Figure skating often brings to mind visions of a beautiful silhouette gliding quietly across the ice.

There is and likely always be an element of grace and poise in these performances. While figure skating has always been one of my favourite winter sports, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. However, there have been a few things at work over the last number of years that have given the sport a bit of a new edge – no pun intended. There’s a new system of judging, more athletic programs, the influences of charismatic athletes and positive TV coverage that are all good reasons for more people to stop and take notice of this exciting sport. 

A move towards a less biased judging system 

The 6.0 system of judging 

Over the years, the scoring system for figure skating has been known to spark a little controversy. It has often been considered biased and lacking in accountability. Under the old system, a panel of judges would hand out a technical merit score and a presentation or artistic merit score. When combined, these marks would give a competitor their final score ranging from 0 to a perfect 6.0. Sounds straightforward but it never seemed to make everyone happy. 

The artistic component of the score was often the culprit – propelling a less technically gifted skater to the podium, feeding the view that the system was fraught with bias. Remember the 2002 Winter Olympics, watching Canadian pairs Jamie Sale and David Pelletier receive a less than perfect score for what many considered a flawless performance? The gold was awarded to the Russian pair who made a minor technical error that most felt should have landed them in second. It was following this controversy that changes were made to the scoring system in an attempt to improve transparency and accountability.  

The new system 

Bear with me because this is not easy to explain. Skate Canada has a good explanation if you are looking for more. The new system now consists of two panels of judging – one for the technical elements and their execution, another for quality and presentation of the overall program.  

The Total Element Score (TES) identifies the elements of a program and awards points for each. The execution of the element is also graded. From the panel of nine judges, the highest and lowest scores are dropped and the remaining seven scores make up the total TES. The Program Component Score (PCS) grades the performance based on five program components – skating skills, transitions, step sequences, interpretation and timing. The overall presentation of the program is also assessed. Bonuses are added for more difficult elements and points are deducted for violations and falls. The total score for the performance is then the combination of the TES and PCS scores plus or minus the bonuses and deductions.  

Results of the change 

While not perfect, the new system seems to produce less biased results with a more thorough review of the elements and the dropping of the highest and lowest scores. A protocol of the results is available to skaters so they can see how marks are calculated – further helping to improve accountability.  

Whenever a panel of judges determines a sport’s result, it’s basically a given that there will be opportunity for those results to contain some amount of bias. The judging component is part of this sport and likely always will be. But who knows…maybe it’s the potential for controversy that attracts people to the sport in the first place! 

More aggressive and challenging programs 

With the checklist of elements and the grading system applied to each, skaters are choreographing programs that are quite technically challenging with more and more complicated elements all in the name of improving their overall scores. Jumps with more rotations, tougher combinations, more intricate footwork and innovative spins are now the expectation. An unintended downside to this may be an increasing number of injuries to athletes as they continue to up the ante with ever more challenging elements and aggressive programs. But with the start of each season, fans everywhere have great expectations about the new programs and can’t wait to see what these athletes will do with just two little blades and a pad of ice. 

Inspiring, charismatic and successful Canadians  

The athletes and the programs they present are very distinct and meaningful. The skater’s personality comes through in their choreography and that’s what keeps us coming back for more. 

The style of Elvis Stojko who incorporated a strong martial arts theme into his programs, added an athletic and dynamic side to the sport. As a result of his style and presentation, Elvis most definitely drew attention to the sport and added interest from individuals who were not previously figure skating fans – many Bruce Lee fans certainly know who Elvis is and when he is in the building. 

Sweethearts of Canadian ice dancing, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, have a long list of accomplishments that has attracted interest when they compete. They are the most successful ice-dance team in Canadian history. In 2010, Tessa and Scott were the first North American ice dancers to win Olympic gold in Vancouver and were the youngest to do it. In 2014, at the Sochi Olympics, they came away with the silver – and many believe it was due to another judging controversy. They are six-time Canadian champs and two-time world champs. Their innovative and athletic style has raised the level of competition for ice dancing and inspired many Canadian fans.  

And who will ever forget the inspiring, heart-breaking performances of Joannie Rochette at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Joannie’s mother passed away from a heart attack just two days before the start of the ladies competition. She decided to go ahead and skate her programs in her mother’s honour. Joannie ended up winning the bronze medal and made many Canadians proud with her perseverance and determination. Watch this You Tube video of Joannie's emotional performances in Vancouver - be sure to grab a tissue first.

Mainstream TV Coverage: Battle of the Blades 

What can I say about the Battle of the Blades? It was the CBC reality TV program that paired hockey players with figure skaters…a very entertaining take on hockey meets figure skating. It drew a fair bit of positive attention to the sport and opened the eyes of many hockey players and fans alike – figure skating was more than just a little fancy footwork and spinning. Putting on a new program every week required a lot off hard work and determination and was certainly more gruelling than the hockey players thought it would be. Battle of the Blades most likely created a few more fans for the sport by showing what it takes to succeed in the world of figure skating. 

Tune in for the next big event 

If I see that figure skating is on, I always stop and watch. There are hopes that the more accountable judging and the ever more challenging performances will draw others to stop and take notice as well. There are many exciting athletes from all over the world to follow and they sure are keeping us on the edge of our seats. 

If you are interested in watching the athleticism and artistic grace of today’s figure skaters, the following is the regular schedule of major events for national and international competitions: 

• Fall – International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix 

• December – ISU Grand Prix Final 

• January – Canadian Nationals

• March – World Championships 

For more information on these events, click here. 

For more information on Canada’s National Figure Skating team, go to Skate Canada. 

Events in local communities

Skate Canada puts on competitions or sectionals that are hosted by provincial skating organizations and local clubs. These events provide an opportunity to see the up and coming talent in the world of figure skating.

To find out more about events in your community, head to Skate Canada and click on your provincial association. Look for an “events” or “calendar” tab to find an opportunity to see the rising stars of tomorrow in your hometown arena. 

SeeWhatSheCanDo 

Check out our Athlete Advisor, your online business directory for more information on skating in your community. Find, rate and review clubs, programs, local community offerings and businesses that will help you do your thing.

Find or start a skating group or organize an evening on the ice on our SWSCD Hub.  

Look for advice, stories and news on our Figure Skating activity page.

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