#wtficedance

[wtficedance]

Ice Dance Reimagined

With the upcoming ISU Congress in Summer of 2024 and ice dance seemingly in an unending beta of rule changes, I figured I would float a few thoughts on the many changes that have been made over the past few years.

As I mentioned in my RD Rules post, the ISU has essentially made moves to return to the original dance (making the change from short -> rhythm dance even more pointless in the first place) choosing to dictate broader themes.

To me, what makes ice dance so unique amongst all the disciplines is the variety of elements and styles that each team is expected to have in their repertoire and the fact that even in a given SD/OD/RD theme, people have to go out of their way to have a unique take. The rules which have lowered difficulty--in the name of giving skaters more room to be creative--have in fact resulted in the opposite. More teams are doing the same difficult features, same footwork, same lifts, same transitions than ever before. Both drawing on old choreography and leading to homogeneity across the discipline.

I propose a scheme which is a compromise of the two conflicting motions in ice dance right now: 1) the “no pattern ever” give everyone freedom vibes and 2) the people who believe the pattern is king. Alternate having a patterned and original short dance, giving the discipline an opportunity to develop new patterns (the original intention of the pattern dance type step sequence) while also ensuring that teams are continuing to emphasize solid ice dance foundations like skating in hold.

Original Short Dance Layout

1PSt

2Pst

Non-touch midline step sequence (style A)

Twizzles

Lift

Patterned Short Dance Layout

Pattern 1

Pattern 2

Non-touch midline step sequence (style A)

Twizzles

Lift

What the ISU (and choreographers/coaches) have fundamentally misunderstood about the appeal of patterns is that EVERY step is intentional and meant to elicit a specific effect and contribute to an overall impression. There's a reason that even though the Yankee Polka and Finnstep and Tango Romantica all include a LFI Closed S-Step, they have completely different timing and contribute to very different impressions. And it is because the general footwork in the pattern, in addition to just the difficult steps and turns, is geared towards reflecting the unique character of that pattern. I cannot count the number of pattern step sequences since 2017 that have effectively been copy pasted across blues, Latin, foxtrot/quickstep, blues x2, and Latin x2 once again programs with only minor changes to mini-lifts. They lack intention, they are the slowest section of the program for a good 90% of RDs because every team--no matter the style--is attempting to make their turns as drawn out as possible to get credit.

I propose that in original dance years there are 2 PSt segments, each with 3 KPs with the former 4th KP serving as a choreographic benchmark. This would allow for direct comparison of teams doing the same steps (and not allow teams to do the exact same difficult turns 5 years in a row) while simultaneously incentivizing creativity.

For example, under “Jig” below there are the following guidelines:

Jig is characterized by (1) high tempo, (2) rapid toe and heel steps, (3) jumps, kicks, hops and other accents including slides and shuffles, (4) tight and rigid torso, emphasis on leg movements over arm movements, (5) music in 12/8, 6/8, 9/8, 2/4. Teams are expected to pick music and a type of jig dance which fits these characteristics. 1PSt must start at center ice, 2PSt must end at center ice.

An example of key points:

1KP1: A) LFI Counter, LBI Bracket B) LBI Counter, LFI Bracket in any variant of closed hold except basic hand-in-hand

1KP2: both skip, LBO C-Step, RFI Swing S-step. in killian or foxtrot variant.

1KP3: A) RBO 1.5Tw, any kicking/tucking motion, RFI Bracket, RBO Bracket. B) LFO 1.5Tw, any kicking/tucking motion matching/mirroring/corresponding to partner A, LBI Bracket, LFO Bracket. Partners must be touching once exited from twizzles.

1PSt being completely prescriptive in KPs and 2PSt being slightly more flexible:

2KP1: both beginning any bracket, immediate counter, 1-5 intermediate steps where at least one partner must hit at least one difficult skating position* for at least a 1/2 beat, skid exit.

2KP2: both beginning swing FO C-Step, 3-8 intermediate steps/turns with partners MIRRORING each other, ending BO Counter. Partners must be touching entire time

2KP3: both beginning double S-step, 1-4 intermediate steps, ending with one partner on a BO edge and picking into the ice and the other partner doing at least one revolution around. PSt, officially concluded when the stationary partner resumes motion. Partners much be touching at two points until the first revolution around in 2KP3 is concluded.

Skaters would receive credit for the KPs accomplished in both and would receive a fourth Y/N based on whether they met choreographic requirements outlined in italics above.

*difficult skating position: any position where the skating leg is bent at least 90 degrees (shoot the duck, hydroblade, any lunge, any crouch), besti squat, spread eagle, ina bauer, spiral, layback, etc.

Now for some theme ideas:

2024-2025 - Patterned Short Dance - Grand Ballroom with a pattern of Golden Waltz

Teams must skate a program which reflects the character of the waltz particularly with regards to (1) lilting knee action, (2) closed position in hold, (3) repeated rotation as a unit when progressing across the ice, (4) movements should appear long, extended, and with sweeping open posture, (5) tone and musical themes may vary as long as a waltz character is maintained.

2025-2026 - Original Short Dance - Jig

Jig originated in Ireland and Scotland, gradually progressing throughout the British Isles and mainland Europe and then throughout the world including in the Metis people of Canada and Louisiana. Straight and sand jigs were developed in the US by African Americans in the 19th century which eventually influence the creation of jazz and tap. Jig is characterized by (1) high tempo, (2) rapid toe and heel steps, (3) jumps, kicks, hops and other accents including slides and shuffles, (4) tight and rigid torso, emphasis on leg movements over arm movements, (5) music in 12/8, 6/8, 9/8, 2/4. Teams are expected to pick music and a type of jig dance which fits these characteristics.

2026-2027 - Pattern Short Dance - Percussive Dances with a pattern of Paso Doble

(1) Stomping, toe picking, clapping, other percussive elements involving hitting the legs or torso, (2) dance is primarily danced to the RHYTHM and TEMPO not the melody, if there is a section without audible rhythm the team should create that beat using percussive elements (3) music must include a beat throughout, a melody is not necessary, (4) a theme should remain consistent throughout, if movements are drawn from a traditional dance they should reflect the character of the music chosen and the pattern should be interpreted appropriately.

