#quad salchow

[projectcatzo]

As hype as it is reading Medalist and watching everyone pull off triple axels and quad combination jumps and skate all these complex flawless routines, I just have to ask: where are these elusive elementary schoolers who can pull all this off? Show me the timeline where there are 11-year-old girls who can master a quad combination jump on a whim when most world-class competitive adult men don't even include them in their programs. I'm being serious, please tell me where they are, I'll start watching novice skating competitions if this is what I'm missing out on

[vriendenboekjes]

finally the haterisms i need

[harocat]

Oh no Ilia’s program going around means all these people are jumping in with wrong facts about figure skating.

[bapwoo]

I'm emotional. Happy for both Rion and Wakaba 😭❤

[thisthisthisandthis]

joined just in time for belinda to roast moris’ least horrific free of the season!

[amakumos]

anyways this is gonna be the angsty sibling to kiss and cry

[luxyue]

knife boots — part i.

xiao x reader, figure skating au

masterlist | next

➥ NEW VOCAB ❝ quad ❞ any four revolution jump

i. this is why they say don't meet your idols

The Wednesday 6:00 AM session is the best, in Xiao's opinion. There's usually nobody there, maybe Shenhe and occasionally Ganyu or Keqing. It's specifically reserved for international competitors, so everyone knows their way around the ice—including how to stay out of each other's way. Xiao can run through his program as many times as he needs, without popping a jump just because an inexperienced skater got in his way.

Not that he pops his jumps very often. Or at all. He might fall sometimes (no, he doesn't), but if he starts one, he'll see it through no matter what.

It's now 6:31 AM, and Xiao finishes working on his step sequences. He moves on to freestyle, deciding the rest of the session will be spent on jumps. Maybe just a spin or two at the end if he has time.

He starts with his triple salchow. The first triple he learned, just like everybody else does, and it has been loyal to him ever since. Running through the rest of his triples is a formula that's stuck to him like glue. Toe loop. Loop. Flip. Lutz. Axel. Then repeat, but as quads this time. Easy as pie. All goes well, and he's about to do the final one, his quad lutz.

That is, until you walk in.

With a slam, he falls hard. Literally.

Zhongli glances over with slight concern, before going back to converse with you.

No, it's not that your looks particularly catch his eye or anything. Of course not. But it's you, Y/N L/N. Someone nobody has seen or heard from in three whole years. What are you doing here of all places, with his coach no less?

Whatever, he thinks, deciding to mind his own business considering there's only 5 minutes left on this session. Ice time is expensive. But it's too late, Zhongli and him make eye contact.

"Ah, Xiao! Good morning. Could you please come here for a second?"

Well, it's not like he could say no, so he skates over to the boards, although begrudgingly, where Zhongli seemed to be showing you around.

"This is Y/N. Although I believe you've seen her before, haven't you?"

Of course Xiao has seen you before. At the Grand Prix Final, then at Four Continents, and finally at Worlds. But that was all three years ago, and he hasn't seen you since.

"I have. A while ago," he responds.

Zhongli smiles. "Well, you have plenty of time to get acquainted now. Y/N will be skating here with us from now on."

Skating with—wait, what?

"I thought she skated for Snezhnaya?"

"Used to. But um, not anymore," you speak up for the first time, and Xiao looks over at you, as if seeing you for the first time, finally registering your presence. His brows furrow in confusion.

"Actually, I've invited Ms. Y/N to skate for Liyue this season." Zhongli adds for you.

Xiao doesn't know what to think of this. How.....strange. Snezhnaya wasn't known for letting their best skaters go, after all. "And they allowed it?" Xiao asks, the question directed at you.

"Allowed would be a generous term to use," you say sheepishly, "but let's just say they didn't have much of a choice."

Xiao gives you a look of skepticism, not quite sure what to think, but in the end, chooses to say nothing.

Zhongli clears his throat. "Ahem, well, I'll leave you two to acquaint yourselves. Y/N, feel free to get on the ice at any time." As he leaves, you shoot him a glance that obviously screams help me, but he doesn't notice. Typical Zhongli.

It's just you and Xiao now. Great.

Xiao used to be your favorite skater of all time. You admired him greatly, not just because of his jumping capability, but because of the grace and artistry he carried himself with. The way he flew across the ice was simply captivating, and every skater would give anything to have his talent and skill. Not to mention he's.....insanely attractive.

And now, you finally get to meet your idol in person. Just not in the way you expected.

"I don't know what you're doing here, but in Liyue, skating is skating," he says, suddenly breaking the silence.

You look up at him in confusion. "What else would it be?"

"I'm saying we don't need the drama that happens in Snezhnaya," he says curtly.

You do understand what he means, and he isn't completely wrong. Snezhnaya had built a reputation over the years, known not only for their superb skaters, but for the drama amongst their students and coaches as well. But, to suggest you would cause drama, just because you had represented Snezhnaya?

"So the rumors are true," you say.

Xiao raises an eyebrow. "What rumors?"

"That you're an ass."

He blinks at you once, and twice, then three times. "What?"

"You're not exactly known for being a ball of sunshine, I mean."

