Figure skating

The term "professional" in skating refers not to skill level but competitive status. Figure skaters competing at the highest levels of international competition are not "professional" skaters. They are sometimes referred to as amateurs, The term "figure skating" is an English-language term; the sport is called Eiskunstlauf (lit. "Ice Art Run") in German and patinage artistique (lit. "artistic skating") in French. ==Figure skates==

, showing the toe picks, the hollow (groove) on the bottom of the blade, and screw attachment 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 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. Ice dance blades have short tails to enable close foot work and reduce 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 a variety of off-ice training and conditioning methods due to rinks being closed due to COVID-19. ==Ice rinks and rink equipment==

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 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 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 , NHL-sized rinks are , while European rinks are sometimes . 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. ==Disciplines==

Figure skating consists of the following disciplines: • In single skating, male and female skaters compete individually. Figure skating is the oldest winter sport contested at the Olympics, with men's and women's single skating appearing as two of the four figure skating events at the London Games in 1908. Single skating has required elements that skaters must perform during a competition and that make up a well-balanced skating program. They include jumps (and jump combinations), spins, step sequences, and choreographic sequences. • Pair skating is defined 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. Pair skating required elements include lifts, twist lifts, jumps and partner assisted jumps, pair spins, death spirals, step sequences, and choreographic sequences. The elements performed by pairs teams must be "linked together by connecting steps of a different nature" and by other comparable movements and with a variety of holds and positions. • Ice dance historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. According to the ISU, an ice dance team consists of one woman and one man. • Synchronized skating (formerly known as "precision skating") is for mixed-gender groups of between twelve and twenty figure skaters. This discipline resembles a group form of ice dance, with additional emphasis on precise formations of the group as a whole and complex transitions between formations. The basic formations include wheels, blocks, lines, circles, and intersections. The close formations, and the need for the team to stay in unison, add to the difficulty of the footwork performed by the skaters in these elements. Formal proposals were put forward by the ISU to include synchronized skating in the 2022 Winter Olympics, but those efforts have been unsuccessful. 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 ISU voted to discontinue them as a part of competitions in 1990. Since 2015 with the founding of the World Figure Sport Society and the World Figure & Fancy Skating Championships & Festival on black ice, more skaters are training and competing in figures. More coaches are learning the new methods developed by World Figure Sport to teach them to skaters, as some skaters and coaches believe that figures give skaters an advantage in developing alignment, core strength, body control, and discipline. File:Camel yuna1.jpg|South Korean singles skater Yuna Kim, 2008 File:Camille RUEST Andrew WOLFE-GPFrance 2018-Pairs FS-IMG 1465.jpeg|Canadian pair skaters Camille Ruest and Andrew Wolfe, 2018 File:2013 Nebelhorn Trophy Pilar Maekawa Moreno Leonardo Maekawa Moreno IMG 7885.JPG|Mexican ice dancers Pilar Maekawa Moreno and Leonardo Maekawa Moreno, 2013 File:Haydenettes 2006.jpg|American synchronized skating team The Haydenettes, 2006 File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-K1217-0035, Sonja Morgenstern.jpg|Sonja Morgenstern from Germany demonstrating compulsory figures, 1971 ==Elements and moves==