2027-2028 - Original Short Dance - Music and Rhythms of the 1970s

The 1970s were one of the most influential eras of music, giving birth to entire new genres and styles and furthering the popularity of funk, soul, R&B, jazz, glam rock, folk rock, pop, disco, reggae, electronic music, and the birth of hip hop, it was defined by experimental sounds due to new music equipment.

(1) Music choices and rhythms should be COHERENT and related, the two music choices should be related thematically, structurally, or stylistically beyond more than just being from the 1970s, (2) one piece of music should be high tempo (>120bpm) and one piece should be low tempo (<100bpm), a third piece can be skated to any tempo, (3) the holds, movements, and steps in the PSt should reflect the style of music and dance chosen

2028-2029 - Pattern Short Dance - Jazz and Tap with a pattern of Quickstep

Jazz dance is a particularly broad genre that includes original social dances like the Charleston developed in parallel to the birth of jazz in Harlem, as well as more modernized styling.

Skaters should take inspiration from dancers like Bill Robinson, Jack Cole, Fred Astaire, Gus Giordano, nd Bob Fosse, as well as Broadway stage choreography and tap dance.

(1) Music choices and rhythms should be COHERENT and related, the two music choices should be related thematically, structurally, or stylistically, (2) one piece of music should be high tempo (>120bpm) and one piece should be low tempo (<100bpm), a third piece can be skated to any tempo, (3) the Quickstep timing can be adjusted to fit the tempo of the music chosen and to reflect the character of the chosen choreography.

See: https://gotta-dance.com/brief-history-of-jazz-dance/

2029-2030 - Original Short Dance - Nuevo Latin

The ISU has done a whole lot of cha cha, rhumba, and samba, but those are FAR from the only Latin rhythms. Dancers will be challenged to develop a new pattern that isn’t already an ISU pattern (and one that hasn’t been done a million times).

Examples of other rhythms: bachata, cumbia, danzon, salsa, mambo, merengue, bomba, lena, perreo, etc.

(1) The entirety of the PSt should be done in the same style and tempo but can differ from the the rest of the program. (2) Dancers are only required to pick one rhythm style but 2-3 are permitted. (3) skaters must have two points of contact with each other the entirety of the PSt, (4) at least 6 changes of hold must take place during the PSt, this can be from the same to same hold as long as a step or turn takes place during the change, (5) 1PSt must begin at the end of the long axis, 2PSt must end at the same end.

Choreo deductions: obvious use of cha cha, rhumba, or samba music/choreo. Tango, paso doble, and flamenco also excluded.

2030-2031 - Pattern Short Dance - Folk Dances with a pattern of Polka

Folk and country dance is characterized by it's informal and reflection of the general populace intended for widespread social dance. As opposed to court and ballroom dances, it should not be characterized as refined, ritual, or for stage performance. Skaters are encouraged to choose a folk dance related to their background. (1) Polka is skated to a bpm of 120bpm +/-4 and can be skated to and interpreted in any kind of musical style, (2) the same folk dance theme should remain constant throughout the dance or if two dances are chosen they should be closely related (i.e. the non-touch midline step sequence done in the line dancing style and the polka in the square dance style) (3) skaters may have a non-touch portion of their 2PSt provided they remain within one arm-length of each other.

Examples of folk dances include: maypole, hora, tarantella, polka, square dance, clogging, Dutch crossing, oberek, mazurka, Morris , polska, ballu tundu, bhangra, circassian, dabke, garba, khigga, romvong, peacock dance, nongak, yangge, chacarera, zamba, malambo, marinera, akayida, kizomba, agbadza, baile folklorico, shota, rugovo, cumbia, landler, schuhplatter, sardana, dragon dance, lion dance, mapale, danza de la tijeras, jenkka etc.

2031-2032 - Original Short Dance - Swing and Social Dances

Despite the many years of jive, charleston, and jitterbug original dances, there is no swing (or related dance) pattern. Dancers are to pick a swing-adjacent dance style and create a pattern. Examples: charleston, lindy hop, jive, jitterbug, shag, boogie woogie.

(1) Dance style should generally be from the 1920s-1950s era, (2) skaters should include intricate changes of positions for each partner reflecting the highly athletic nature of swing dancing, (3) 1PSt should begin in front of the judges with a 1-2 second mini-lift and end in the same location, 1PSt and 2PSt should consist of similar patterns across the ice and each take one lap, (4) skaters should utilize hops, skips, assisted jumps, and up to 3 mini-lifts per PSt to reflect the character of their chosen dance.

Swing does NOT necessarily need to be up tempo if choosing a style such as West Coast Swing which is danced with a distinct lack of bounce.

And then with time in "pattern" years, new patterns will arise and be eligible for interpretation. Would love to hear people’s thoughts :)

[sunskate]

Are there any other blogs or Twitter accounts that you follow to keep up with ice dance?

i check golden skate forums for competition info and the calendar. ice dance tumblr blogs - sywtwfs has the info about where to watch various competitions. i like reading anewbeginningagain and macaroni-rascal's skating takes. they haven't been talking as much about skating in a while, but maybe they'll start again once the season gets going. wtficedance has great info - she posts here and on twitter

i don't follow a lot of fs twitter. but there are various people who attend competitions, especially in Europe, and have good content, but it tends to be different people for every competition, so i just keep an eye out for who's popping up if you search the competition or teams. but AnythingGOE is good, i know i'm forgetting some, so if anyone wants to chime in

skatingscores.com is an amazing resource if you want to dig into protocols and numbers or the history of a team and where and when they've competed

if anyone knows other ones, i'd love to know too

[allekha]

Figure Skating Resources

Learn Stuff

@sywtwfs - start here, as So You Want To Watch Figure Skating has lots of useful basic info, plus competition times + how to watch them, as well as breakdowns of CoP updates

the-real-xmonster’s tech posts on jumps, spins, and steps (+spirals)

illyria-and-her-pet’s detailed guide to steps and step sequence breakdowns

Skate Guard Blog is a cornucopia of figure skating history posts

ISU handbooks for singles/pairs and ice dance - sometimes you just gotta go to the source

ice-dance.com has dance pattern information and charts, as well as a listing of compulsory/short/rhythm dances for each season back to 1968

wtficedance website/twitter explains technical aspects of ice dance as well as singles/pairs elements (this and above shared by beautifulstorms - thanks!)

