by Jacquelyn Thayer
Olympic figure skating commentators tend to keep the sport’s coverage in a classic 6.0 mindset: there is a technical elements mark, obviously used to score things like jumps and twizzles, and an “artistic” or “presentation” mark — meant to score something less definable, based heavily on subjective emotions and tastes.
It’s true that judges certainly seem to apply that second mark — officially the Program Component Score — through a lens of subjectivity. But it’s actually a detailed set of five major criteria categories, all really still connected to technical achievement and ability. “Components” refer to the things that are not delineated elements, and this means quite a lot more than music choice and facial expression.
This is the component most likely to be cited by name by a broadcaster, and is certainly the most self-explanatory. Every athlete who has reached the Olympic stage is a more skilled skater than the average. A few things, though, should set the truly elite apart from the pack.
ISU Definition: Defined by overall cleanness and sureness, edge control and flow over the ice surface demonstrated by a command of the skating vocabulary (edges, steps, turns etc.), the clarity of technique and the use of effortless power to accelerate and vary speed. […] Use of deep edges, steps and turns; Balance, rhythmic knee action and precision of foot placement; Flow and glide; Varied use of power, speed and acceleration; Use of multi directional skating; Use of one foot skating.
You will recognize these things when delivered as a full package. It’s really a full-body effort. Deep edges will be driven by those soft, flexible knees, and produce a straight body line — the foot or ankle shouldn’t be jerked to create the superficial appearance of a “deep” edge that’s not supported by the rest of the body.
You may hear “flow” and “glide” confused with a style of program — something soft and romantic compared with something very rhythmic — but it’s an incorrect use of the words in this setting. Here, flow and glide are again about what is happening at the foot level. The skaters should be able to generate a smooth, single motion across the ice — push from a standstill and cover lots of ice without taking another step; skate freely out of a lift or jump. Multi-directional skating — essentially, skating a much more varied pattern than just a large circle or line down the ice — is a great way for a skater to demonstrate their ability to maintain that flow.
Power, speed, and one-footed skating are all closely related to this idea. Power is about the strength of the glide from blade up; real speed must come from the same place. While some skaters may create the appearance of speed with many smaller, quick strokes, it is not ideal technique. One-footed skating comes back to the root idea of creating these sustained motions with a push off a single foot. This does not mean that it is wrong to change feet throughout a program (this is actually required for many elements!) nor does it mean the free foot shouldn’t ever come near the skating foot. Two-footed skating, when referred to, means skating by taking many small, choppy steps, or sloppily executing changes of foot, so that two feet still end up touching the ice while a skater ostensibly transfers their weight to the other foot.
“Transitions” refers to the content in-between the big scored elements. This can cover a lot of ground. Just a few steps between a lift and step sequence might be a transition in ice dance. Long crossovers (the most basic type of skating step, consisting of simple strokes moving forwards or backwards) to set up a jump in a singles program is also a type of transition.
ISU Definition: The varied and purposeful use of intricate footwork, positions, movements and holds that link all elements. […] Continuity of movements from one element to another (all disciplines); Variety (including variety of holds in Ice Dance); Difficulty; Quality.
Obviously, the more complex this connective tissue, the higher the mark it should be worth, according to the criteria. What this does not really include are the fancy movements that may distract the eye but are unrelated to the skating — sweeping arm gestures or head tosses, for example.
What difficult transitions do most generally demand, particularly in singles, are the use of more complex steps and turns and, in the case of ice dance as noted, holds between partners — closed holds are typically more challenging than more open types of hold, and changing often between types of hold ups the ante further. For further details on each step, turn, and hold:
STEPS AND TURNS
Mohawk
Rocker and Counter
Choctaw
Twizzle
DANCE HOLDS
Here we reach the first of those trickier categories. Name alone means this one should be easily dinged on a very bad skate, and that’s the simplest baseline for understanding the category — high marks here demand, first of all, clean execution.
ISU Definition: Performance: involvement of the Skater/Pair/Couple physically, emotionally and intellectually as they deliver the intent of the music and composition. […] Physical, emotional, and intellectual involvement and projection; Carriage & Clarity of movement; Variety and contrast of movements and energy; Individuality / personality; Unison and “oneness” (Pair Skating, Ice Dance); Spatial awareness between partners – management of the distance between skaters and management of changes of hold (Pair Skating, Ice Dance).
