Ice Skating

Ice Skating (actually "art skating") is a sporting event in which soloists, pairs and groups of skaters spins, jumps and other movements on the ice, which are usually carried out under the guidance of music. A series of skate elements is called a "freestyle" in this sport.

Skating is internationally housed at the ISU (International Skating Union), in addition to long-distance skating and short track . The ISU organizes five major tournaments (Olympic tournaments under the auspices of the IOC ). The official parts in these championships are riding solo for men and women, couple riding (man and woman) and ice dancing (ditto). In addition, the figure skating knows the part synchronized skating (skates formation by a group).
 * European Figure Skating Championships (first tournament in 1891, for men only )
 * World Figure Skating (first tournament in 1896, for men only )
 * Olympics (first tournament at the 1908 Games )
 * World Junior Figure Skating Championships (first tournament in 1976 )
 * Four Continents Figure Skating Championships (first tournament in 1999 )

Each championship is usually concluded with a gala in which the numbers 1, 2 and 3 of each component occur again.

Content

 * 1 Terminology
 * 2 Disciplines
 * 2.1 Soloists
 * 2.2 Pair Driving
 * 2.3 Ice dancing
 * 2.4 Synchronized Skating
 * 3 Kürelementen
 * 3.1 Jumps
 * 3.1.1 Prick Jumps
 * 3.1.2 Side Jumps
 * 3.1.3 Jump combinations and rotations
 * 3.2 Judging
 * 4 Rating
 * 5 Figure Skating and commerce

[Terminology edit ]
About the term figure skating can some confusion. This is because art riders are at the highest international level as "professional" art drivers. However, this is not the case. Art riders are amateurs. When they ride in a show or be hired for a demonstration and there a monetary reward, they become a professional art rider.

Soloists [ edit ]
A soloist skating a competition consists of two parts: the Short Program and the Free (long) freestyle. The Short Program includes compulsory elements re-established annually by the ISU and should not exceed 2 minutes and 40 seconds. The elements consisting of jumps, pirouettes and match combinations.

The Free Skating may take up to 4 minutes in the women and 4 minutes and 30 seconds in the men. This freestyle is completely free, but you do have to go to the standards of the levels of select elements. Skaters may have already lost their creativity and often herein jumped the most difficult combinations to gain as many points as possible.

Ice dancing

[Pair Driving edit ]
The demands of the ISU for this component are the same as for the soloist, however this is also the synchronously move an important criterion. One sees in this section often called "cast leaps", where the man throws the woman into the air. She then makes a leap and comes with one skate back down on the ice. There are also "lifts", in which the man holds the woman above his head in the air.

Ice dancing [ edit ]
Ice dancing differs from pair skating because it is based on a classical dance and knows no bounds. The ISU determines a tournament which dance is the Short Program, for the Free Skating Pairs may determine this yourself. In ice dancing, the artistry of greater importance than in pairs skating. This is harder than as a soloist, because one must have patience and teamwork. One should fit well together and help each other when needed.

[Synchronized Skating edit ]
Synchronized Skating (formerly called precision skating) made in 1957 entered the skating. Synchronized skating is skating form which anyone can participate from six years, both recreationally and at competition level. Synchronously it is about a group of minimum 12 and maximum of 20 skaters as group put a freestyle on the ice and leaving is taken as many as a unit. The group performs a dance on self-selected music. This freestyle may not resemble what one does in solo skating or ice dancing. It is intended that all kinds of patterns are formed, that is driven in different configurations, and that all of this flow as smoothly as possible over into each other. Synchronous elements include: wheel, intersection, moves in the field, circle, block, no holds block, spin and (group) lifts.

Jumps [ edit ]
The jumps are one of the major components in a freestyle. It implies that a rider jumps into the air, where he then creates one or more rotations and then lands on one leg on the ice. There are different ways and can be identified by the preparation and the start of the jump. The landing is at all jumps same: be it right winger backward for riders who rotate counterclockwise or left out backwards for riders who spin clockwise.

Most riders rotate counterclockwise. For that reason, the jumps are described for a tegenklokwaartse rider. There are six different jumps, categorize prick in leaps and leapt.