Search Technical Elements

SkatingScores - searchable protocols and elements, stats, and score calculator

Figure Skating Elements Search - search elements by skater/year/competition back to 2003. The site is Japanese, but the search form is in English, so it should be easy to figure out

Search Results

Skatabase - searchable entries and results by many factors back to the earliest days days of the sport, including the smaller competitions I’ve tried entering; national competitions do not go back as far

RinkResults - search competition results by skater/competition/competition series/country represented, as well as highest-scoring elements; also attempts to provide a video for every program on the same page as the score sheet (shared by aitlu, thanks!)

Search Costumes

@figureskatingcostumes - Costumes tagged by skater, discipline, year, country, and sometimes other attributes like details or color.

Search Music

Figure skating wiki - has most music used by the most popular skaters, typically more recent ones

Frogs on Ice - music for well known skaters, 1992~1996

Tadaaki Masuda’s list - music by season and sometimes by discipline, 1979~1997

Maeno’s Skating Music Page - sorted by season/discipline/music source, 1997~2006, covers quite a few skaters

Skate Music List - you can’t search any more now that it’s only on the Internet Archive, but the drop-downs by season/name/music source still get you to pages. 1976~2006 or so.

If you are looking for a specific song, I would also recommend using site:en.wikipedia.org on Google + the words ‘figure skater’ or ‘ice dancer’, as many skaters have their programs listed on their pages. (Wikipedia has a native category search, but I found it kind of janky.)

Creative Commons Photos

Wikimedia Commons - sorted by skater/year/costume color (here) /etc. There are several photographers who upload regularly

Phantom Kabocha’s Photos - sorted by skater/competition, 2012-present. Many beautiful photos, and they are all CC-by!

Selected Video Sources

ISU - some technical videos and full replays of recent competitions, and as of this season, individual videos of skaters/pairs. You may need a VPN to access some replays depending on your country

HD full Olympic replays

Olympic Channel - popular Olympic programs (many under ‘Music Monday’) and some misc. things like fluff and Olympic compilations

Olympic Channel Figure Skating - still gearing up as of the time of this post, but same type of content as above, except without all the other sports mixed in on the channel

Mintaka Alnilam - HD videos from the 90s and early 2000s 🤩 Midori Ito (and many others!) in 1080p!

Mintaka Alnilam Annex - other great historical videos that are less HD than on their main channel

3axel1996 - 1977 to 1998, early 2000s

floskate - mostly 1960s to 1990s, but also some earlier footage

Ryan Stevens - Skate Guard Blog’s Youtube channel; mostly 90s

Hyacinth B. - mostly full US TV replays, mostly 90s and early 2000s

GoldenAgeofFS - late 60s to early 2000s

sabinfire - 2014 to 2017, good quality videos and some full replays

On-Ice Perspectives - videos filmed on ice with the skaters

germann1968 - has uploaded an old ISU training video series on what the different components are supposed to mean, including examples (there is a more modern one on the ISU channel as well)

Planet Hanyu archives - Yuzu-focused, but also has some other skaters and some full replays, nicely organized, competitions from 2011 onward - note: most videos do not play if you disable third-party cookies (also shared by beautifulstorms)

[anewbeginningagain]

Is there a post to compare VM vs PC midnight blues and if there's one could you explain it?

I'm not the right source for that I'm afraid, there are some twitter accounts (like @wtficedance on Twitter) that will be a good source I think.

[wtficedance]

On Rhythm Dance Rules

As we wrap up the month of August (crazy how fast it went by), we have gotten a sneak preview of what new rhythm dances look like at summer sectional events as well as Lake Placid. And as I type this JGP Bangkok kicks off and we will get a wider picture of the wide variety of interpretation and composition we will see at the junior level. While there is a lot of focus on the 80s as a theme--much more of an "original dance" sort of construct--the technical changes are in many ways more interesting.

Notable changes to the "well-balanced" composition requirements for the rhythm dance this year. Both juniors and seniors may have any part of the body touch the ice during their midline or diagonal StSq provided it does not last more than five seconds, and the entry or exit edge of a difficult turn which temporarily changes overall direction of travel shall not count as a retrogression. For example, a skater could hold the exit edge of their bracket long enough 75% of a semi-circle is completed and the exit velocity points in a completely different direction.

On the junior level:

One of the two pattern sequences will be skated using the steps of the opposite gender.

On the senior level:

The ChRS (choreographic rhythm sequence) from last season which was essentially a ChSt (choreographic character step) has been re-defined to be essentially a choreographic pattern, where the team is required to skate the Silver Samba pattern. Last season, there was an unrestricted number of stops in the ChRS as long as they did not last longer than five seconds, this year none are permitted. Only one skater is required to do the steps at all times, i.e. steps 9-47 must all be skated but partners can switch between the man's and woman's steps and only one partner is required to maintain continuity. The silver samba ChRS must be skated at a MINIMUM of 100bpm, separations can not be wider than two arm lengths and/or last longer than two measures of music.

Additionally, the two-step per partner PSt must consist of a back entry Rocker, Counter, Bracket and Forward Outside Mohawk, removing the 2Tw as an option for level and solely for choreographic transition. The PSt and Style B StSq can be skated at any tempo, so either can be at the same tempo as the ChRS or neither.

Rocker Foxtrot (remixed)

As usual, juniors this year will skate two pattern sequences: steps #1-14 of the Rocker Foxtrot. But in one of the most interesting changes the ISU has made in the last two quads, 1RF will be skated as normal but in 2RF, skaters will be expected to skate the steps of the opposite gender. Rules around holds throughout the pattern have changed as well. In 1RF, the "typical" pattern, couples must maintain "Prescribed Holds during Key Points [and] Variation of Holds outside of Key Points." In 2RF, where opposite steps are skated, the skaters must also maintain the switched tracking and positioning and must maintain "Recognizable Holds during Key Points except Hand in Hand [and] Variation of Holds outside of Key Points."

The key points are seen below. For both patterns, the woman is evaluated on KP 1 and 3, the man on KP 2 and 4. This is why KP 1 & 2 are switched between the two sequences. For steps 11-13, they are identical but the skaters must MAINTAIN tracking, i.e. the man's steps for 11-13 place him to the left of the woman, so for 2RF when the skater's have swapped steps, the woman must be on the left side. Required holds for the key points are any closed hold variation for KPs 1 & 2 (steps 5-7) and any open hold variation for KPs 3 & 4 (steps 11-13).

All quotes in above paragraph from communication #2560.