He looks at you as if he can't believe you just spoke to him that way. "And that's not my job. I'm being paid to be a good skater," he says.

"Right, I forgot. Because you don't have to worry about a good reputation like the rest of us," you murmur.

He narrows his eyes at you. "And what do you mean by that?"

"Everyone loves you. Nobody would ever write an article about your bad attitude because frankly, your ever-growing fanbase could care less." You refer to Xiao's immense fame, both in Liyue and the rest of Teyvat. There was no discussing figure skating without discussing Xiao, because simply put, he was the best anyone had ever seen.

"I don't need advice from you of all people on that," he says curtly.

Wow. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You went a single season before you caused one of the biggest scandals of our sport. And now? You're irrelevant. Do me a favor and don't walk in here acting like you're better than everyone from now on. Last I checked, you haven't won a thing in two years. Get over yourself."

Xiao steps out of the rink, snaps his skating guards on in two quick motions, and storms off.

...

It's only 7:49 AM, but you're done. Wiped out. Dead. Deceased.

You try a triple salchow, the easiest triple jump. You could do it without a thought before. You make your turn as straight as possible, and launch into it—

You fall.

Get over yourself.

Whatever, salchows were never your favorite anyway.

Skipping over toe loops, because who needs those, you move on to triple loop. You have a love-hate relationship with loops, but before your two-year break from the sport they were starting to grow on you.

You fall again.

You haven't won a thing in two years.

Nope. No way. Xiao's words will not be getting to you. No matter how much you used to idolize him.

Triple flip time. Flips are your favorite, so this has to work.

It in fact, does not work.

You're irrelevant.

Shaking your head, you get up. It's probably a bad idea, but you go for it anyway.

Skating on a backwards outside edge, you draw your foot back and reach, picking into the ice. You spin once, twice—

You went a single season before you caused one of the biggest scandals of our sport.

You slam into the boards.

Okay, ouch. That's gonna leave a bruise, and as much as you hate to admit it, Xiao's words were eating away at you. They were harsh, yes. But deep down, you knew that everything he said was, in some way, true.

"Y/N L/N? Is that you?"

Lifting yourself off of the ice, you peek your head over the boards and see a boy with fluffy light blue hair and matching eyes in a fascinating shade of blue, full of curiosity.

"Oh...hi?" Shit, what was his name again? Something with a C? Ummm—

"I don't know if you really know me....we never formally met, but I'm Chongyun," he says quietly.

"Chongyun! Of course I remember you, you were one of my favorite skaters on junior!" you exclaim.

Hearing this, his pale skin turns a deep red. "M-me? Really? But you're like, one of the best skaters to ever exist..."

"Yeah...well...I only did senior for one season, haha. I don't think that's enough to say I was one of the best," you say sheepishly.

Chongyun shakes his head in disagreement. "No way! After all, how many other skaters can land that many triple axels and quads in one program?"

Xiao can.

The mention of triple axels and quads makes you flinch.

"Sorry...did I say too much?" he lowers his head.

"No, of course not! It's just..." you don't finish.

"What is it?"

"To tell you the truth, I can barely land a triple right now. I've barely touched my skates in the last two years. Zhongli agreed to let me skate here, and even represent Liyue...but how am I supposed to do that when I can't even land a triple salchow?" The gravity of your situation is hitting you now. Your comeback to the sport would not be as easy as you had envisioned.

Chongyun seems to think for a moment, processing everything that you just told him. "Well...at one point, landing quads was a piece of cake for you. I think that if you can do that, then you can do anything." He looks at you with determination.

You smile. "Thanks Chongyun. I'll definitely try my best."

After all, what else could you do?

[seimei-chsq]

remember when being able to land even one quad was a huge deal? remember when we had the whole skating skills vs quad revolution debate. remember when half the reason yuzuru even went to the tcc was because javier had a pretty solid quad salchow. remember when performing a high tech element didn’t automatically grant you a high score because being able to balance athleticism and artistry was half the challenge. remember when figure skating was fun.

[alexseanchai]

the third jump in "Stammi vicino" Aria is a triple axel, and so is the first jump in the jump combo after the quad salchow, yes? what's the rest of the combo, do we know? all the other jumps in the program, the announcer names, but not these

[edgecallskating]

Savour Jun's quad salchow in slow motion, everyone. I don't know what the TCC secret sauce is that makes this jump so great, but it's magical.

[gogogogolev]

Senior men's final results and Stephen's free skate protocol from 2024 Skate Ontario Sectional Series August. Congratulations to Stephen on winning gold.

It appears Stephen is planning to start this program with 3 different quads - loop, toe, and Salchow. Coupled with the two triple Axels, it's a technically ambitious program. Skated clean it would have a base value of 88.30 with all level 4 elements. Which is nuts. But that is what it takes to be a top skater, so what he's planning is definitely necessary. Please don't injure yourself with this tech content.

We must also acknowledge all the level 4 elements. Stephen is reusing this program but has refined it to improve on it. I hope he's able to show this program skated to its full potential.

I regretfully could not go in today but I am happy Stephen skated a full competition in the summer. He last did that in 2019. That gold medal should give him a little confidence boost heading into this season. The Granite bros are back and have swept the podium.