[Prick Jumps edit ]
A needlestick jump is a jump in which the rider of the teeth (stick) at the front of the skate in the ice pricks to launch itself. From easy to difficult, we know the following puncture jumps:
 * Flood, or listed in Europe ridicule or cherry flip, will begin with a right winger reverse side with the left stick in the ice is pricked.
 * Flip will begin with a left backward inside edge with the right stick in the ice is pricked.
 * Lutz will begin with a left backward outside edge with the right stick in the ice is pricked.

[Side Jumps edit ]
A side branch is run by jumping from one side of the skate, whether within or outward, without the help of the stick. From easy to difficult, we mention the following jumps:
 * Salchow is a leap that will begin with a left backward inside edge.
 * Course, in Europe mostly Rittberger called skips backward side from a right winger.
 * Axel is the only leap forward deployed and well with left winger. Since all jumps are landed or the same, there is more to this jump turned half rotation.

Jump combinations and rotations [ edit ]
In addition to the bet is also taken into account, the number of rotations about the longitudinal axis in order to be able to determine the jump final. A jump is also next single, double, triple or even quadruple perform.Quadruple jumps are only jumped by men in the senior competition. Single and double jumps are often jumped in a combination, for example, a double axel followed by a double Rittberger and a single spot. A striking feature of these combinations is that the only jumps that may be consecutive, only the congestion and the Rittberger are, because they are used with the same side on which is landed. By jumping half Rittberger (which is actually a full rotation), which is landed with a left inside reverse side, it is therefore still possible successor a salchow or a flip jump.

[Judging edit ]
Since the 2004/05 season skating has a completely different way of judging and scoring. Was abandoned, the perfect 6.0 score minus points for mistakes in the freestyle for presentation (short and Free Skating), technology (Free Skating) and compulsory figures (Short Program). Also void the system of majority placements of the jury.

In its place came a constructive scoring. These rules are defined in the ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules Single and Pair Skating and Ice Dancing in 2006.

Score [ edit ]
For Technical score is based on a base value for each skating element. It was adopted by a group of experts, including (former) figure skaters and coaches. Each juror can up or downgrade an element within a range from +3 to -3 (always rounded up to a full point).

For the Program components may grant a juror points on a scale of 0.25 to 10.0 (rounded to 0:25 or a multiple thereof). These program components are for the men, women, couples (short and Free Skating) and ice dancers (short and Free Skating):
 * 1) Skating skills [SS] (Competence)
 * 2) Transitions, Linking Footwork and Movement [TR] (Transitions, binding footwork, movement)
 * 3) Performance / Execution [PE] (Presentation / Implementation)
 * 4) Choreography / Composition [CH]
 * 5) Interpretation of the music [IN]

For the compulsory figures in ice dancing, there are four program components:
 * 1) Skating skills [SS] (Competence)
 * 2) Performance / Execution [PE] (Presentation / Implementation)
 * 3) Interpretation [IN]
 * 4) Timing

The judging is done by nine judges. It is not known what the jury what score given. The scores of the nine jurors are drawn seven scores. Of these seven, the highest and lowest scores are ignored. The average of the five remaining scores is the final score for the soloist or a couple freestyle.
 * Final score

The final score is achieved by the technical score and the program components score any freestyle adding together and after (if any) minus program deductions (eg. 1.0 point for a fall). Hereafter the scores in the short and Free Skating added together. The soloist or the couple with the highest total score is the winner.

Skating and commerce [ edit ]
In most languages ​​is called the sport of figure skating "artistic skating", but in English is called the sport "figure skating" (figure skating). The sport has close associations with the business world and there are many "spectacles" in which art riders out of competition skating. Also in tournaments is sometimes given a show for the audience next to the game. Many figure skaters to participate in ice shows, such as "Holiday on Ice" or "Disney On Ice" while still sporting competition or after their professional careers. Known international ice shows its "Stars on Ice" and "Champions on Ice". A well-known Belgian ice show is "Ice Fantillusion".Shows are held also by skating clubs to show off skills of their members. These days are also held these types of shows in the Netherlands: "Stars dancing on ice" and "Dancing on Ice".