Silver Samba

The last time the silver samba was a "compulsory pattern" in the short dance was 2014-15 on the junior level. The key points, found in ISU Communication #1857 are below:

It should be noted, that even when structured according to key points, the silver samba is primarily composed of various "simple" steps like swing rolls, three turns, chasses, slip steps, etc. It is not like the Tango Romantica where there is a lot of emphasis on difficult turns. What makes the silver samba a challenging pattern is the variation in timing, going from a steps which last half a beat to full to two beats and back to half beats rapidly. The timing scheme for the Silver Samba is below.

While the ISU has not placed any timing restrictions on specific steps, like there would be in a compulsory pattern KP, maintaining an overall sense of rhythm and tempo is important as steps 9-47 should be skated still on the 4 beat musical measure structure. While there is not a specific "duration" requirement listed, my understanding based on the programs we have seen so far is that the overall pattern should not significantly differ in duration from the number of measures in the original silver samba.

What kinds of results will we see resulting from these changes?

As opposed to last season's latin programs, expect to see much faster programs with significantly more ice coverage. With a 100bpm minimum and a pattern which consists of many half beat steps, this is the first time we are seeing a truly large tempo change in the rhythm dance. With the switch from style A to B step sequences over the past decade, skaters have increasingly and universally switched to slower more exaggerated step sequences, with a rocker for instance taking 2-4x the time that it might have taken previously. This is good for the demonstration of edge control for instance, but results in a lot of homogeneity across very different styles. With the silver samba, even if it is not difficult turns, skaters are being forced to show both a high tempo step section and then the more sedate and extended midline/diagonal style B and PSt.

In my opinion, the difference is night and day with program quality. Even just at the beginning of the season. The "freedom" offered by the ChRS still ended up with every single team having largely the same construction: stop, a cha cha New Yorker, stop for stationary footwork, maybe a samba roll, a twizzle or in place spin, and one or two mini-lifts. IMO, it was exceedingly boring and similar across the discipline, including across the different camps. By mandating a pattern, and encouraging teams to add in steps, new positions, different changes of hold, switching of traditional lead and follow steps, teams are not only forced to differentiate themselves with originality but they are also forced to demonstrate clear skating skills like edge control, power, posture, ice coverage, extension from center of gravity, and edge depth: the entire goal of a pattern comparison. In many ways, the ISU might have been inspired by Caroline Green/Michael Parsons's inverted Midnight Blues pattern with back-to-back holds as a method of differentiating themselves.

In juniors, I think this change is going to result in so much creativity and expansion of skillsets. While not all 2RF sections have had the woman leading, it certainly opens the door for both skaters to learn new aspects of partnering. By allowing variations in holds outside of the key points and requiring closed hold in the KP, it allows skaters to demonstrate creativity while also maintaining a baseline level of difficulty and similarity.

Where do we go forward from here?

Rhythm vs. Original

The ISU has reached a new intermediate between what was formerly the rhythm dance and the older original dance with this new format. What kinds of themes the ISU would use going forward and what combinations of patterns with said themes, in many ways need to be spelled out. Beyond the obvious decades (60s, 70s, 90s, etc.) what kinds of themes would the ISU consider? And how would patterns like the Paso Doble or Viennese Waltz be matched to these new themes?

If I could offer a few suggestions:

Swing: teams must incorporate a social dance rhythm (lindy hop, shag, charleston, jive etc.) with a pattern of quickstep

Nuevo Latin: new Latin rhythms, teams must select one to two Latin rhythms that have not been skated as compulsories (no samba, rhumba, or cha cha) with a pattern of Torville/Dean's Rhumba L'Amour (debut pattern)

Folk Dance: like 2010, teams must incorporate a folk dance element that represents their country or culture and skate the Yankee Polka

Percussive: teams must rely on a primarily percussion driven dance style like flamenco, paso doble, tap dance, Irish step dancing, South Indian bharatanatyam, etc., pattern of Paso Doble

What elements should the “short” include? How should they be scored?

Additionally, while I think the ChRS pattern format brings an element of overall evaluation of a pattern in size, ease of skating, unison, etc. that the key point system missed. There is room for both. An alternative format to the RD could be:

1 section of Pattern (KP system)

1 section of Choreographic Pattern (ChP which is equivalent to ChRS but maybe more clear), teams skate either the alternate section of the pattern or the same steps according to this year's rules which incentivize creativity and style. Maybe with the addition of Mandatory Contact

1 Style A Midline/Diagonal StSq which is composed of two parts: the 4 turn OfSt and the remaining 5 difficult steps and turns. Teams are required to skate one part in hold and one non-touch.

Lift

Twizzles

While the ISU has dropped the ball on coordinating new pattern dances from partial step sequences, perhaps a new, CONSISTENT system can be implemented, where in alternating years there is a PATTERNED short dance (see above) and on the off years there is a COMPULSORY short dance, where skaters are not assigned a pattern, but rather key points which they must incorporate into one or two Pattern Dance Type Step Sequence:

Replacing sections 1 and 2 above, 1PSt incorporates KP 1-4 and 2PSt has an alternative set of key points. Examples below:

KP 1 is a turn cluster: RBO Rocker, RFOIO, RFO Counter, RBO-LFI S-Step (Chocktaw)

KP 2 is a turn to skating position: LFO Rocker, LBOI to both partners in difficult skating positions (e.g. spread eagle, besti squat, spiral, hydroblade, lunge, side lunge, shoot the duck, etc.) on any edge

KP 3 is step based: 5 different chasses, progressives, or slip steps while doing 3 changes of hold to non-baseline holds (cannot do just tango or killian, has to be crossed or high killian, reverse foxtrot, a difficult hand-to-hand, or another creative variation)

KP 4 is synchronicity based, skaters must execute the corresponding turns: Partner A does LBI Counter to LFIO 3turn to LBI bracket while partner B does LFO counter to LBOI to LBI Bracket.

These turns would rotate every year and the tempo range would be decided based on the theme. Of course, these are only suggestions, but this technical apples-to-apples comparison might be helpful when using a decade theme like the 70s which covers such a diversity of sounds that establishing a pattern to suit the overall vibe of the decade might be difficult. I do think it would be helpful if the ISU established a general direction for how the original/short/rhythm dance is going to evolve with time.

But for overall changes? The Scale of Values needs a major makeover.