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, a technical specialist identifies the elements and assigns each one a level of difficulty, ranging from B (Basic) to Level 4 (most difficult). 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. 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 Toe jumps are launched by digging 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): • Toe loop – the skater takes off backwards from the outside edge of the right (or left) foot, launching the jump using the opposite toe pick. • Flip (sometimes known as a toe salchow)the skater takes off backwards from the inside edge of the left (or right) foot and assists the take-off using the opposite toe pick. • Lutz – similar to the flip, but the skater takes off from the backward outside edge of the left (or right) foot, launching the jump using the opposite toe pick. 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 the left foot.) Edge jumps Edge jumps use no toe assist, and include (in order of score value): • Salchow – the skater takes off backwards from the inside edge of the left (or right) foot, allowing the edge to come round, the opposite leg helps to launch the jump into the air. • Loop (also known as a Rittberger jump)the skater takes off backwards from the outside edge of the right (or left) foot. • Axel – the skater takes off forwards from the outside edge of the left (or right) foot. As this is the only rotating jump to take off from a forward edge, it includes an extra half rotation. 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.) Other jumps 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 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: • Russian split, performed in a position that is similar to that of a straddle split • front split, performed in the position of the more traditional split, facing the direction of the front leg File:2011 WFSC 4d 066 Ross Miner.JPG|Ross Miner sets up for a jump. File:2011 WFSC 3d 009 Denis Ten.JPG|Denis Ten sets up for a jump. File:2011 WFSC 3d 183 Kevin van der Perren.JPG|Kevin van der Perren rotates in the air. File:Jamal Othman Jump 2 - 2006 Skate Canada.jpg|Jamal Othman lands on the right back outside edge. File:Marissa Castelli & Simon Shnapir 2LoTh 2009 Junior Worlds.jpg|Pairs skaters Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir set up for a throw jump. File:Jessica Miller & Ian Moram Throw Jump - 2006 Skate Canada.jpg|A pair team after the woman has been thrown: Jessica Miller rotates in the air. File:Anabelle Langlois & Cody Hay Throw Jump - 2006 Skate America.jpg|Anabelle Langlois lands after performing a throw jump with Cody Hay. Spins 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 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" There are five groups of lifts in pair skating, categorized in order of increasing level of difficulty. Twist lifts are "the most thrilling and exciting component in pair skating". 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. 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 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. Turns, steps, moves Along with other forms of skating, figure skating is one of the only human powered activities where travelling backwards 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: File:Threeturn.GIF|Three-turn: the blade turns into the curve of the edge or lobe. File:Bracket.GIF|Bracket turn: the blade is turned counter to the curve of the lobe. File:Mohawk-trace.png|Mohawk: the two-foot equivalent File:Rocker turn.gif|Rocker: one-foot turn involving a change of lobe as well as direction File:Counter.GIF|Counter: one-foot turn involving a change of lobe as well as direction File:2011 WFSC 2d 259 Siobhan Heekin-Canedy Alexander Shakalov.JPG|Twizzles: traveling multi-rotation turns on one foot Choctaws are 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 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 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 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 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 a full pivot position and the death spiral must be held for a minimum amount of rotation, depending on the level. File:Jenni Vahamaa 2008 Junior Worlds.jpg|A basic outside edge spiral position with the free leg held unsupported behind the body File:Maria Mukhortova & Maxim Trankov - 2006 Skate America.jpg|A pair outside edge spiral in a catch-foot position File:McLaughlin Brubaker Death Spiral.jpg|Back inside death spiral File:Kristina Gorshkova & Vitali Butikov 2005 Croatia Cup.jpg|Parallel mirror spread eagles with the man on an inside edge and the woman on an outside edge File:Tugba Karademir Ina Bauer - 2006 Skate Canada.jpg|Ina Bauer 2010 Canadian Championships Dance - Kharis Ralph - Asher Hill - 2024a.jpg|Canadian Championships Dance File:2011 WFSC 4d 002 Kim Lucine.JPG|Hydroblading File:2012 Rostelecom Cup 02d 800 Tessa VIRTUE Scott MOIR.JPG|Male ice dancer in Besti squat while lifting his partner File:2019 Skate Canada International - Yuzuru Hanyu SP.jpg|Spread eagle ==Competition format and scoring==

