both juniors and seniors, the short program lasts 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Vocal music with lyrics is allowed for all disciplines since the 2014-2015 season. The short program for single skaters and for pair skaters consists of seven required elements, and there are six required elements for synchronized skaters.

Pair skating

Pair skating

Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating as compared with independent Single Skating". The ISU also states that a pairs team consists of "one Woman and one Man". Pair skating, along with men's and women's single skating, has been an Olympic discipline since figure skating, the oldest Winter Olympic sport, was introduced at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. The ISU World Figure Skating Championships introduced pair skating in 1908.

2014–15 figure skating season

2014–15 figure skating season

The 2014–15 figure skating season began on July 1, 2014, and ended on June 30, 2015. During this season, elite skaters competed at the ISU Championship level in the 2015 European, Four Continents, World Junior, and World Championships. Other elite events included the Grand Prix series and Junior Grand Prix series, culminating in the Grand Prix Final, and the inaugural ISU Challenger Series.

2018 Winter Olympics

2018 Winter Olympics

The 2018 Winter Olympics, officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as PyeongChang 2018, were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, with the opening rounds for certain events held on 8 February, a day before the opening ceremony.

International Skating Union

International Skating Union

The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands, in July 1892, making it one of the oldest international sport federations. The ISU was formed to establish standardized international rules and regulations for the skating disciplines it governs, and to organize international competitions in these disciplines. It is now based in Switzerland.

Compulsory figures

Compulsory figures

Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly a segment of figure skating, and gave the sport its name. They are the "circular patterns which skaters trace on the ice to demonstrate skill in placing clean turns evenly on round circles". For approximately the first 50 years of figure skating as a sport, until 1947, compulsory figures made up 60 percent of the total score at most competitions around the world. These figures continued to dominate the sport, although they steadily declined in importance, until the International Skating Union (ISU) voted to discontinue them as a part of competitions in 1990. Learning and training in compulsory figures instilled discipline and control; some in the figure skating community considered them necessary to teach skaters basic skills. Skaters would train for hours to learn and execute them well, and competing and judging figures would often take up to eight hours during competitions.

Nathan Chen

Nathan Chen

Nathan Wei Chen, is an American figure skater and author. He is the 2022 Olympic champion, a three-time World champion, the 2017 Four Continents champion, a three-time Grand Prix Final champion, a ten-time Grand Prix medalist, a 2022 Olympic silver medalist in the team event, a 2018 Olympic bronze medalist in the team event and a six-time U.S. national champion (2017–22). At the junior level, Chen is the 2015–16 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, 2013–14 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, 2014 World Junior bronze medalist, and a six-time Junior Grand Prix medalist.

Alexandra Trusova

Alexandra Trusova

Alexandra "Sasha" Vyacheslavovna Trusova is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2022 Olympic silver medalist, the 2021 World bronze medalist, a two-time European bronze medalist, the 2019 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, the 2022 Russian national champion, a two-time Junior World Champion, the 2018 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, the 2019 Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalist, a four-time champion on the Junior Grand Prix series, and a two-time Russian Junior national champion.

2019 Skate Canada International

2019 Skate Canada International

The 2019 Skate Canada International was the second event of the 2019–20 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia from October 25 to 27. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final.

Anastasia Mishina

Anastasia Mishina

Anastasia Viktorovna Mishina is a Russian pair skater. With her skating partner, Aleksandr Galliamov, she is the 2022 Olympic champion in the team event and 2022 Olympic pairs bronze medalist, 2021 World champion, the 2022 European champion, the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, a three-time Grand Prix event champion, and the 2022 Russian national champion. She is also the 2019 World Junior champion, the 2018 World Junior bronze medalist, 2018–19 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and 2019 Russian national junior champion.

Aleksandr Galliamov

Aleksandr Galliamov

Aleksandr Romanovich Galliamov is a Russian pair skater. With his skating partner, Anastasia Mishina, he is the 2022 Olympic champion in the team event and 2022 Olympic pairs bronze medalist, 2021 World champion, the 2022 European champion, the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, a three-time Grand Prix event champion, and the 2022 Russian national champion. He is also the 2019 World Junior champion, the 2018 World Junior bronze medalist, 2018–19 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and 2019 Russian national junior champion.

2022 European Figure Skating Championships

2022 European Figure Skating Championships

The 2022 European Figure Skating Championships were held from 10 to 16 January 2022 in Tallinn, Estonia. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance. The competition determined the entry quotas for each federation at the 2023 European Championships. Russia swept the titles for a second consecutive European Championships and for the eighth time in history.