Scoring Shenanigans

Ice Dance scoring needs to be re-vamped. One of the most important parts of making figure skating scoring accessible to the public is the ability for the general viewer to discern "tiers" of scoring: e.g. what range do medalists vs. top 10 vs. top 20 teams score? With current seemingly unending score inflation, in the last decade ice dance has gone from scores 70-77 placing top 3 in the short program to scores 87-93. From 2011-2014, almost without exception the top two scores were 73-77, third rounded out in that low 70s range, and 60 points was essentially the cut off for top 10 scores. There was consistency from season-to-season that was understandable for both the general viewer and an avid ice dance fan. From 2016-17 to 2022-23, the top score in the rhythm dance went from 82 to 93. In fact, there was more consistency from 2017 Worlds to 2019 Euros top scores (82 to 83) with an entire revamp of the GOE system and rhythm dance composition than there was from the 2018-19 GP season through the 2022 Worlds (P/C led the field for both, scoring 84.13 at 2018 GPFrance and then 92.73 at 2022 Worlds). That doesn't even cover the changes over this past season. With the retirement of the undisputed top 3 teams from last quad, the RD record was still broken yet again at last Worlds! And this is despite constant downgrades in the technical robusticity of elements over the past decade and a half. This is even more obvious in the free dance, where top teams have gone from scoring 105 points to 140 points in just a decade.

We heard a lot of arguments last Worlds and WTT that the changes to the code merited a new world record in the RD after widespread disbelief that such a recent, and authoritative world record was broken. But despite the fact that I don't think a single person who regularly watches ice dance could argue that Chock/Bates this season ever out-executed (or even comparably-executed) Papadakis/Cizeron on Pattern Dance Type Step Sequences, a typical Style B step sequence, or twizzles. Much less teams like Hubbell/Donohue or Sinitsina/Katsalapov who never broke 90 points internationally. Yet, at World Team Trophy, C/B were awarded the same unweighted GOE +4.85 as P/C for their twizzles. C/B most definitely benefited from a weaker code, getting 9.07 free points for a ChRS (7.07 in GOE) which inched across the ice as opposed to a level 4 Midnight Blues pattern which earned just 1.72 points more (3.44 in GOE), but this rampant inflation can be accounted for in both recency bias in the retirement of top teams and in a warped scale of values.

Nowhere is this warped scale of values more apparent than for current Style D pattern dance type step sequences, where skaters who execute just two difficult turns/steps each earn, are rewarded more heavily than for any other element in the RD. Why on earth does an element where each skater only has TWO DIFFICULT STEPS AND TURNS merit 9.45 points base value, 15 points with +5 GOE? Style B step sequences where each skater has over twice the technical content have 8.96 base value, 14 points with +5 GOE. One foot sequences in the free dance with +5 GOE max out at 9.68. It is the ice dance equivalent of a double axel being valued more than a quadruple jump.

The ISU needs a return to baseline, wherever that threshold is decided to be, where scoring tiers can yet again be defined and the scale of values can be retroactively revamped according to difficulty and weighting of each element in a program. Because the current system? Feels a whole lot like this.

[wtficedance]

did chock and bates really get lvl 4 in all the elements on their free dance at worlds?

Q #210:

Hi anon,

Short answer is no. They should have lost levels on the diagonal step sequence, twizzles, and one foot turn sequence. However, for the first time all season EB finally achieved a full lunge position for their SlLi.

DiSt:

MC: flat on S-step RBO exit, no sustained RBO on rocker exit

EB: hopped RBI counter, flat on rocker RBO exit

SyTw:

Both pirouette on CW twizzles, MC pirouettes just 2 rotations in and has 2 rotations with no linear movement, should have been a level and GOE reduction

OFT:

Both hop RBI counter (EB more egregiously) and scratch their RFI brackets on exit

I also want to note that a fall has ALWAYS been defined as a serious error. It’s frankly the one thing that has always unambiguously been defined as a serious error. It doesn’t have to be on an element. As of 2010 In ice dance “a loss of balance or stumble” counts for a 0.5 deduction in SS per partner, so not even a fall, necessitates a cap. So, their PCS of 57.22 should have been maxed out at 52.50 (8.75/mark). Even by the new PCS standards (composition, presentation, skating skills) where the error is penalized less harshly and assuming that otherwise their PCS was worthy of 10s (which… no comment) and should have been capped at 9.50, France, Switzerland, and Estonia all gave 9.75s. France and Switzerland in skating skills.

I tried to make a video but Adobe is currently angry with me so I'm putting it on the back burner unless people are interested.

[wtficedance]

Question, is there are an aspect or characteristic of figure skating that you think has not been included, well-measured, or given enough importance by PCS criteria? I’ll start: “partnering”/“oneness”/“unison” should be its OWN PCS mark in pairs and ice dance.

A few other thoughts from people on twitter so far:

quality of movement (a collection of pointed toes, turnout, posture, dancing skills, refinement, precision, good lines)

originality

musicality

[wtficedance]

What do you think of Ben Agosto’s twitter commentary? I’m starting to wonder if he’s auditioning for broadcasting gigs and trying to stay in good graces by supporting the winning narrative- do you think him being wowed by FG is convincing?

Q #214:

Hi anon,

Ben has actually had quite a few broadcasting gigs (NBC w/ Tanith for a bit) over the years so I’m not sure it’s as much a continual audition for roles as remaining in the ice dance world. I don’t think him being “wowed by F/G” is necessarily what he’s trying to go for, more of an understanding of the narrative.

It’s hard to be a commentator and be like “well team Y is gonna get a very high score cause of politics despite team X being better” because it undermines viewer confidence in the integrity of the sport… but it is sort of needed for accuracy in ice dance. Which is why it’s very clear in how he never claims that Lilah is good at skating compared to others but to *her previous level.* Which isn’t wrong, but she hasn’t had the Vika Sinitsina glow up in edge quality and control that would rationalize the massive jump in world ranking they’ve undergone as a team. Which is also why he talks about things like Charlene’s bad back mobility which affects the quality of her movement & posture but not necessarily her skating skills, but it’s something that’s pretty clear to people who aren’t familiar with ice dance and lets people draw the conclusion that it’s a reason for their lower score.

It’s pretty clear he’s walking the tightrope of being supportive enough of F/G’s *improvement* to rationalize their jump in ranks, while not actually saying they’re exceptional skaters or even amazing artists (just that their material is different from what everyone else is doing… which there’s a reason no one else is doing it).