Now on to high performance camp.

[kodanshamanga]

NEW Kodansha Digital:

⛸️Medalist, Vol 9⛸️ By TSURUMAIKADA

❄️Tsukasa joins the All-Japan Novice meet. In it, Hikaru Kamisaki—the student of Olympic gold medalist Jun Yodaka—dominates with a quad toe loop, followed by a triple axel to round out the show.

[ravenonice]

Scoring in Yuri on Ice

or the IJS Scoring System prior to 2018

I made a guide like this before but I wanted to rewrite it since I found some flaws and want to add more resources and stuff for both YoI fanfic authors and fans who just want to understand scoring in figure skating a little better maybe :)

Disclaimer: I am only human. This guide is most likely flawed. But the ISU doesn't seem to understand their own scoring most of the time either so does it really matter? Please tell me if I have wrong information on anything or explained it wrong/confusingly. ^^

The International Judging System (IJS) has been used in figure skating and ice dance competitions since 2004. It replaced the prior 6.0 system which awarded two marks on a scale to 0 to 6, one for technical merit and one for presentation.

Some of the "older" skaters in YoI, e.g. Viktor, Chris and Yuuri, still skated under the 6.0 at some point. If you place the start of the story in 2015/16, then Viktor skated under the 6.0 for his whole Junior career and the switch was made around when he started skating in seniors.

But we are not here to talk about the 6.0.

Scores given within the IJS consist of 2 parts: The Technical Element Score (TES) and Program Component Score (PCS), which are then combined to make up the Total Segment Score (TSS).

A score sheet from a competition (in this case short program) looks like this:

So let's break that down, shall we?

Technical Element Score (TES)

The TES is about the technical elements in a program, such as jumps, spins, step and choreographic sequences.

In the Short Program there are 7 required elements which can be skated in whatever order:

A double or triple Axel

one triple or quad jump

a jump combination

one spin with a flying entry

a camel or sit spin with just one change of foot

a spin combination with just one change of foot

a step sequence

Single jumps don't recieve any points at all, but do count as a performed element. That means if a skater "pops" a jump, meaning they open up to early and only perform a single rotation, they can't just try again.

The short program is 2min 40 secs long +/- 10 secs

The Free Skate is more...well...free. But there are also restrictions.

A total of 12 elements have to be performed:

7 jump elements. One has to be an Axel jump.

Three spins. One has to be a combination, one has to be a single position and one has to have a flying entrance

One step sequence

One choreographic sequence

Different to the short program, you get points for single jumps. Though those are hardly ever performed on purpose.

The Free Skate is 4 minutes and 20 secs long +/- (now it's 4 min).

Every Element has a Base Value (BV). That meas the performed element is guaranteed those points minus deductions and plus the Grade of Execution (GOE).

Base Values

In Figure Skating there are 6 jumps which can be performed with up to 4 roations at the time being. I will list them with the according base values and with the according abbreviations.

Toe Loop:

1T =0.4pt - 2T =1.3pt- 3T = 4.3pt - 4T = 10.3pt

Salchow:

1S = 0.4pt - 2S = 1.3pt - 3S = 4.4pt - 4S = 10.5pt

Loop:

1Lo = 0.5pt - 2Lo = 1.8pt - 3Lo = 5.1pt - 4Lo = 12pt

Flip:

1F = 0.5pt - 2F = 1.9pt - 3F =5.3pt - 4F= 12.3pt

Lutz:

1Lz = 0.6pt - 2Lz = 2.1pt - 3Lz = 6pt - 4Lz =13.6pt

Axel:

1A =1.1pt - 2A= 3.3pt - 3A = 8.5pt - 4A = 15pt

Those values are for prior to 2018 and correct in the context of YoI, the Base Value of the quads and 3A are now a little lower.

-> Why is the Axel worth so much more?

Unlike the other jumps, a single Axel has 1 1/2 rotations, since, other than the all other jumps, it has a forward take off, but is landed backwards.

As of now, the quad Axel has only been landed succesfully by Ilia Malinin, a 18 y/o skater from the USA. He landed it for the first time in competition and got it ratified at the beginning of the 22/23 season at the US Classic, a challenger event that was freaking geoblocked so no one outside the US fucking saw history being made...

Prior to that, Yuzuru Hanyu trained the 4A intensely, and landed it in competition on two feet at the Japanese National Championships in 2021, but failed to get it ratified internationally at the 2022 Olympics because he fell.

But, as far as YoI canon goes, not even Viktor jumps a quad Axel. The extra half rotation makes that jump extremly difficult and was deemed impossible for a very long time. And while I encourage you to use the quad Axel as a story point and a goal for one of the characters, and think it can be very powerful, I highly discourage you from putting a quad Axel in your story lightly.

Euler Jump (a transitional half jump used in combinations to change the edge for take off): 1 EU 0.5 points

-> in YoI that would still be called a single Loop (because thats what it is basically...) and be marked as 1Lo! They changed the name in 2018.

I will try to make another post about the different jumps soon, but for now here is a guide for telling apart jumps!