and Ryuichi Kihara performing a cantilever during their short program at the 2024-25 Grand Prix Final 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 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. Overall Medals (Stage 1 + Stage 2) Medals awarded to the skaters who achieved the highest overall placements in each discipline. Small Medals Small Medals awarded only at ISU Championships since probably 2009: Stage 1 = Small medals awarded to the skaters who achieved the highest short program or rhythm dance placements in each discipline. Stage 2 = Small medals awarded to the skaters who achieved the highest free skating or free dance placements in each discipline. Small Medals awarded only at ISU Championships: • World Figure Skating Championships • World Junior Figure Skating Championships • European Figure Skating Championships • Four Continents Figure Skating Championships Small Medals not awarded in: • Figure skating at the Olympic Games • ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating • or any other international competitions 6.0 System Skating was formerly judged for "technical merit" (in the free skate), "required elements" (in the short program), and "presentation" (in both programs). ISU Judging System In 2004, in response to the judging controversy during the 2002 Winter Olympics, the ISU adopted the International Judging System (IJS), which became mandatory at all international competitions in 2006, including the 2006 Winter Olympics. The new system is sometimes informally referred to as the Code of Points, however, the ISU has never used the term to describe their system in any of their official communications. Under the IJS, points are awarded individually for each skating element, and the sum of these points is the total element score (TES). Competitive programs are constrained to include a set number of elements. Each element is judged first by a technical specialist who identifies the specific element and determines its base value. This is done using instant replay video to verify features that distinguish different elements; e.g. the exact foot position at take-off and landing of a jump. A panel of nine judges then each award a mark for the quality and execution of the element. This mark, called the grade of execution (GOE), is an integer with a minimum value of −5 and a maximum value of +5. A detailed description of each component is given in ISU rule 322.2. Judges award each component a raw mark from 0 to 10 in increments of 0.25, with a mark of 5 being defined as "average". For each separate component, the raw marks are then selected, trimmed, and averaged in a manner akin to determining a grade of execution. The trimmed mean scores are then translated into a factored mark by multiplying by a factor that depends on the discipline, competition segment, and level. Then the five (or four) factored marks are added to give the final PCS score. The total element score and the program components score are added to give the total score for a competition segment (TSS). A skater's final placement is determined by the total of their scores in all segments of a competition. No ordinal rankings are used to determine the final results. Other judging and competition There are also skating competitions organized for professional skaters by independent promoters. These competitions use judging rules set by whoever organizes the competition. There is no "professional league". Well-known professional competitions in the past have included the World Professional Championships, the Challenge Of Champions, and the Canadian Professional Championships. The Ice Skating Institute (ISI), an international ice rink trade organization, runs its own competitive and test program aimed at recreational skaters. Originally headquartered in Minnesota, the organization now operates out of Dallas, Texas. ISI competitions are open to any member that have registered their tests. There are very few "qualifying" competitions, although some districts hold Gold Competitions for that season's first-place winners. ISI competitions are especially popular in Asian countries that do not have established ISU member federations. The Gay Games have also included skating competitions for same-gender pairs and dance couples under ISI sponsorship. Other figure skating competitions for adults also attract participants from diverse cultures. ==World standings and season's bests==

World standings The world standing (WS) of a skater/couple is calculated based on the results over the current and preceding two seasons. Competitors receive points based on their final placement at an event and the event's weight. The following events receive points: and the list may be used to help determine participants in the following season's Grand Prix series. Skaters and couples also have personal best (PB) scores, i.e. the highest scores achieved over their entire career, in terms of combined total and segment scores. However, PB scores are not completely comparable if achieved in different seasons because the ISU regulations and technical rules are modified before each new season. There may be different requirements specified to achieve a certain level; the required elements may change and new elements may be allowed (for example, two quads in the short program were permitted starting in the 2010–11 season); and the point values may change (for example, the values of quads were increased after the 2010 Olympics, and a second step sequence is no longer assigned a level in the men's competition). As a result of these variations in the technical requirements, the ISU places more weight on the season's bests, which are fully comparable within any one season. ==Music and clothing==