That’s just my take! But I hope that helps add clarity.

[wtficedance]

Changes to the Choreo Rhythm Sequence Explained

So the ISU Ice Dance Technical Committee just released a wave of brand new changes to the ChRS. I am currently working on a more descriptive video to get into the nitty gritty of identifying the element, how it's judged, and what in general to look for but this table is a bit of a cheat sheet explaining how the element is being called (by the tech panel) and judged (by the judging panel). Hope this helps explain the significance of these rule changes!

-@wtficedance

[wtficedance]

Thanks for answering my ask- I was the one who asked about Ben Agosto. So basically if he's "supporting the narrative" he's fudging stuff like whether Lilah actually deserves her scores in favor of spinning what the ISU's peddling. Isn't that kind of bullshit then? He's looking for ways to justify what they're doing, even if it's really thin - like Charlene's back flexiblity vs. Lilah's skating - and doesn't account for what's actually happening? Thanks for explaining that - I can smell the spin in what he's saying and now I see why - he's not good as say Mark Hanretty at walking the line

Q #215:

Combining with another similar ask as well for conciseness:

“Don't you find it ironic that he can't say the truth because it'll "undermine viewer confidence in the sport"? Like you're literally saying that there's a lack of integrity in it. Viewers should not have confidence that it's a fair sport, basically lol”

Hi anons,

The short answer is yes it is ironic and of all of the things I truly do love about ice dance (the really cool artistic inspiration, the creativity, imagining new ways to incorporate movement, etc.) the integrity and fairness of the sport has never been notable. All sports which involve a judged component (even in the forms of an umpire/ref/linesmen etc.) will have controversies about officials inserting themselves into the game and affecting results, but sports which are purely judged will have significantly more of it.

This is especially true for ice dance since there’s less obvious mistakes that someone who’s never seen the sport before (falls!, clear stumbles, losing grip on your partner) can pick out and understand that it’s playing a role in the score. It’s why twizzles went from being a very insignificant part of the sport to its more talked about element, because while something like ONLY pirouetting isn’t obvious, being slow, not covering ice, falling out of rotation, lack of sync, are very noticeable no matter your experience watching ice dance. Meanwhile, step sequences are a huge part of ice dance scoring but apart from obvious mistakes like stumbles and falls, it can be hard for a first time viewer to understand why they're scored the way they are.

So yes, commentators have to choose whether they're going to fully buy into the narrative (more of a Ted strategy, and also one taken more by commentators who don't have ice dance background but are former singles skaters) or whether they're going to go more with the half-picture but mostly true lines. Because--at least on English-speaking channels--unless its homer/"we were robbed!" comments, people generally tone down the "this result is bullshit and actually the team who placed first shouldn't have even podiumed" stuff. ESPECIALLY, when its at a relatively low stakes event like a GP vs. the Olympics or Worlds where that at least generates interest/potential viewership.

But generally, post-SLC, you see a large reluctance of commentators to really play into the controversy. My general hypothesis is that it is because 2 things: 1) an increased awareness that it will be weaponized to say that FS isn't "a rEaL sPorT" and 2) because of the number of old timers who attribute it to IJS/the system. Elaborating on 2), a lot of the immediate reaction after Adelina won in Sochi by FS commentators was that she won correctly within IJS, and that under 6.0 Yuna would've won. Kurt Browning in particular comes to mind. Which... Adelina did not win because of IJS. She had a level 4 step sequence despite tripping, virtually tied Yuna in PCS, beat Carolina Kostner in SS, and got away with quite a few UR calls. All of those things SHOULD have been punished if IJS had been correctly applied. There's a tendency for people who dislike IJS to blame the system itself. A lot of it in ice dance comes back to not just IJS but also "well if we still had the compulsory dance" but I'm going to be quite honest and say a lot of the time teams who were in fact NOT the strongest skaters won the CD. AND while I fully concur that too much of the score in ice dance is now choreographic elements and step sequences have been devalued, a team like F/G should still not be in the top 8 if they were scored correctly in the current system.

All of this to say. Yes, F/G's results this season are rather absurd, they are not reflective of the skating on the ice, they've been way too high in the context of their ability and the timing of the quad, some commentators have been significantly more effective at addressing the absurdity of the scoring, and that their rise isn't particularly unique because ice dance has always been particularly susceptible to narratives and egregious politicking. And particularly this year, there's some interesting dynamics about pushing European teams and Russia as the traditional ice dance power being absent. Which I don't think will benefit F/G in the future if a particular team comes back.

But, in the end while I do wish the scoring was more fair, it is a reality I have come to accept because I don't watch competitions to see who wins but to enjoy some truly creative and special programs.

P.S. agreed on Mark :)

[wtficedance]

US Nationals 2023 - FD Breakdown

Chock/Bates

ChAJ: last jump (pictured below) exceeds 1 rotation limit by assisting partner but as it is the fourth jump (and jump sequences just have to have a minimum of three jumps) and can technically be considered a separate mini-lift, does not impact validity/GOE of ch. element.

DiSt: very open overall, generally you can tell in both the rocker and counter done by Madi that she is bearing very little of her own weight. Better ice coverage than previous outings this season.

ChSp: spinning slide with the entrance is a very creative way to use the sliding split. Would honestly be a better fit for their choreo slide.

Twizzles: Madi pirouettes the last 2 rotations of her second set of twizzles, should be a deduction of 1 level to W3 / M4. Not great speed

SlLi: smooth, very controlled lean and movement of her leg by Madi, good control on exit but lunge is very shallow and not well controlled.

OfSt – generally will be on flatter curves on their exit edges before taking a bit to deepen between. Madi stays over her rocker throughout turns but Evan tends to lean forward on his backwards exits which puts him on his toe pick, you can tell because his blade will catch on the ice and he will slow down in comparison.

Sp: very cool entrance with smooth transitions in and out, very clear establishment of positions.

CuLi + CuLi: first lift a lot more established than earlier in the season but the transition between the two positions takes quite a while for Madi to establish her standing position. Additionally, Evan’s 1ft exit is rather rushed for feature and is not held to match Madi’s extension, you can see it’s a little uncontrolled through the dip exit they’re doing and he immediately begins quick stroking to pick up speed after instead of extending and holding.