Combination jumps:

For jump combinations the base values are simply combined. E.g.: A 3F+1Lo+3S combination has a base value of 10.1 points.

Reduction of Base Value:

An underrotated jump (<) will receive 70% of the Base Value, a downgraded jump (<<) receives the Base Value of the jump with one less rotation. If I am not mistaken the 70% Base Value rule also applies to jumps with a wrong take off edge (marked with "e"). Someone please corect me if I'm wrong, I couldn't find the information anywhere...

Repetition:

In the Short Program, each jump can only be executed once. That means that if a skater jumps for example a triple toe loop as a solo jump and as part of the combination, the second jump won't receive any points.

Further in the Free Skate, the "Zayak rule" is to be observed, meaning that from all triple and quad jumps, only two can be executed twice. The repeated jump has to be in combination! For example having a 4T and 4T+2T in your program is valid. But if you have two solo 4T the second one gets marked +REP and receives 70% of the base value.

This also means that if a skater falls on that combination with the repeated jump, it's extra bad. Because that means -1pt for the fall, negative GOE of course and the jump is only worth 70%...tough.

If a skater repeats a jump, it will often be refered to as "zayaked".

Jumps of the same type but with different amounts of rotation are not considered the same jump.

Extra jump elements exceding the 3 in the Short and 7 in the Free don't receive any points.

Spins:

For Spins there are 4 basic positions: Upright, Layback, Sit and Camel. A Combination Spin must include an upright, a sit and a Camel position.

You can get awarded up to a Level 4 for a Spin, depending on various features such as a difficult entry, difficult change of position, visible increase of speed....

I will explain Spins and Spin Levels further in another post but here is a (very long...) list of values for different spins:

Upright Spin (USp):

USpB 1pt - USp1 1.2pt - USp2 1.5pt - Usp3 1.9pt - USp4 2.4

Flying Upright Spin (FUSp):

FUSpB 1.5pt - FUSp1 1.7pt - FUSp2 2pt - FUSp3 2.4pt - FUSp 4 2.9pt

Upright Spin with change of foot (CUSp):

CUSpB 1.5pt - CUSp1 1.7pt - CUSp2 2pt - CUSp3 2.4pt - CUSp4 2.9pt

Layback Spin (LSp):

LSpB 1.2pt - LSp1 1.5 - LSp2 - 1.9 - LSp3 2.4 - LSp4 2.7pt

Flying Layback Sping (FLSp):

FLSpB 1.7pt - FLSp1 2pt - FLSp2 2.4pt - FLSp3 2.9pt - FLSp4 3.2 pt

Layback Spin with change of foot (CLSp):

CLSpB 1.7pt - CLSp1 2pt - CLSp2 2.4pt - CLSp3 2.9pt - CLSp4 3.2pt

Camel Spin (CSp):

CSpB 1.1pt - CSp1 1.4pt - CSp2 1.8pt - CSp3 2.3pt - CSp4 2.6pt

Flying Camel Spin (FCSp):

FCSpB 1.6pt - FCSP1 1.9pt - FCSp2 2.3pt - FCSp3 2.8pt - FCSp4 3.2pt

Camel Spin with a change of foot (CCSp):

CCSpB 1.7pt - CCSp1 2pt - CCSp2 2.3pt - CCSp3 2.6pt - CCSp4 3.2pt

Sit Spint (SSp):

SSpB 1.1pt - SSp1 1.3pt - SSp2 1.6pt - SSp3 2.1pt - SSp4 2.5pt

Flying Sit Spin (FSSp):

FSSpB 1.7pt - FSSp1 2.0pt - FSSp2 2.3pt - FSSp3 2.6pt - FSSp4 3pt

Sit Spin with a change of foot (CSSp):

CSSpB 1.6pt - CSSp1 1.9pt - CSSp2 2.3pt - CSSp3 2.6pt - CSSp4 3pt

Spin Combination (CoSp):

CoSpB 1.5pt - CoSp1 1.7pt - CoSp2 2pt - CoSp3 2.5pt - CoSp4 3pt

Spin Combination with a change of foot (CCoSP):

CCoSpB 1.7pt - CCoSp1 2pt - CCoSp2 2.5pt - CCoSp3 3pt - CCoSp4 3.5pt

If you want to see good spins in men's skating, I highly recomend taking a look at Roman Spindovsky...ehm I mean Sadovsky ;D Here an example of a level 4 change of foot combination spin from him:

Step Sequence

A step sequence should have little two footed skating, a variety of different difficult turns and steps and cover the whole ice surface. Just as for spins, levels from base to 4 are awared depending on several factors that I will try to explain in a future post.

But for you to get an idea of what a masterful Level 4 step sequence looks like, here is the step sequence from Yuzuru Hanyu's Rondo:

As for Base Value:

Basic Level: 1.5 points

Level 1: 1.8 points

Level 2: 2.6 points

Level 3: 3.3 points

Level 4: 3.9 points

Choreographic Sequence:

The Choreographic Sequence is only performed in the Free Skate, and includes choreographic elements such as spirals, lunges... I will also make a post introducing different choreo elements in (hopefully) the near future, but for now have this Choreo Sequence from Deniss Vasiljevs as an example!