Music For competitive programs, figure skaters were once restricted to instrumental music; vocals were allowed only if they contained no lyrics or words. In 2004, the rule was extended to allow women to wear trousers. They may wear opaque flesh-colored leggings or tights under dresses and skirts, which may extend to cover their skates. Men must wear trousersthey are not allowed to wear tights, although officials do not always impose a deduction for violations. Matching costumes are not required in pair skating and ice dance. Competition costumes vary widely, from simple designs to heavily beaded or trimmed costumes. Skaters risk a deduction if a piece of their costume falls onto the ice surface. An official may stop a program if they deem there to be a hazard. Skaters and family members may design their own costumes, sometimes with assistance from their coach or choreographer, or turn to professional designers. Costumes may cost thousands of dollars if designed by a top-level costume maker. According to current ISU regulations, costumes in competition must be fair, non-revealing, and appropriate for both short and long programs. Costumes should not be showy or exotic in nature. Clothing, however, can reflect the genre of music chosen. Although the use of flesh-colored fabric means the costumes are often less revealing than they may appear, there have been repeated attempts to ban clothing that gives the impression of "excessive nudity" or that is otherwise inappropriate for athletic competition. In general, accessories or props are not permitted in competition. The ISU allowed an exception for the original dance in the 2007–08 season but not since. ==Eligibility==

Age eligibility To compete internationally on the senior level, skaters must be at least 17 before July 1 of the preceding year. To be eligible for junior-level events, a skater must be at least 13 but under 19 before that date (or 21 for male pair skaters and ice dancers of both genders). The move came after the 2022 Winter Olympics scandal over Kamila Valieva's doping allegations and the controversy over her responsibility as a minor. During the 2005–06 season, Mao Asada of Japan was age-eligible to compete at the Grand Prix Final, where she claimed the title, but she was not permitted to compete at the Olympics. For the 2008 World Championships, the United States was obliged to send skaters who had placed 5th and 7th at nationals because higher-placed skaters were too young, including a skater who missed the cutoff by 20 days. The dates disappeared from the website by February 15. On February 17, the ISU said there were no discrepancies for Zhang Dan, Zhang Hao, and Xu Binshu between the birthdates listed on their passports, ISU registration forms and the Chinese Olympic Committee's website. Athletes in China sometimes face pressure to falsify their age. Other eligibility rules Skaters may represent a country of which they are not yet a citizen in most competitions, except the Olympics which require citizenship. At most international events, each country may send one to a maximum of three entries per discipline. Consequently, even if a skater has a high season's best, he or she may not be sent to major events if their country has many good skaters in their discipline. Some skaters have tried to circumvent this by representing another country. In response, the ISU introduced rules barring skaters from international events for a certain period of time. In the 2010 regulations, it was 24 months or more from the date of the last ISU Championship. In the 2012 regulations, the minimum was 18 months for singles and 12 months for pairs/ice dancers from the date of their last ISU Championships (Worlds, Europeans, Four Continents, Junior Worlds) and 12 months if they competed in some other international competition. Competitors may sit out for much longer because they also have to obtain a release from their previous federation. The ISU has set no limit to how long a country may hold skaters. Skaters may lose their ISU eligibility if they perform in an unsanctioned show or competition. Beginning in the 2010–11 season, minimum scores were introduced for the World, European, or Four Continents Championships. In the 2011–12 season, different minimum scores were introduced for the Grand Prix series. ==Competitors' expenses, income, and funding==

