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From: sjl@croak.cs.yale.edu (Sandra Loosemore)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.skating.ice.figure,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: Competitive Figure Skating FAQ: Rules and Regulations
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Date: 19 Aug 1997 12:40:55 -0400
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Summary: This article is part of the FAQ list for (amateur) competitive
	figure skating.  This section covers rules governing the sport
	of figure skating.
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Archive-name: sports/skating/ice/figure/rules
Last-modified: 19 Aug 1997

                      COMPETITIVE FIGURE SKATING FAQ:
                      ===============================

                           RULES AND REGULATIONS
                           =====================

This article is part of the FAQ list for (amateur) competitive figure
skating.  This section covers rules governing the sport of figure
skating.

This FAQ list is posted monthly to rec.sport.skating.ice.figure.  Send
corrections and suggestions to loosemore-sandra@cs.yale.edu.

This file is available in both plain-text and HTML/Web versions.  You can
get to the HTML version from SkateWeb Figure Skating Page at URL:

http://frog.simplenet.com/skateweb/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

  * [1] How is figure skating scored?
  * [2] Sometimes a judge gives marks that seem way too low.  Why is this
    permitted to happen?
  * [3] So exactly what are those rules for determining the placements
    from the ordinals?
  * [4] [Skater A] was ahead of [skater B] until [skater C] skated, but
    then their placements flipped!  How did that happen?  Aren't the
    rules unfair?
  * [5] What about rules for professional competitions?
  * [6] Are professional skaters allowed to compete in the Olympics?  Are
    amateurs allowed to be paid for skating?
  * [7] Why can't skaters do back flips in competition?
  * [8] What is the "Katarina Rule"?
  * [9] How do they decide which skaters get to go to the Olympics or
    world championships?
  * [10] Why was [well-known skater] not disqualified when she had
    trouble with her skate laces?
  * [11] How was [some skater] able to compete in both the World Junior
    championships and senior-level competitions in the same season?
  * [12] Why do the TV commentators keep patronizingly referring to women
    skaters as "ladies" instead of "women"?
  * [13] Isn't it unfair for the judges to watch the practice sessions?
    Aren't they supposed to judge only what happens in the actual
    competition?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] How is figure skating scored?

    The singles and pair events each have two parts, the short program
    and the free skate.  In the short program (formerly called the
    original or technical program), the skaters must execute eight
    required elements (jumps, spins, and footwork sequences); there are
    mandatory deductions for failures, and skaters are not permitted to
    retry missed elements or insert extra elements.  In the free skate,
    there are no required elements, and falling or omitting elements
    counts against the skater only as far as it reduces the overall
    difficulty of the program, or if it disrupts the flow of the program.

    Skaters are given two marks.  The technical mark (for required
    elements or technical merit) is supposed to reflect the difficulty of
    the program and the clean execution of the elements.  The
    presentation mark is supposed to reflect the choreography, flow, and
    balance of the program, the ability of the skaters to interpret their
    chosen music, and other factors such as making good use of the ice
    surface and skating with speed and sureness, and unison for pair
    skaters.

    The two marks from each judge are added together and used to assign
    skaters comparative rankings, called ORDINALS.  (In the case of ties,
    the technical mark has more weight in the short program, and the
    presentation mark in the free skate.)  If you think of the judges'
    marks for a particular skater as forming a row of the scoring sheet,
    the ordinals are computed by looking at the columns; each judge's
    ordinals are assigned independently of the other judges.

    Then the ordinals from each judge are combined to determine the
    overall placements; the skater with the majority of first-place votes
    places first, etc.  There is a complicated procedure for breaking
    ties and determining placements when no skater has a majority of
    votes, but the marks from all the judges are NOT added together, nor
    are the high and low marks discarded.

    The placements from each part of the competition are multiplied by a
    weighting factor, and then added together to get the final placements
    in the competition.  The factor for the short program is 0.5, and the
    factor for the free skate is 1.0.