Watch the video from 1:25min to roughly 2:00min (or watch the whole thing I highly recomend :D). Using this as an example out of spite because the judges are stupid and inavlidated it for some reason...idiots...

As for Base Value, there are no different levels for choreographic Sequences so, very short "list":

ChSq 2pt

Grade of Execution (GOE):

The GOE ranged from -3 to +3 prior to 2018. The panel of judges awards GOE depending on how well executed an element is.

But how is GOE awarded?

Both positive and negative aspects of a performed element are considered and then added in the end for the final GOE.

Jumps:

To receive +1 GOE, 2 of the following bullets must be achieved, for +2, 4 bullets and for +3 6 or more.

unexpected/creative/difficult entry (An example for that would be a back counter into an axel jump)

clear recognizable steps/free skating movements immediately preceding the element (My favorite example in Yuzuru's Twizzle exit from a 3A)

varied position in the air/delay in rotation (Remember when Yuri Plisetsky raised his arms during his jumps in the Grand Prix Final? That's what they mean with varied position in the air. Delay in rotation is pretty self explainatory I think. The skater needs longer to rotate, making it more difficult)

good height and distance

good extension on landing/ creative exit

good flow

effortless throughout

element matched to the musical structure (I just love when a skater lands a jump right when the music pics up mmmh chefs kiss)

Negative GOE is given for the following errors (It's too much to write down so here is a screenshot from the ISU Guidelines):

Spins:

To receive +1 GOE, 2 of the following bullets must be achieved, for +2, 4 bullets and for +3 6 or more.

good speed or acceleration during spin

ability to center a spin quickly

balanced rotations in all positions

clearly more than required number of revolutions (which is 3 is think)

good, strong position(s) (including height and air/landing position in flying spins)

creativity and originality

good control throughout all phases

element matched to the musical structure

Negative GOE is given for the following errors:

Traveling refers to a skater moving across the ice during a spin instead of staying in roughly the same space.

Step Sequence:

To receive +1 GOE, 2 of the following bullets must be achieved, for +2, 4 bullets and for +3 6 or more.

good energy and execution

good speed or acceleration during sequence

use of various steps during the sequence

deep clean edges (including entry and exit of all turns)

good control and commitment of the whole body maintaining accuracy of steps

creativity and originality

effortless throughout

element enhances the musical structure

Negative GOE is given for the following errors:

Choreographic Sequence:

To receive +1 GOE, 2 of the following bullets must be achieved, for +2, 4 bullets and for +3 6 or more.

good flow, energy and execution

good speed or acceleration during sequence

good clarity and precision

good control and commitment of whole body

creativity and originality

effortless throughout

reflecting concept/character of the program

element enhances the musical structure

Negative GOE is given for the following errors:

Calculating GOE:

The Panel of judges usually consists of 9 judges. The lowest and highest GOE mark are cut, then the average of the remaining 7 is used to determine the GOE points for that jump.

For example:

A skater executed a Triple Lutz with a base value of 6 points. The GEO marks from the judges were as followed: +2, +2, +3, +2, +1, +1, +2, +2, +2. The highest and the lowest mark get cut. The average of the remaining 7 is 1.86. To calculate the GEO you now take the base value and do the following: 6 x 18.6% = 1.116 so about 1.12 points. The total points awarded for that jump would be: 7.12points

For combinations the base value of the hightest valued jumps is used to determine GOE, not the combined base value of the jumps.

As for step and choreographic sequences you multiply the average by 0.5 to get the GEO.

Yay! Maths :D

Highlight Distribution:

Jumps performed in the second half of the program are awarded a 1.1 multiplier of the the base value. E.g.: A 3A performed in the second half has a base value of 8.8 points.

Yuuri takes advantage of that a lot.

Prior to 2018 there was no limit on how backloaded (term used to describe programms with a lot of jumps in the second half) a program could be. Technically all jumps could be executed in the second half. However that left programs empty and boring in the first half since the skaters were basically just stalling time.

Now the multiplier is only applied to the first jump in the second half of the short and to the first 3 in the second half of the free. I am not opposed to that rule. The ISU made a rule that made sense for once

Deductions:

Of course, points are deducted for mistakes or other rule violations.

Deductions are:

Falls:

First two falls -1pt each. Third and fourth fall -2pt each. -3pt each for each fall after that.

Interruptions:

If the performance is interrupted by the skater, they lose -1pt for >10 but <20 secs, -2pt for >20 but <30 secs and -3 for >30 but <40. -5pt if the program isn't resumed withing 3 minutes.

Time violation:

-1pt per 5sec (program either too long or too short)

Costume/prop violations:

-1pt

A costume violation would for example be feathers (real feathers are prohibited), or if, for women, a boob falls out or something.

Props aren't allowed all together.

Part of the costume falls off on the ice:

-1pt

Somersault type jumps (aka Backflip):

-2pt

Late start:

Skater doesn't take starting position within 30 secs -1pt

Program Compoment Score (PCS):

The PCS used to be about the 5 following categories and is awarded by each judge on a scale from 0 - 10 in steps of 0.25. 5.00 Would be "average". As you may already be able to tell...this is not a very reliable way to judge this. Yeah...

