Sochi Sports Guide: Figure Skating

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Date: 6-20 February
Venue: Iceberg Skating Palace

Overview

With its glitter, big personalities, and unforgettable upsets, figure skating is historically one of the most dramatic and theatrical sports at the Winter Games. It is a complex and demanding that requires skilful technical moves executed alongside artistry and grace.

Competitive figure skating features separate men’s, ladies’, pairs skating, and ice dancing categories.

Figure Skating is one of the oldest Olympic sports, first appearing in the 1908 Games in London.

2014 sees the introduction of the new Team Event, similar to the Gymnastics Team Event in the Summer Olympics. Nations enter one woman skater, one man skater, one pair, and one ice dancing pair to compete together as a team for an overall medal.

Jargon Buster

Toe Pick: Jagged-edge teeth cut into the toe of a figure skating blade, used as the pivot point for spins and as an aid in jumping.

Toe Loop: A jump that uses the toe pick to vault in the air, with the landing on the back inside edge of the same foot. It can be performed as a single, double, or triple toe loop and is considered one of the easier jumps in Olympic figure skating.

Salchow Jump: A jump in which the skater takes off on the back inside edge of one foot, rotates in the air, and lands on the back outside edge of the other foot. The Salchow can be performed in variants of single (one full rotational spin the air), double, and so on; the quadruple Salchow is one of the most difficult jumps in Ulrich Salchow, its creator, was a 10-time World champion from 1901 to 1911

Axel Jump: The only jump in which a skater takes off from the forward position, rotates in the air, and lands backwards. A single Axel is 1.5 revolutions in the air, a double is 2.5 revolutions, and the very difficult triple Axel is 3.5 revolutions. Named for its inventor, Axel Paulsen, is it one of the most difficult jumps in figure skating. A double Axel is often included as a technical requirement in ladies’ competitions.

Biellmann Span: A move in which a skater, on one leg, pulls her free leg behind her head into a higher position, and spins. It is named after Denise Biellmann.

Basic rules

The Olympic figure skating competitions take place on an ice rink that is a 60x30metre oval. Skaters perform one at a time, skating individually designed routines which are judged on programme components, skating skills, footwork, performance/execution, choreography/composition, interpretation, and timing.

The judging panel consists of officials from representative nations, and competitions are typically divided into two sections:

The short programme is the first part of the routine, in which skaters must incorporate eight required elements. It is no more than 2 minutes, 40 seconds long and counts for 33.3% percent of a the final score in singles and pairs.

The free skate formerly known as the long programme, is the longer part of the routine and is skated second, after the short programme. Skaters choose music and choreograph a routine to best exhibit their technical and artistic skills. This is the area of the competition in which skaters can show off their individual creativity, and counts for 66.7% of the final score in singles and pairs.

Olympic Figure Skating consists of the men’s competition, ladies’ competitions, and two categories of partnered competitions. Pair Skating is a discipline in which one male and one female skater perform together. Pairs skating requires partners to incorporate technical elements of the singles’ skate, in sync and in tandem, alongside lifts and throw jumps unique to pairs skating.

Ice Dancing is a form of competitive figure skating, usually performed by a pair of one male and one female skater, that incorporates choreographed dance moves. Ice dancers are scored on technical merit alongside how closely they artistically express the rhythm and mood of the music. It is the is the only form of figure skating that uses music with vocals.

Ones to watch

Jenna McCorkell (pictured above) is an eleven time British Champion and was Team GB’s top skater in the ladies’ competition at the 2013 World Championships. This was only with a 20th place overall finish, so it will be interesting to see if she can rise with the competition in Sochi.

The GB duos of Stacy Kemp/David King (Pairs) and Penny Coomes/Nicholas Buckland (Ice Dancing) are British favourites in the pairs events, but medals aren’t looking likely.

Rivalries and Favourites

Yuna Kim is the defending gold medallist, but the South Korean skater has battled injury in recent months so may not be on top form.

The Germans, Russians, and Canadians are also expected to do well, whilst Team USA is looking to get back on the podium in the ladies’ event for the first time since 16-year-old Sarah Hughes dramatically upset the field to take gold in 2002.

In ice dancing, Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the USA will be looking to hold onto the gold medal they won in the 2013 Worlds.

Who to follow on Twitter

@NISA_iceskating
@JennaMcCorkell
@PennyCoomes

Olympic Fact

Theresa Weld, the first woman to perform the Salchow jump, was disciplined at the 1920 Olympics for attempting something so ‘unladylike.’ This did not stop women from including it in their performances, however, and it has long been a feature of routines in both men’s and women’s competitive figure skating.

Erin Walters, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine

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