    Scoring for ice dancing is similar, except that skaters do two
    compulsory dances selected from a set that rotates yearly and an
    original dance to a rhythm that also changes each year as well as a
    free dance.  The weighting factors are .2 for each compulsory dance,
    .6 for original dance, and 1.0 for the free dance.

    For the 1997-1998 season, the compulsory dances are the Golden Waltz,
    Quickstep, Silver Samba, and Argentine Tango, and the original dance
    rhythm is the Jive.  For the 1998-1999 season, the compulsory dances
    are the Ravensburger Waltz, Paso Doble, Tango Romantica and Blues,
    and the original dance rhythm is the Waltz.

    If you are really curious, you can find computer programs that
    implement the scoring rules at URL

    http://frog.simplenet.com/skateweb/score/

[2] Sometimes a judge gives marks that seem way too low.  Why is this
permitted to happen?

    First of all, remember that the marks given by a judge to a
    particular skater are meaningless compared to the marks given by
    other judges --all that matters is how THAT SAME JUDGE ranks the
    skater compared to the other competitors.  Sometimes a judge
    consistently marks all skaters a few tenths lower than the other
    judges without giving them significantly different ordinals.

    Because the competition results are determined by a majority vote of
    the judges, an individual judge can rarely influence the outcome of a
    competition by ranking a skater much higher or lower than is really
    appropriate.  Furthermore, the referee of the competition is required
    to report instances of questionable judging, which can lead to
    disqualification of the judge in question for future competitions.
    (And in extreme cases of national bias, the ISU has been known to ban
    ALL judges from a particular country.)  So judges actually have
    little motivation to try to deliberately manipulate the results of
    the competition.

[3] So exactly what are those rules for determining the placements from
the ordinals?

    First, make sure that you read the above discussion and understand
    what ordinals are, and how they are computed from the judges' marks.

    For each competitor, the lowest-numbered place for which that
    competitor has a majority of votes from the judges is determined.
    Ordinals a skater gets for lower-numbered places carry over in
    determining majorities for higher-numbered places.  For example, if
    there are 7 judges and a skater was given 2 first-place ordinals, 2
    second-place ordinals, and 3 third-place ordinals, this skater would
    have a majority of 4 for second place.

    Then, the placements are determined by applying these rules:

      * A skater that has a majority for a lowered-number place places
        ahead of any skaters whose majority is for a higher-numbered
        place.

      * Among skaters who have a majority for the same place, a skater
        that has a larger majority (i.e., more votes) places ahead of the
        others.

      * To break ties among skaters who have the same majority for the
        same place, add together the ordinals (not the marks!) from all
        the judges who voted with the majority.  The rulebook calls this
        the TOTAL ORDINALS OF MAJORITY, or TOM for short.  Do this for
        each of the tied skaters.  A skater with a smaller TOM places
        ahead of skaters with a higher TOM.

      * If skaters are still tied with the same TOM, then the ordinals
        given to each of the tied skaters from ALL the judges are added
        together.  This is called the TOTAL ORDINALS or TO.  A skater
        with a smaller TO places ahead of skaters with a higher TO.

      * If skaters are still tied with the same TO, they remain tied;
        they are both given the same placement in that phase of the
        competition.

[4] [Skater A] was ahead of [skater B] until [skater C] skated, but then
their placements flipped!  How did that happen?  Aren't the rules unfair?

    There are two possible ways this could happen.

    In the first case, it's possible for the positions of skaters in the
    standings for a particular competition phase (e.g., short program or
    free skating) to change.  Here's an example.  Suppose that after
    skaters A and B have skated, the ordinals look like this:

      
        A   1  1  1  1  1  2  2  2  2
        B   2  2  2  2  2  1  1  1  1
      

    At this point, skater A has a majority of votes for first place, so
    is ahead of skater B.  Now suppose skater C skates, and the ordinals
    are like this:

      
        A   1  1  1  1  2  3  3  2  2
        B   2  2  2  2  3  1  1  1  1
        C   3  3  3  3  1  2  2  3  3
      

    Now, what has happened is that no skater has a majority of
    first-place votes.  In this case, the winner of this competition
    phase is the skater with the most votes for first OR second place --
    in other words, skater B.