Skating Skills:

Basically how good a skaters skating is. Can they skate with power and ease both forwards and backwards as well as clockwise and counter-clockwise? How clean and clear are the curves (edges) over the ice?

A skater should look effortless in their movement. Quick and easy, flowing over the ice with soft knees and ankles.

Their skating shouldn't be scratchy and noisy, resulting from pushing with the toe rather than the side of the blade.

Something you will often hear fans complain about or praise are edges. A Figure skate blade has two edges, outside and inside, and one sign of good skating skills is being able to go down deep on them. Look at Ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir for example. Edges so deep the side of the boot almost touches the ice. Beautiful!

Transitions:

The "in between" technical elements. You don't want to just skate between elements, you want to tie the program together with linking steps. Skaters idealy incorperate different steps and turns to make the programm seem seamless. You want there to be little (visible) prep time for the next element.

I will make another post regarding such steps and turns.

Performance:

This is one of the categories that is heavily dependent on the judges personal preference.

In this category skaters are judged based on their, well, performance... Are they emotionally, physically and mentally involved? Do they project the entire audience? Do they have good ice presence?

In the case of Yuri on Ice: this is where all the Katsudon, waterfalls, grandpas etc. come in. Yuuri seduced Viktor for those sweet PCS points haha xD

Composition:

In this category the placing of the elements across the ice surface are judged.

Idealy a skater should use as much of the entire ice surface as possible.

Then there's also questions such as if the spacing of the elements etc. has some sort of purpose. Is there a story told or idea conveyd? Does the movement match the phrasing of the music?

For this category, having a good choreographer comes in very handy ;)

Interpretation:

Again, heavily judge dependant...

Is the skater performing with their soul? Are they skating with music in the background or are they skating to the music, their movement matching the beats in it?

This is the "music" that Yuuri emits when skating according to Viktor! So this is something he is very good at and should receive high points in...if the judges actually do that is another question...

Calculation of PCS:

Very easy this time! It's just the average of the individual scores given by the judges. For the Free Skate the score is factored by 2.0, meaning it's doubled to balance it a little with the TES.

Further Resources:

Now this looks very overwhelming! But here are some pages to help you!

SkatingScores:

You can use this blank IJS sheet to easily calculate scores using the abbreviations I used in this post! They also are the best and biggest available data base for scores in figure skating and you can look up competitons and skaters here!

ISU Results:

If you want to find score sheets for a specific competition you want to reference, you can also quickly google "ISU results (competition)". For example, Grand Prix Final 2015:

There you can access the judges scores for the competion as pdfs.

So you want to watch figure skating?:

This blog is really helpful. They have various guides to figure skating as well, but be aware that they are of course up to date with the newest rules. But they also have a handbook with terms you will often hear and may want to use!

Further Notes:

Scoring in figure skating is highly controversial and in conversation with fans you will often hear terms such as over- and underscoring.

There is corruption, there is favoritism...you name it, figure skating probably has it...

If you want your characters to be upset about something in the sport, scoring is one of your safest bets.

You can have Yuuri's fans and probably Viktor too, be outraged by Yuuri's too low PCS, or the low GOE on his step sequence. Maybe they even rated that one a level 3 instead of the usual 4? Lot's of possibilities for frustration...

Another thing that is frustrating for Yuuri in particular is that jumps are worth so much more and make up a big chunk of the TES.

He is known for his intricate step sequences. But what does that matter if he can't get more than 5.4 points for it? And you rarely get full +3 GOE! The step sequence, which is such a vital part of a figure skating program and show cases such a varried skill set, is worth roughly the same as a triple flip max...

Sure there is the PCS, but here the judges are often biased, or simply don't know how to award points. It sometimes appears to be a bit arbitrary. Skaters who do a shit tone of cross overs suddenly get skating skill scores in the 9 point + range... It's bizarre.

Anyway...I hope you enjoyed this guide and find it usefull! I will try to get the other parts to this out as soon as I can!

And if you read this far: thank you <3 Have a lovely rest of your day and have fun writing!

[sophia-helix]

☕️ F1 drivers as figure skaters

I absolutely want to see Yuki out there jumping sturdy little triple axels and doing focus-face through Disturbed’s “The Sound of Silence,” and Daniel having a splatfest every other competition and laughing about it, and George is TOO TALL for singles but finally finds his groove with a tiny partner in pairs, and actually I would give quite a lot to see the world where Lewis is a 7 time World Figure Skating Champion! (He’s short, he has impeccable style, he’s athletic….it could happen.)

And yes, Charles jumping tight gorgeous quad salchows like a knife, and radiating charisma in his choreography, and eternally finishing second on the podium haha.

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

Can You Hear My Heartbeat Chapter 30 is live!

Please enjoy this new chapter of my YOI novelisation!

Summary:

They stared at each other, Yuuri clutching a fistful of T-shirt, Viktor with his fingers hooked in Yuuri’s waistband still wearing that predatory gaze of his. “Stalemate?” Viktor breathed. Something in Yuuri hardened. “No.” Viktor pays off his debt and the start of the Grand Prix Series casts its shadow over Yuuri, and things spiral out of control...