Figure skating is an expensive sport. This is particularly due to the costs of ice time and coaching. In the late 1980s, the expenses of a top-ten women's competitor at the U.S. Championships reached nearly US$50,000 a year. In October 2004, a U.S. Figure Skating article estimated the annual expense at US$9,000–$10,000 for pre-juvenile, US$18,000 for juvenile, US$35,000–$40,000 for novice, and said junior and senior levels were somewhat more expensive. In the 2010s, American senior national medalists had expenses in the mid-five-figure range. Swiss skater Stéphane Lambiel said his costs were around CHF 100,000 per season. World champion Patrick Chan's expenses were Can$150,000. In 2015, CBC Sports estimated that a Canadian pair team had expenses of about Can$100,000 per year. Prize money is relatively low compared to other sports. A men's or women's singles skater who won the 2011 World Championships earned US$45,000, about 1.8% to 2.5% of the US$1,800,000–$2,400,000 for winners of the tennis US Open and Australian Open. A couple who won the pairs or ice dance title split US$67,500. A winner of the senior Grand Prix Final in December 2011 earned US$25,000. Some national associations provide funding to some skaters if they meet certain criteria. Many skaters take part-time jobs and some have tried crowdfunding. In Germany, many elite skaters join the army to fund their skating. In Italy, some skaters join police agencies' sport groups, such as the Polizia Penitenziaria's Fiamme Azzurre (Carolina Kostner, Anna Cappellini, Luca Lanotte) or Polizia di Stato's Fiamme Oro (Federica Faiella, Paolo Bacchini). Some competitive skaters depend on income from shows. Shows must be sanctioned by their association, i.e. skaters may lose their competitive eligibility if they take part without permission. In some cases, skaters may feel pressure to compete through injury to be allowed to perform in a show. Others may become involved with coaching younger athletes in order to fund their own training costs. ==Injuries and health issues==

In some countries, medical personnel may be slow to respond to accidents. At the 2000 World Championships in Nice, France, a pair skater who had been injured in a lift accident lay on the ice for several minutes and had to get up and leave the ice on his own before being offered medical attention. Jessica Dubé, On practice sessions with multiple skaters on the ice, the skater whose music is playing conventionally has right of way. Also, pairs and ice dancers skating as a unit have right of way over those skating separately as changing course is more difficult for a couple. Eating disorders and RED–S at the 2016 Four Continents Championship. Eating disorders are reportedly common in figure skating Skaters such as Gracie Gold and Ashley Wagner have faced issues such as eating disorders and depression. Doping Figure skaters occasionally have positive doping results but it is not common. In a 1991 interview, three-time Olympic champion Irina Rodnina admitted that Soviet skaters used doping substances in preparation for the competitive season, stating: "Boys in pairs and singles used drugs, but this was only in August or September. This was done just in training, and everyone was tested (in the Soviet Union) before competitions." ==History==

is considered the father of modern figure skating. Although people have been ice skating for centuries, figure skating in its current form originated in the mid-19th century. A Treatise on Skating (1772) by the accomplished skater, Welshman Lt. 'Captain' Robert Jones (), is the first-known book on figure skating. He designed skates that could be attached to shoes by screws through the heels (rather than using straps), and these were soon available from Riccard's Manufactory in London. Competitions were held in the "English style" of skating, which was stiff and formal and bore very little resemblance to modern figure skating. Without changing the basic techniques used by skaters, only a limited number of figure skating moves could be performed. This was still true in the mid-1800s before improvements were brought about by American skater Jackson Haines, who was considered to be the "father of modern figure skating". In the mid-1860s, Haines introduced a new style of skating, incorporating free and expressive techniques, which became known as the "international style". Although popular in Europe, the international style of skating was not widely adopted in the United States until long after Haines's death. The 1967 World Championships was the last event held on an outdoor rink. Effect of television and the present day Compulsory figures formerly accounted for up to 60% of the score in singles figure skating, Beginning in 1968, the ISU progressively reduced the weighting of compulsory figures and introduced the short program in 1973. In 1984, more than 24 million people in Great Britain watched ice dance pair Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean earn unanimous 6.0s for presentation, the only perfect score in Olympic skating history, which was ranked the 8th greatest sporting moment in a UK poll. In the 1993 National Sports Study II, considered by the Associated Press as the largest study of spectator sport popularity in America, women's figure skating was the second most popular spectator sport in America, just behind NFL football out of over 100 sports surveyed. Atria Millennium Mall, and Lulu Mall respectively. Four skating has mostly disappeared, while synchronized skating, singles/pair skating and ice dance have grown. On April 6, 2011, the International Olympic Committee officially confirmed the approval of a figure skating team event, which was introduced at the 2014 Winter Olympics. The elimination of the compulsory dance segment provided space for the team event. Each team is composed of a men's and women's singles skater, a pair, and an ice dance duo. A maximum of ten teams can compete, with five eliminated after the short program. In December 2011, the ISU released details of the qualifying system and the competition. According to writer Ellyn Kestnbaum, television helped figure skating become more celebrity oriented, with high-profile skaters being treated like entertainers and famous athletes in other sports. She states that television has encouraged "casual fans and other members of the general public to understand skating in terms of media-shaped parables about broader cultural issues," including anxieties about femininity or masculinity, individuality versus conformity, and nationalistic sporting contests. Kestnbaum also states that even though most skating broadcasts are produced by networks' sports divisions, competitions, even the more serious ones, they are packaged with "more emphasis on the aesthetic qualities of the skating—or of the female skaters—and on the pleasures of rooting for a home-country hero than on the technical details that determine the winners". Viewers who depend upon the televised coverage of figure skating are limited in their access to information about it as a sport because broadcasters present a week's worth of competition in a few hours and they are compelled to avoid overloading viewers with too much information about the more technical aspects of the sport. Journalists and scholars who write about figure skating also tend to focus on the same broader cultural issues. ==In popular culture==