    The second situation where such flip-flops occur has to do with the
    weighting assigned to the different phases of the competition.

    Suppose these are the overall standings after skaters A and B have
    skated their free programs:

      
        A  1*0.5 + 3 = 3.5
        B  4*0.5 + 2 = 4.0
      

    Assume skater C skates next, and gets marks that put her in third
    place in the free skate ahead of skater A.  Since skater A has
    dropped a place in the free skate, this allows skater B to move ahead
    in the overall standings, like this:

      
        A  1*0.5 + 4 = 4.5
        B  4*0.5 + 2 = 4.0
        C  5*0.5 + 3 = 5.5
      

    Sometimes the rules can be confusing or counterintuitive, but that
    doesn't necessarily mean they're "unfair".  The confusing situations
    generally arise only when there is no clear consensus among the
    judges anyway, and any other way of computing the results would
    probably have a different set of flaws.  As it is, the current
    scoring rules are the result of years of experience and refinement,
    and are unambiguous, consistently applied, and understood and
    accepted by the judges, coaches, and the skaters themselves.

    Also, for a disinterested analysis by professional statisticians of
    the ordinal-based scoring system used in figure skating, check out an
    article called "Rating Skating" by Gilbert Bassett and Joseph Persky,
    in the Journal of the American Statistical Association, Sept. 94, Vol
    89 #427, pp. 1075-1079.  Their conclusion is that the system DOES
    work extremely well.

[5] What about rules for professional competitions?

    In general, there AREN'T any rules -- each competition seems to have
    its own format and judging system.  Most of the pro events are
    invitation-only, and often skaters are guaranteed large appearance
    fees in addition to the announced prize money.

    Pro-am ("open") events sometimes use the basic amateur (ISU) scoring
    system outlined above but typically permit some relaxation of the
    rules regarding the length and content of the free skating program.
    For example, vocal music and movements such as back flips that are
    normally not allowed may be used in these events.  The format of
    these events is still evolving.

[6] Are professional skaters allowed to compete in the Olympics?  Are
amateurs allowed to be paid for skating?

    The policy of the international governing body for skating, the ISU,
    has been that any skater who takes part in a competition that is not
    sanctioned by the ISU (or one of its national governing bodies, such
    as the USFSA) loses eligibility to compete in future "amateur"
    events.

    The ISU offered professional skaters a one-time option to reinstate
    as eligible competitors between 1992 and 1995.  However, this
    opportunity has closed, and professionals may no longer reinstate or
    compete as Olympic-eligible skaters.

    Sometimes professional skaters talk about wanting to reinstate to
    compete in the Olympics again, but they cannot do so unless ISU
    changes the rules again, and this is unlikely to happen.  Many people
    consider reinstatement to be a failed policy because it did not have
    the intended effect of bringing all skaters back into ISU-sponsored
    competitions on a permanent basis.  The ISU's current policy is aimed
    at encouraging skaters to retain their eligibility by offering prize
    money and other financial incentives.

    Aside from the matter of sanctioned competitions, the dividing line
    between amateur and professional status has otherwise become very
    blurred -- so-called amateur skaters can still be paid for doing ice
    shows, competitions, endorsements, TV appearances, and the like, as
    well as coaching.  It is more accurate to refer to their status as
    "eligible" than "amateur".

[7] Why can't skaters do back flips in competition?

    Basically, because the consensus in the skating community is that
    back flips aren't really a skating move, and that if they were
    allowed in competition, the character of the sport might change in
    ways that are seen as undesirable.  (It doesn't really have anything
    to do with whether the skater lands on one foot or two.) The same
    reasoning applies to other forbidden moves, such as pair-skating
    moves where the man swings the lady around by her feet, or lifts
    above the shoulder in ice dancing.