Excerpt below the read more tag...

Special thanks goes to my dear friend and Thousand Spotlights beta @cecebeanie for doing a sensitivity reading of chapters 30ff and for bearing with me and all my stupid questions I had so far and for all the stupid questions I'm going to ask in the future ❤️

Excerpt:

“Thanks for helping, Yuuri,” Nishigori said. “Resurfacing is done much faster in pairs.”

“I’m happy to help,” Yuuri replied, huddling in his hoodie. “Besides, I believe that Viktor will become impatient if we keep him waiting.”

They were leaning against the barrier next to each other, watching the thin sheet of warm water freeze on the ice. Behind the windows, the sky was pitch black and rain pattered softly against the glass. Practice had been a disaster. When Yuuri was not struggling with the quad Salchow, it was the quad toe he was botching up. And he only had two weeks left until he would skate at his first major competition of the season.

For the rest of the evening, however, Yuuri tried to push all thoughts of the Grand Prix Series aside. Tonight, Viktor would honour his pledge from the silly bet they had made five days ago.

“Having your boyfriend skate for you is quite an unusual venture for a Saturday night,” Nishigori said.

Heat accumulated in Yuuri’s cheeks, ousting the cold. “He lost a bet and he insisted he needed to prepare for it. And he’s not my boyfriend.”

His childhood friend shot him a side glance. “Didn’t you two go on a date lately? I swear I saw you holding hands the other day.”

“Oh,” Yuuri said, fighting the urge to press his face into the ice to cool the burn. “That’s true. Viktor and I are dating. But our relationship has many layers.”

Nishigori slapped him on the back. “The only thing that counts is that you are comfortable with it.”

Yuuri opened his mouth to reply just as a familiar voice behind them chimed, “Well, I feel comfortably warmed-up now.”

[luxyue]

knife boots — part vi.

xiao x reader, figure skating au

masterlist | previous

➥ NEW VOCAB ❝ lutz ❞ a toe jump, taking off from a backward outside edge, and landing on the backward outside edge of the opposite foot.

vi. through his lens

[2 YEARS AGO: GRAND PRIX FINAL, WOMEN’S FREE SKATE]

SCORES AFTER WOMEN’S SHORT PROGRAM:

Y/N (SNE) | 81.35

SHENHE (LIY) | 73.25

AYAKA (INA) | 70.59

EULA (MON) | 67.59

GANYU (LIY) | 66.72

FURINA (FON) | 64.78

...

Xiao’s gaze floated around the arena. Xianyun and Zhongli sat at the kiss-and-cry with Shenhe, awaiting her scores. The next and final skater entered the ice, starting her warm-up.

A quick look at the short program standings told him that Shenhe had a nice margin between herself and the skater in third place after her skate yesterday. As expected of Zhongli and Xianyun’s student. After her clean free skate, she could definitely stay ahead. But there was still one skater left in this event, and her eight-point lead from the short program could easily put her in first place, even with a few minor mistakes.

Speaking of which, the final skater was still warming up with some swizzles and crossovers. She certainly didn’t look special. Anything but that, really. Xiao could spot the tremble in her knees even from his spot at the very top of the stands. She looked nervous and unsure of herself, but he supposed that was to be expected. It was her first Grand Prix Final, after all. But even he knew that she had to have an impressive set of jumps in her arsenal.

Xiao had heard of the girl that landed a triple axel during the women’s short program yesterday. It was impossible not to, considering it was the hottest topic among all the skaters at his hotel. In fact, he couldn’t stop hearing about it. First, during breakfast, from a few of the Mondstadter junior skaters that had finished their events already and were sticking around to watch the seniors compete. Then again, during lunch, from two Inazuman coaches discussing the best performances of the day. Apparently, they had actually coached the girl herself before. At dinner, the triple axel girl was mentioned yet again, this time by his own teammates. Shenhe had come in second after the short program yesterday, but she was still eight points behind the girl who was in first. With no triple axel or quads, she was steadily coming to terms with the fact she probably would not be taking home the title of GPF Champion.

This better be good, thought Xiao, considering that he couldn’t go a single meal without overhearing discussions about this girl. There were even talks that she would attempt a quad lutz in the free skate.

“And the scores, please, for Shenhe of Liyue. Her free skate score is 132.11, making her total score 215.76. She is currently in first place!”

Not bad, he thought. But would it be enough?

“Representing Snezhnaya, please welcome Y/N L/N!”

Xiao turned his attention back to the ice. Y/N circled back around and presented towards the judges. She then hit her starting pose, one foot behind the other, her toepick pressed into the ice while her arms were gracefully flexed behind her back.

He watched as Y/N’s demeanor changed with the flick of a switch. As her music began to play, any hint of her anxiety seemed to melt away as she began her program, setting the atmosphere for what was to come.

Just from her first crossovers, he could tell she was good. Sure, Snezhnayan skaters were always praised for being some of the best of the best. But her? She gained speed almost immediately, naturally covering all of the ice with her movements. Not only that, her edge quality was simply divine.