ChSt: interesting mini-lift to start but a rather extended pose before the ina bauer into deep outside besti squat, you can see Madi slightly catch her edge on the arabesque out but overall much better than the earliest iteration which had very few skating features. Would like to see more involvement of Evan as Madi is doing the vast majority of all skating and dancing in the element.

OVERALL changes to the TES score, not considering PCS. Even though Nationals scores tend to be high with the pretty obvious insecurity during the combination lift and sub-par step execution, that score should not near 130.

[wtficedance]

hi! i don't necessarily follow women's football but i know some things and i noticed there's a high percentage of ACL injuries in female footballers. i wonder if there's a similar case of ACL injury in women skaters as well? do female footballers and female skaters use their legs differently, biomechanically speaking?

Q #203:

Hi Anon,

First of all, apologize for taking this long. This has been sitting in my notes and I’ve been adding to it for a few weeks. You have come to the right place to talk about the biomechanics of injury, especially in footballers (as someone who grew up playing competitively for over a decade). Football, basketball, volleyball are all lateral impact sports. There’s lots of landing and pushing off to the side and hard planting to quickly change direction. The planting, that really sharp force and change of momentum, is often where athletes tear their ACLs. It’s almost always non-contact, the ligament just experiences too much torsion and shear stress and tears. Skating is less of a lateral sport, because of the glide (in comparison to running where there’s an impact with the stride) so while stroking uses some exterior rotators (the glute medius, piriformis, etc) there’s not a jolt of force in the knee like there is without skates.

In field sports (football, American football, lacrosse, field hockey, rugby) there’s an element of cleats having too much traction with the turf, and getting stuck while the body’s momentum goes another way that wouldn’t happen in a sport like volleyball or basketball. This is also more of a factor on artificial turf than grass, which is why there’s been a major push in women’s football for international games on grass, even in the NFL there has been an increase in demand for grass. That’s not as much a factor in skating.

For female skaters, like Kaitlin Hawayek, who are unlucky enough to tear their ACLs it’s a lot more likely that it’s a contact injury, with a force being applied on the outside of the knee so it caves in and the ACL tears trying to stabilize it. This can happen coming out of a lift or a freak fall, but it’s less likely to a routine stroking motion like a crossover or turn like it is for field athletes. I’m guessing that Kaitlin’s ACL happened on a curve lift dismount gone wrong where her skate got caught and then lots of outside force was applied to her knee.

Female footballers have a uniquely high rate of ACL tears (and other ligament injuries) compared to peers in other sports and their male peers in football. Here’s a few of the reasons that researchers point to as risk factors:

- There’s a social factor that female athletes are more discouraged from strength training which helps balance the strength of the quads and hamstrings which is often a contributing factor to knee stability. And generally female athletes begin puberty earlier and are at a critical part of their musculoskeletal development when they’re most insecure about their body’s and most discouraged from doing resistance training for injury prevention.

In this 2020 literature review [2] of 12 studies on injury prevention protocols in women’s football, they found that “there is low-level evidence that multicomponent, exercise-based programmes reduce overall and ACL injuries by 27% and 45%, respectively.” It should be noted that this literature review included 9/12 studies focused on adolescents (9-18yo), which is that critical period for musculoskeletal development & a time period of extreme social vulnerability.

Across all sports, protocols using agility, plyometric, balance, mobility, and strength protocols are very effective at preventing injuries. “Systematic reviews confirm the efficacy of such programmes to reduce ACL injuries,35 for all athletes and all sports (OR=0.50; 95%CI 0.41 to 0.59), and female athletes specifically (OR=0.33; 95%CI 0.27 to 0.41).“ OR means “odds ratio” so for all athletes/all sports the protocols halves the risk of injury per incidence of risk and for female athletes it reduces it by 67%! Which is huge. And shows that well-rounded training programs are more-so important for female athletes because of general social attitudes that deter strength/plyo/agility training in favor of cardio.

Here’s a little chart of their multi-component studies just for comparison.

- Female athletes are more likely than their male peers to have eating disorders and to deal with malnutrition because of general social expectations. This can lead to weaker muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones that are more prone to injury at the same impact forces that wouldn’t injure someone not suffering from malnutrition.

- Female athletes are given fewer resources when it comes to training centers, facilities, artificial turf/grass etc. Additionally, more female athletes work at least part-time if not full-time jobs which leads to greater fatigue, less sleep and recovery time, etc.

- Only 6% of orthopedic and sports exercise research is done exclusively on female athletes, so a lot of current sports and recovery science is done on male athletes and just generalized across populations, which ignores female-specific factors. And a lot of papers available on this matter that attempt to derive a conclusion about causality/risk are from reviews not necessarily cohort or longitudinal studies.

- I’ve talked about this previously but the Q-angle, the angle the hip socket sits from the sagittal axis relative to the knee, is more exaggerated the wider your hips are. And it’s almost always larger in women. The additional lateral force makes the knee more likely to bow in and causes shear strain in the ligament. This bowing makes the ligament more vulnerable to tearing than in male athletes who have narrower hips. Strength training with emphasis on external rotation, foot position relative to knees, and weight distribution is important to account for differences in bone structure, and why sports science that’s centered around only male athletes results in a flawed approach for injury prevention in female athletes.

- Football is an extremely fatiguing sport because of the length of games as opposed to sports like basketball and volleyball where there’s more natural stoppage of play. In addition to just endurance, explosiveness is needed in the 89th (and 119th) minute, and the intra-joint forces necessary to create that explosive power are quite large, and when fatigued incorrect body mechanics can lead those intra-joint forces to be applied to weaker structures in the knee.

From a 2021 study [2] focused on changes in biomechanics under fatigue in female footballers w/ 20 participants from 20-31yo: “Knee extension moment decreased in 8, knee valgus moment increased in 5 players. A subset of participants showed a drift of pivoting limb kinematics that matches the known ACL injury mechanism; other players displayed less definite or even opposed behaviors.” 

Valgus is a description of a pattern of movement in the knee other than extension/flexion. Particularly with regards to internal rotation from the hip, where internal rotators or ADDuctors (the inner thighs) overpower external rotators ABDuctors (gluteus medius), causing the knees to cave and rotate to face each other as opposed to forward.