Books • White Boots (1951) • The Official Book of Figure Skating (1998) • The Complete Book of Figure Skating (2002) • The Science of Figure Skating (2018) Films and series • On Ice • Blades of Glory • Carmen on Ice • The Cutting Edge • The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold • The Cutting Edge: Chasing the Dream • Go Figure • I, Tonya • Ice Castles • Ice Princess • Snow White and the Three Stooges • Thin Ice • Tonya and Nancy: The Inside Story • Yuri on Ice • Dancing on Ice • Medalist (manga) Video Games • ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 • Imagine: Figure Skater • Michelle Kwan Figure Skating • NBC Sports Figure Skating • Winter Sports: The Ultimate Challenge == Literature ==

• The Prose Edda (), an Old Norse textbook and compilation of Norse mythology that mentions ice skating, written in Iceland during the early 13th century. • The Art of Skating, Robert Jones (1772), the earliest book about figure skating. • Le vrai pattineur (The True Skater), Jean Garcin (1813), the first book about ice skating published in France. • The Art of Skating, George Anderson (1852), about skating in England and Scotland. • ''The Skater's Manual'', Edward F. Gill (1863), first book about skating written in North America. • Figure Skating, H.E. Vandervell and T. Maxwell Witham (1869), the first book to refer to the sport of "figure skating". • Spuren auf dem Eise (Tracings on the Ice), 1881. Written by three members of the Vienna Skating Club, it described the Viennese style of skating and was the most extensive technical book about figure skating published up to that time. A second expanded edition, which included descriptions of ice dances popular in the 1880s, was published in 1892. • The Art of Skating, Irving Brokaw (1910). The first of four books about figure skating, all with the same title. Contributors of the first book included leading skaters of the time, including Georg Sanders of Russia, who wrote about special figures, Phyllis Johnson and James H. Johnson from England, who wrote about pair skating, and Gilbert Fuchs from Germany, who wrote an essay entitled, "Theory of Skating". • Modern Figure Skating, T.D. Richardson (1938). Includes list of jumps created up to that time. • Wings on My Feet, Sonja Henie (1940). • Ice Skating: A History, Nigel Brown (1959). First comprehensive history of figure skating. • 75 Years of European and World Championships (1967). ISU publication to commemorate its 75th anniversary. • Our Skating Heritage, Dennis Bird (1979). History of the National Skating Association in England, to commemorate its 100th anniversary. • Skating in America: The 75th Anniversary History of the United Figure Skating Association, Benjamin T. Wright (1996). ==Notes==