Xiao followed her movements as she prepared for her first jump. As she did a three-turn across the shorter end of the ice, bending her knees softly before launching into the air with no trouble at all, Xiao knew at once that she would land that triple salchow.

But she didn’t.

It wasn’t a triple, after all—she landed a quad. A quad salchow. If Xiao remembered correctly, that jump had only been landed a limited amount of times within the last decade or so.

She’s…..incredible.

Xiao never watches competitions, especially not the night before his own. But this? He’s secretly thanking the archons that Zhongli forced him out of his hotel room to support his teammates.

He watches her breeze through her triple jumps and combinations with ease, and her spins looked pretty solid. Although he had a few things to say about her toe jump technique, her edge jumps were nothing short of beautiful.

Entering the second half of the program, he figured most of the difficult elements were finished, unless she was going to attempt another triple axel. He watched as she turned backwards and skated towards a corner of the ice, ready to launch into a lutz.

Quad lutz. Apparently the rumors were right, and Xiao was wrong.

Skaters receive a ten-percent bonus for elements completed in the second half of a program to account for fatigue. Some could choose to backload their difficult jumps in order to maximize points, but it was also risky to do so, especially on tired legs, which is why many opted not to. She, apparently, did not care, because Xiao’s train of thought was broken as she completed her final jump—a triple axel.

She started on her final spin, but he didn’t have to stick around to know that she had definitely won the competition. And yet, he stayed anyway. It was a night of firsts for him.

He was right, of course. With a free skate score of 160.41 and a combined score of 241.49, she set a new record and finished a whopping 26 points ahead of Shenhe, earning her first place and the title of women’s singles Grand Prix Final champion.

As he got up to leave the arena and head back to the hotel, he couldn’t help but think to himself—

Wow. I need to up my game for tomorrow.

…

Xiao won his event, of course. One could not expect anything less from him.

“…..I wasn’t aware that you wanted to switch the quad lutz and quad flip to the second half,” spoke Zhongli, who stared at him questioningly.

“It doesn’t matter. I knew I could land them both, I just wanted to see how it could affect my score,” Xiao responded, brushing it off.

“That wasn’t my concern. Just don’t be so afraid to discuss these matters with me next time. You did well, I’m very proud of you, Xiao,” said Zhongli, a soft smile gracing his face.

Although he didn’t show it, Xiao was beaming with pride on the inside. But instead he said, “…..Thanks. Although I know my artistry was lacking in the second half—I started to neglect my presentation skills because I was too focused on the jumps.”

Zhongli frowned. “I felt that it was fine—fatigue is normal, and you did well regardless. Your component scores reflected that. Honestly, Xiao, you always seem to find more critiques about yourself than I do.”

“But I—”

“You’re the Grand Prix Final champion. You still have over a month before nationals, and while I hate to put it this way…..you don’t have much competition there. Rest, Xiao—take some time off for yourself. I don’t want to see you at the rink for at least a week after we get back to Liyue.”

“I—fine. But just this once.”

He sighed. “That’s good enough for me, I suppose. You should go—explore the town. Meet some other skaters. A lot of the juniors seemed to be big fans of yours. Make some friends before the exhibition and banquet.”

Zhongli was referring to the exhibition performances and closing banquet that always took place at the end of these kinds of events. Xiao would love to skip out, of course, but it wouldn’t reflect well on his nation or his teammates, so he had to oblige.

“…..Alright. I’ll see you at the airport.”

He walked off without another word.

…

He should’ve skipped the exhibition. He was dragged into the group dance performances, and let’s just say he did not enjoy it one single bit.

Although, he had to admit, Y/N L/N put on a good show. He watched her solo, doing a fun performance to a trending pop song, and it seemed like she was every bit as natural of a performer as she was a naturally elegant skater. She seemed happy, much unlike the way she was two days ago right before her free skate.

That’s why he found it odd when he overheard her and Tartaglia, otherwise known as Childe, engaging in a heated conversation outside the locker rooms. Although no match for him, he had competed against Childe for a few seasons, but he wasn’t competing this season for an unknown reason. Instead, it seemed that he had taken it upon himself to be a part of Y/N’s coaching team, given that he had accompanied her at the kiss-and-cry along with Arlecchino, a well-known coach with the Harbingers.

“What do you mean, they ‘don’t want me to attend’ the banquet?” she said with exasperation. Childe hushed her, looking around for potential eavesdroppers.

“I don’t know—I think Arlecchino told them you were actually having fun, and I bet they don’t want you actually socializing with too many other skaters right now.”

Y/N didn’t seem to be satisfied with his answer. “Why? It’s not like they ever stopped you. I already won for them, it doesn’t matter if I—”

“Quiet, Y/N, we don’t want someone listening. And it does matter. To them, you’re still too young, too impressionable. They can’t risk you telling—”

“Psh. What, that they make me—”

“Shh—Y/N. Not. Here. I’ll try to convince them to let you go to the banquet, but keep a low profile for now, okay? Not because I don’t want you to have fun, but because it’s for your own good.” He lead her through the other side of the hall way and they headed for the exit of the building.

What the hell was that?