[8] What is the "Katarina Rule"?

    This refers to the guidelines for skaters' costumes that were adopted
    after Katarina Witt showed up at the 1988 European championships
    wearing a skimpy showgirl costume trimmed with feathers.  (Many
    people were dismayed by the increasing emphasis on theatrical
    costuming and displays of pulchritude, rather than athleticism.)
    Ladies are now required to wear skirts and pants "covering the hips
    and posterior".  Men cannot wear clothing that is sleeveless or that
    exposes the chest.  A more recent rule change requires men to wear
    trousers and not tights.  Clothing is also supposed to be free from
    "excessive decoration", such as feathers that can come loose and
    create a safety hazard on the ice.

    Other rules that are nicknamed after particular skaters are the
    "Zayak rule" (which restricts skaters from performing the same triple
    jump more than twice in a program) and the "Boitano rule"
    (reinstatement of professionals).

[9] How do they decide which skaters get to go to the Olympics or world
championships?

    The ISU allocates the slots to the different countries depending on
    the placement of their skaters at the previous year's world
    championships.

    In past years, the formula was based on the placement of the highest
    skater from each country in each discipline.  Now the formula is
    based on adding the placements of all skaters from the country, with
    all skaters who place lower than 15th or who fail to qualify, drop
    out after the short program, etc. given 16 points.

    For a 3-competitor team in the previous year, 6-21 points qualifies 3
    entries for the next year, 22-33 points qualifies 2 entries, and more
    than 33 points qualifies only 1 entry.

    For a 2-competitor team in the previous year, 3-13 points qualifies 3
    entries, 14-22 points qualifies 2 entries, and more than 22 qualifies
    only 1 entry.

    For a 1-competitor team in the previous year, 1-10 points qualifies 2
    entries and more than 10 points qualifies 1 entry.

    Because the number of skaters participating in the singles
    competitions has become very large in recent years (making it hard to
    judge these events), there is now a qualifying round competition at
    the world championships to reduce the number who make it to the final
    round to a fixed limit of 30.  Skaters perform their long programs
    only in the qualifying round; the placements are used to seed the
    skaters for the skate order in the short program, but don't carry
    over into the final round.  There is also a cut made after the short
    program in the pairs and dance events, as well as singles, to further
    reduce the field to the top 24 for the free skate.

    There is no qualifying round competition at the Olympic games, but
    the ISU has instead strictly limited the number of skaters in each
    event (again, giving priority to countries whose skaters placed
    higher at the previous year's worlds).

    In the US, the teams for the Olympic games and world championships
    normally consist of the top finishers from the US national
    championships.  In theory, the selection committee is permitted to
    deviate from the consecutive order of finish, but in practice about
    the only time they do so is when a top skater from the previous year
    is unable to compete at nationals due to injury.  (There is actually
    a legal reason for the loophole in the selection procedure:  if the
    national championships were considered "Olympic trials", the TV
    rights and revenues would belong to the US Olympic Committee rather
    than the USFSA.)

    In turn, skaters qualify to compete in the US national championships
    by skating in regional and sectional qualifying competitions.  Canada
    has a similar three-level hierarchy of qualifying competitions.

[10] Why was [well-known skater] not disqualified when she had trouble
with her skate laces?

    The rules specifically allow for situations where skaters have
    problems with their equipment or clothing breaking that make it
    difficult or dangerous for them to continue skating, as well as
    similar problems with their music or the ice surface.  Depending on
    the nature of the problem and how long it takes to fix it, the
    referee can either allow the skaters either to immediately pick up
    where they left off, or to reskate their entire program after all the
    other skaters in the group are finished.  The rules even allow for
    such restarts after accidents that are clearly the fault of the
    skaters (one such incident at 1996 US Nationals involved a pair
    skater who required first aid after being whacked in the nose in a
    collision with her partner.)