Requirements

Single skating

Nathan Chen after his free skate from the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
Nathan Chen after his free skate from the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

According to the ISU, a free skating program for men and women single skaters "consists of a well balanced program of Free Skating elements, such as jumps, spins, steps and other linking movements executed with minimal two-footed skating, in harmony with music of the Competitor’s choice".[15] Skaters have "complete freedom"[16] to select any free skating elements they choose; the sum of the elements make up an entire free skating program. All the elements must be linked together by connecting different steps and other free skating movements. Skaters must use the entire ice surface. Forward and backward crossovers, however, do not constitute connecting steps. If a skater performs more elements than what is prescribed, only the first attempt, or the allowed number of attempts, is counted in their final score.[17]

A well-balanced free skate for junior and senior men and women single skaters must consist of the following: up to seven jump elements, one of which has to be an Axel jump; up to three spins, one of which has to be a spin combination (one a spin with just one position, and one flying spin with a flying entrance); only one step sequence; and only one choreographic sequence.[16][18]

Skaters can execute up to three jump combinations or jump sequences in the free skating program and can consist of the same or a different single, double, triple, or quadruple jump. One jump combination may consist of up to three jumps, while the other two jump combinations can consist of up to two jumps. Any double jump, including the double Axel, cannot be included more than two times; i.e., as a solo jump or as part of a jump combination or jump sequence. Only two types of triple and quadruple jumps can be executed twice or attempted more than twice. Jumps are judged in the order of execution. The ISU requires that all spins "must be of a different character".[19] Skaters must include a required number of revolutions in their spins: at least ten spins in their spin combinations and six revolutions for both their flying spin and the spin with only one position. Judges count the minimum number of required revolutions from the entry of the spin to, other than the wind-up in flying spins and spins with just one position, its exit. A change in foot is optional in the spin with spin combinations and spins with only one position.[20]

Skaters have complete freedom in the selection of the kinds of step sequences they want to execute. They can include jumps in their step sequences, but they must fully utilize the ice surface.[20] The ISU also states about step sequences: "Step sequences too short and barely visible cannot be considered as meeting the requirements of a step sequence".[20] The pattern of choreographic sequences, which may be performed before or after the step sequence and must consist of at least two movements, is not restricted, but they must be clearly visible. They commence with the skaters' first skating movement and conclude with the "preparation to the next element",[16] if it is not the last element of the free skating program. Additionally, skaters can use steps and turns to link two or more different movements together.[16]

Pair skating

According to the ISU, free skating for pairs "consists of a well balanced program composed and skated to music of the pair’s own choice for a specified period of time".[21] The ISU also considers a good free skate one that contains both single skating moves performed either in parallel (called "shadow skating") or symmetrically (called "mirror skating") and "especially typical Pair Skating moves"[21] such as pair spins, lifts, partner assisted jumps, spirals and other similar moves, "linked harmoniously by steps and other movements".[21]

A well-balanced free skate for senior pairs must consist of the following: up to three lifts, not all from the same group, with the lifting arm or arms fully extended;[note 3] only one twist lift, only one solo jump; only one jump sequence or combination; only one pair spin combination; only one death spiral of a different type than what the skaters performed during their short program; and only one choreographic sequence. A junior pair free skating program must consist of the following: up to two lifts, not all from the same group, with the lifting arm or arms fully extended; only one twist lift; up to two different throw jumps; only one solo jump; only one jump sequence or combination; only one death spiral; and only one choreographic sequence. If a pairs team performs any number of elements more than what has been prescribed, only the first attempt (or the legal number of attempts) will be included in their final score.[23]

Synchronized skating

A well-balanced free skate for synchronized skating must consist of elements and other linking movements that reflect the character of the music the teams choose and/or expresses a story, theme, idea, or concept also chosen by the team.[24] The ISU, out of the following 14 elements, chooses and publicizes up to 10 required elements for junior free skating programs and up to 11 required elements for senior free skating programs yearly.[25] These elements include: an artistic element, a creative element, an intersection element, a group lift element (only for senior teams, when required), a line or block linear element, a mixed element, a move element, a no-hold element, a pair element, a line or black pivoting element, a wheel or circle rotating element, a synchronized spin element, a wheel or circle traveling element, and a twizzle element.[26] These elements must be "linked together harmoniously by a variety of connections and executed with a minimum of two footed skating".[27]

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Nathan Chen

Nathan Chen

Nathan Wei Chen, is an American figure skater and author. He is the 2022 Olympic champion, a three-time World champion, the 2017 Four Continents champion, a three-time Grand Prix Final champion, a ten-time Grand Prix medalist, a 2022 Olympic silver medalist in the team event, a 2018 Olympic bronze medalist in the team event and a six-time U.S. national champion (2017–22). At the junior level, Chen is the 2015–16 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, 2013–14 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, 2014 World Junior bronze medalist, and a six-time Junior Grand Prix medalist.

2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

The 2017 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held from January 14–22 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri and Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence, Missouri. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing at the senior, junior, novice, intermediate, and juvenile levels. The results were part of the U.S. selection criteria for the 2017 Four Continents, 2017 World Junior Championships, and the 2017 World Championships.

Axel jump

Axel jump

The Axel jump or Axel Paulsen jump, named after its inventor, Norwegian figure skater Axel Paulsen, is an edge jump performed in figure skating. It is the sport's oldest and most difficult jump, and the only basic jump in competition with a forward take-off, which makes it the easiest to identify. A double or triple Axel is required in both the short program and the free skating segment for junior and senior single skaters in all events sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU).