You are, I hope, asking yourself how exactly a judge can assess if a skater is “intellectually” involved in his or her performance, and then mark them on a scale of 4 or so up to 10 according to such a determination. There is a lot of language that enables fudging of meaning here; there is also enough language to provide some objective criteria for scoring this category.
Involvement and projection are really saying something fundamental: is the skater actually skating the program as intended in its whole package? Is the skater able to utilize their whole body, filling up the space as best as possible, and perform a program to music, without being obviously distracted by thoughts of or problems with the skating itself? And here, basically, is where our messy skate is penalized.
Projection, further, can be demonstrated in two distinct ways — outward, the way most would familiarly define the idea, and inward, such as between partners in ice dance or pairs. This does not mean having a romantic connection. It does mean having a strong, grounded connection and response to one another throughout a performance. More on this below.
Carriage and clarity are those things you’ll associate with the most classically beautiful dancers and skaters alike. Carriage will mean proper whole-body posture and movement — weight is centered over the blade; the skater creates an unbroken, leaning angle from feet upwards when gliding; the skater does not bend strangely at the waist and holds arms and neck in a manner appropriate to both good full-body skating technique and a program’s style of movement. Clarity, of course, means this skater’s movements are clearly defined for the viewer: they finish and execute them in a fully committed, not tentative, way.
While the idea of movement variety is better addressed later on, two points are best discussed here. Two skating as one is the traditional goal of both pairs skating and ice dance. This does not mean a team must mirror one another throughout. Unison is key to elements like twizzles (ice dance) and jumps and spins (pairs). But “oneness” means something else — the ability to move together as a unit, in or out of hold, responding to one another’s actions and, in dance, executing moves that actually demand total dependence on the other. (Think of a great tango — partners are so linked that it’s impossible to imagine them working apart.) Spatial awareness is a technical aspect of these larger points; the ideal to move very closely alongside your partner, whether in or out of hold, but distance and any necessary changes of distance must also be maintained consistently. No one wants to see skaters wobble several feet apart on a side-by-spin or drift awkwardly apart while still loosely gripped in hold.
“Individuality” and “personality” are, I’m afraid, harder to defend as objective factors. But the history of skating also demonstrates that many similar skaters and teams with similar programs have seen perfectly fine scores; thus, this particular bullet point may have a loose definition.
Notice one very popular “criterion” not mentioned at all: effective ability to provoke particular emotions from the entire audience. A skater may have still done a strong job of performing the intended content and choreography even if it fails to produce a specific feeling for a commentator. A skater is responsible for what they do. They should not be held responsible for the reactions of a diverse, ever-changing group of viewers.
Despite the belief of many fans and commentators, the purpose of this category as written is NOT to judge somebody’s choice of music, costuming, or any other taste-based factor.
ISU Definition: An intentionally developed and/or original arrangement of all types of movements according to the principles of musical phrase, space, pattern, and structure. […] Purpose (idea, concept, vision, mood); Pattern / ice coverage; Multidimensional use of space and design of movements; Phrase and form (movements and parts structured to match the musical phrase); Originality of the composition.
“Purpose” and “originality” are our two most subjective criteria. They are belied by the realities that the only real criteria is to skate an actual program consisting of all required elements and reasonable transitions set to music. Generic programs and programs in poor taste have received high scores; unique or clever programs set to little-used musical selections have received low scores. There is simply no point in further defining these terms here because they mean something different to everyone.
Luckily, most of this category is really about something anyone can recognize: how the program itself is actually organized. And surprise — it comes back to skating skills.
It’s the matter of ice coverage. A program should be designed so that a skater or team covers as much of the rink surface as reasonable, rather than staying in a tight space towards center ice, or privileging one side or end over another. It is easier for a team to maximize that maximum ice coverage with great, powerful skating that enables them to move fast and freely across the ice with one stroke.