[11] How was [some skater] able to compete in both the World Junior
championships and senior-level competitions in the same season?

    The ISU doesn't actually recognize separate junior and senior
    divisions.  Instead, eligibility for the World Junior championships
    is based strictly on the age of the skaters.  It's not uncommon
    (especially among European skaters) to continue to compete at World
    Juniors after also starting to compete in senior-level international
    events.

    In USFSA-sponsored events, on the other hand, "junior" and "senior"
    refer to skill levels rather than age.  Skaters who have qualified at
    the senior level may still be selected to compete at World Juniors as
    long as they meet the age requirements.  Likewise, there are some
    juniors who are too old to be eligible for World Juniors.

[12] Why do the TV commentators keep patronizingly referring to women
skaters as "ladies" instead of "women"?

    "Ladies" is the official and traditional terminology of the ISU.
    Back in the old days, figure skating clubs were typically snobbish
    social organizations where the rich and well-connected could hobnob
    with one another, and it would have been a gross insult NOT to use
    the term "ladies" to refer to the kind of rich society women involved
    in the sport.  It's very similar to the elitist traditions
    surrounding country clubs and golf, another sport where women
    athletes are still referred to as "ladies".

    Nowadays, most people don't take the terminology very seriously,
    often using the term "ladies" with tongue planted firmly in cheek and
    an attitude of exaggerated reverence for the traditions of the sport
    that long predate contemporary notions of political correctness.

[13] Isn't it unfair for the judges to watch the practice sessions?
Aren't they supposed to judge only what happens in the actual
competition?

    It's actually a GOOD thing for the judges to watch the official
    practices at competitions, because it REDUCES the possibility that
    skaters will be judged by reputation or past performances instead of
    the way they actually skate at the event in question.

    Chances are, the judges have already seen some of the competitors at
    previous events and are somewhat familiar with their strengths and
    weaknesses as well as the layout and content of their programs.  If
    the judges didn't go to practices, then the other skaters that the
    judges weren't already familiar with would be at a disadvantage.  Not
    only does attending practices give the judges an equal opportunity to
    see ALL of the competitors, but it also gives them an impression of
    how they are skating NOW as opposed to during past events or previous
    seasons.

    The judges have an awful lot of things they have to look for during a
    performance, and it can be very difficult to catch everything when
    seeing a program for the first time.  The skating goes by very
    quickly and there are no slow-motion replays.  So becoming familiar
    with the skaters' programs in practices helps the judges do a better
    job in evaluating them in the actual competition.  If the judges have
    a rough idea of the planned technical content of the program and
    where in the program the big jumps are, they're less likely to miss
    them in the final performance because they blinked at the wrong time
    or were writing notes or otherwise distracted.  The practices also
    give the judges an opportunity to observe if the skaters are doing
    anything unusual or especially difficult, so that they know to look
    for these elements and give the skaters extra credit if they're
    completed.  (For example, a lutz with an unusual footwork entry might
    be confused with an easier flip jump on first viewing, or a quadruple
    jump might be mistaken for a triple.) Conversely, practices also give
    the judges a chance to observe whether skaters have particular
    problems with faulty technique that they should especially watch for
    during the competition.

    Besides keeping track of what technical elements the skaters
    complete, the judges also have to pay attention to factors like the
    difficulty and variety of connecting steps, whether the program is
    balanced in terms of its layout and use of the ice surface, and the
    skaters' speed, carriage, and ease of movement in harmony with the
    music.  It can be hard to evaluate the overall structure and
    choreography of a program at the same time that you're looking for
    specific technical elements, so again it's helpful for the judges to
    be able to make some preliminary observations in the practice
    sessions.  These factors generally don't change much in between
    practice and performance anyway.

    In short, while judges are supposed to judge only what they see
    during the actual competition, watching the practices gives them a
    better idea of what to look for, so that they see the right things.