Figure skating spins

Figure skating spins

Spins are an element in figure skating 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, single skating, pair skating, and ice dance, and are a required element in most figure skating competitions. As The New York Times says, "While jumps look like sport, spins look more like art. While jumps provide 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"

Step sequence

Step sequence

A step sequence is a required element in all four disciplines of figure skating, men's single skating, women's single skating, pair skating, and ice dance. Step sequences have been defined as "steps and turns in a pattern on the ice". Skaters earn the most points in step sequences by performing steps and movements with "flair and personality", by turning in both directions, by using one foot and then the other, and by including up and down movements.

Figure skating lifts

Figure skating lifts

Figure skating lifts are required elements in two disciplines of figure skating, 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 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 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 a twist lift. A pair lift and twist lift is required in the short program of pair skating; a well-balanced free skating program in pair skating must include lifts.

Death spiral (figure skating)

Death spiral (figure skating)

The death spiral is a figure skating term used to describe a spin involving two partners in the discipline of pair skating, in which one partner lowers the other partner while the partner getting close to the ice arches backward on one foot. It was created by German professional skater Charlotte Oelschlägel and her husband Curt Newmann in the 1920s. Suzanne Morrow and Wallace Diestelmeyer from Canada were the first pair team to perform the death spiral one-handed, at the 1948 Olympic Games. In the 1960s, Soviet pair team Liudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov created three death spirals: "the backward-inside, forward-inside and forward-outside death spirals, which they originally named the Cosmic Spiral, Life Spiral and Love Spiral, respectively". The International Skating Union (ISU), the governing body that oversees figure skating, allows for variations of arm holds and pivot positions. Senior pair skating teams must perform different types of death spirals in their short programs and free skating programs.

Twizzle

Twizzle

A twizzle is "a multirotational, one-foot turn that moves across the ice" in the sport of figure skating. First performed by David Grant in 1990 the International Skating Union (ISU) defines a twizzle as "a traveling turn on one foot with one or more rotations which is quickly rotated with a continuous (uninterrupted) action". It is most often performed in ice dance, although single skaters and pair skaters also perform the element. Twizzles have been called "the quads of ice dance" because like quadruple jumps in other disciplines, twizzles are risky and technically demanding.

Source: "Free skating", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, September 30th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_skating.

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Further Reading

Figure skating

Ice dance

Figure skating spins

Synchronized skating

Pair skating

Single skating

Figure skating lifts

Free dance (ice dance)

Competition elements in ice dance
References

Notes

  1. ^ The ISU has allowed vocals in the music used in ice dance since the 1997—1998 season.[8]
  2. ^ After the 2018—2019 season, due to the change in grade of execution scores from -3 to +3 to -5 to +5, all statistics started from zero and all previous scores were listed as "historical".[12]
  3. ^ See the 2018 "Special Regulations and Technical Rules for a list of pair skating lift groups.[22]

Citations

  1. ^ a b S&P/ID 2022, p. 9
  2. ^ SS Rules 2022, p. 6
  3. ^ SS Rules 2022, p. 8
  4. ^ S&P/ID 2022, p. 80
  5. ^ SS Rules 2022, p. 80
  6. ^ S&P/ID 2022, p. 105
  7. ^ Root, Tik (8 February 2018). "How to Watch Figure Skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang". The Washington Post. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  8. ^ Hersh, Philip (23 October 2014). "Figure Skating Taking Cole Porter Approach: Anything Goes". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  9. ^ Hines, James R. (2006). Figure Skating: A History. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. p. 4. ISBN 0-252-07286-3.
  10. ^ Hines, James R. (2011). Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-8108-6859-5.
  11. ^ "ISU Personal Best Scores Statistics: Free Skating Men". International Skating Union. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  12. ^ Walker, Elvin (19 September 2018). "New Season New Rules". International Figure Skating. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  13. ^ "I SU Personal Best Scores Statistics:Free Skating Women". International Skating Union. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  14. ^ "ISU Personal Best Scores Statistics: Free Skating Pairs". International Skating Union. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  15. ^ S&P/ID 2022, p. 109
  16. ^ a b c d S&P/ID 2022, p. 110
  17. ^ S&P/ID 2022, pp. 110–111
  18. ^ "Communication No. 2494: Single & Pair Skating/Ice Dance". Lausanne, Switzerland: International Skating Union. 30 June 2022. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  19. ^ S&P/ID 2022, p. 111
  20. ^ a b c S&P/ID 2022, p. 112
  21. ^ a b c S&P/ID 2022, p. 118
  22. ^ S&P/ID 2022, p. 113
  23. ^ S&P/ID 2022, pp. 118–119
  24. ^ SS 2022, pp. 104–105
  25. ^ SS 2022, p. 103
  26. ^ SS 2022, pp. 105–106
  27. ^ SS 2022, p. 105

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