From there, concerns like multidimensional use of space and movement design address the whole-body element of skating — what shapes are being created? How much space, during moving, skated moments, is being filled out with meaningful choreographic content? These are the things that help enhance the difficulty of a program — and distinguish a program from a basic skating session.
Musical phrasing is perhaps the most instantly satisfying aspect of a skating program, and one anyone would happily reward when done well. There are obvious ways of achieving this, like placing a jump on a heavy beat, or setting twizzles to music with a repetitive, swirly-feeling rhythm or melody. The best choreographers, and most musically sensitive skaters, can do far more than this, teasing out off-beats and undercurrents and accenting them in both elements and transitions.
This category expands on music’s importance to skating performance. It is also, notably, almost entirely free of value judgments.
ISU Definition: The personal, creative and genuine translation of the rhythm, character and content of music to movement on ice. […] Movement and steps in time to the music (Timing); Expression of the music’s character / feeling and rhythm, when clearly identifiable; Use of finesse (*) to reflect the details and nuances of the music; Relationship between the Skaters reflecting the character and rhythm of the music (Pair Skating, Ice Dance); Skating primarily to the rhythmic beat for Short Dance and keeping a good balance between skating to the beat and melody in the Free Dance (Ice Dance).
*Finesse is the Skater’s refined, artful manipulation of music details and nuances through movement. It is unique to the Skater/Skaters, and demonstrates an inner feeling for the music and the composition. Nuances are the personal ways of bringing subtle variations to the intensity, tempo, and dynamics of the music made by the composer and/or musicians.
This is where ice dance is distinguished most clearly from its counterparts. In singles and pairs, a skater can move to any type of music in whatever way appropriately illustrates the music’s character and phrasing, melody, rhythm, or otherwise. But ice dance, as an extension of ballroom dance, does not have that same freedom. In the short dance, a couple must interpret a designated style of music and dance according to very strict specifications. In the free dance, even a piece of classical music must have a recognizable beat for the dancers to move with, and there is a penalty if the music lacks one. Music editors play a particularly important role in ice dance.
“Personal, creative and genuine” are, again, mostly weasel words not necessarily reflective of how programs will actually be scored. But it is still a good idea for a skater or team to select music that they will interpret comfortably (and, hence, genuinely). The goal is for these things to build on the skating itself; a skater who cannot understand and properly interpret, with their whole body, a particular piece of music is distracting from their job to deliver a seamless, skating-driven program.
Expression of the music is another idea that many like to use as shorthand just for “facial expression.” It is not. We know what expression of music, from character to rhythm, really is — it’s performing a flamenco dance that’s recognizable as flamenco. Just as movement and steps should be timed to the music, you should also be able to illustrate a piece’s beat and nuances with your overall style of movement. Think of it this way: if a skater’s program is watched on mute, can you still make a reasonable guess at what their music might sound like? If you swapped one program’s music for another’s, would it produce a mismatch because that first program is so closely bound to its music?
Relationship between skaters reflecting this character and rhythm is an extension of the same idea — interaction should reflect the music and style of music, and it would perhaps be ill-advised to attempt a bubbly waltz to rap.
One point is footnoted in the ISU’s own definition: finesse. In so many words, finesse is another way of saying musicality. This is not a skater able to pull strong dramatic faces and smiles at the right point. This is being able to understand, and show, every thread of music through every type of movement. There are various correct ways to do this, and that is where an individual element enters. But there is a distinction between having it and not. For a musically-sensitive viewer, it’s very easy to spot; for others, it may be harder and vaguer to detect, like the difference between having a good ear and being tone-deaf. But within the judging system, it is meant to be a fundamentally objective matter.
The reality of figure skating judging, particularly in ice dance with its fewer glaring errors compared with singles and pairs, is that rarely will a skater or team who best embodies these criteria also have a large advantage over the pack based on them. Skaters who may really falter in certain areas will still get higher marks to create a cohesive line of scores, or a very consistently okay team may build up enough of a reputation for reliability to score consistently higher than a team who possesses more talent but grapples with injury or a devastating mistake at the wrong time. A singles skater with high technical wattage will probably score a little better in components than he or she should, simply to keep the two halves of the score more balanced.
But never let it be said that skating’s non-technical scoring is entirely subjective. It is not meant to be.