This is an example of NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III landing from a standing broad jump, you can see as opposed to directing his knees outwards and forwards, he exhibits knee valgus. Griffin was known for his short, injury prone career. Including torn right ACL in college; right LCL sprain in 2012; torn ACL, LCL, meniscus in 2013; ankle issues, and a whole lot more. 

General consensus was that he was so injury prone in college and in the NFL (in non-contact situations) because of his excessive knee valgus that was never corrected.

There has been some general thought that the menstrual cycle (menstruation, follicular, ovulation, and luteal phase) potentially play a role in ACL vulnerability though there is no real consensus.

  A 2017 review [3] about the relationship between ACL laxity, menstruation, and contraception attempted to collate studies that relate the 3.

“Twenty-one studies totaling 68,758 participants were included: 5 on the menstrual cycle and ACL injury, 7 on hormonal contraceptives and ACL injury, as well as 13 on menstrual cycle and ligament laxity”

The literature collated suggests that the oral pill potentially reduces risk of tear by 20% but the strength of the evidence in these studies is low, related to overall bias and robustness of research methods/study design.

“Specifically, laboratory studies have found that exposure of the ACL to estradiol results in a dose-dependent reduction in fibroblast and collagen synthesis and that this effect is attenuated by the addition of progestins” estradiol is low during menstruation, peaks during the luteal phase, and then has a secondary, smaller apex halfway through the luteal phase (see pic below). Basically, estradiol peaks during the menstrual cycle create certain periods of time where fibroblasts-cells responsible for the creation of connective tissue-have their proliferation rates decreased, so connective tissue and collagen is being replaced and reinforced significantly less than during the rest of the menstrual cycle. In contrast, progesterone increases fibroblast rate of proliferation, creating a protective effect. 

So as you can see in the graph below, in the luteal phase the simultaneous rise of the two hormones cancel one another out whereas in the ovulatory phase, the peak in estradiol with no protective progesterone creates a window of vulnerability for all connective tissues in the body.

“The identification of estrogen receptor positive fibroblasts in the human anterior cruciate ligament strongly suggests female sex hormones may have an effect on the structure and composition of the ligament” [5]

“The proper function of a ligament depends on the appropriate type, synthesis, assembly, crosslinking, and remodeling of collagen. This complex interplay between synthesis and remodeling of collagen is influenced by hormones, exercise, and immobilization. Thus, it is clear the amount of collagen bundles and the individual types of collagen influence the ability of the tendon to withstand loading.”

Progesterone’s protective effect explains why the oral pill (either combined estrogen/progesterone or progesterone only) correlates to fewer ACL injuries. Progesterone essentially tricks the body into never entering ovulation, and prevents development of the follicle which is responsible for estradiol production. So even in the presence of estrogen, there is no massive increase in native estradiol concentration which weakens connective tissue. 

All of this to say, a lot more research needs to be done but we do have a preliminary understanding of how certain risk factors can be ameliorated, and that can help us understand what is potentially going wrong at clubs that have had a slew of injuries (looking at you Arsenal women). I love talking about this kind of science, because it is so understudied, so if you want to chat more anon I would love to! But also if this was too much info I’m very sorry I just find it fascinating.

And here’s all the papers cited:

1. Making football safer for women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of injury prevention programmes in 11 773 female football (soccer) players. Kay M Crossley, Brooke E Patterson, Adam G Culvenor, Andrea M Bruder, Andrea B Mosler, Benjamin F Mentiplay.

    1. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/18/1089?ref=performancesporthacks 

2. Fatigue induced by repeated changes of direction in élite female football (soccer) players: impact on lower limb biomechanics and implications for ACL injury prevention. Matteo Zago, Sina David, Filippo Bertozzi, Claudia Brunetti, Alice Gatti, Francesca Salaorni, Marco Tarabini, Christel Galvani, Chiarella Sforza, Manuela Galli.

    1. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2021.666841/full 

3. The effect of menstrual cycle and contraceptives on ACL injuries and laxity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Simone D Herzberg, Makalapua L Motu’apuaka, William Lambert, Rongwei Fu, Jacqueline Brady, Jeanne-Marie Guise.

    1. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2325967117718781

4. Report on sex-related factors in sports medicine at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, Mary K. Mulcahey, MD, of Tulane University School of Medicine

5. Combined Effects of Estrogen and Progesterone on the Anterior Cruciate Ligament. Warren D. Yu, MD; Vahé Panossian, MD; Joshua D. Hatch, MD; Stephen H. Liu, MD; and Gerald A. M. Finerman, MD

https://journals.lww.com/clinorthop/Fulltext/2001/02000/Combined_Effects_of_Estrogen_and_Progesterone_on.31.aspx

[wtficedance]

Watching the pairs short from Lombardia this morning and Ghilardia/Ambrosini had a boot problem and stopped and took a 6 pt deduction. Ling/Wein's interruption for a boot problem at Lake Placid last month cost them 5. When VM stopped for Tessa's leg cramps at 4CC in 2013, why didn't they get any deduction?

Q #212:

Hi anon,

So there are a few different kinds of breaks and they can be instigated by the skater or the referee. I haven’t watched the pairs short program so I can’t comment on G/A but for Ling/Wein they were blown dead by the referee because the referee determined that the costume issue was a safety issue. If you as a skater are whistled to stop by the referee, you must stop or risk disqualification. For obvious reasons, a loose boostrap could be very dangerous in ice dance, especially for lifts and any transition which involves a mini-lift. L/W were mandated to stop to fix his boot because the referee made the call that his bootstrap significantly increased the likelihood of injury or other adverse events (pretty obviously). In case of a costume malfunction, that is deemed somewhat in the skaters’ control (not saying I agree with the logic this is just the rationale) but a medical stoppage is not. For example, a skater is responsible for tying and securing their laces and therefore will receive a deduction if they come loose but would not if they got a bloody nose (not controllable).

In 2013 there was a bit of an uproar because not only did V/M stop in the middle of their FD at 4CC but so did P/C at JWC. These were medical stoppages and therefore did not get deductions. Tessa has a condition called Chronic Exertional Compartments Syndrome where her muscles are overly restricted by her fascia resulting in intense nerve pain and reduced blood flow. I’m sure that when Scott was explaining to the referee the cause of the stoppage that her (documented) compartments syndrome was preventing her from skating and was specifically a safety risk when it came to her kicking up into that straight line lift. CCES is pretty obviously improved by a break because those extra seconds yelp reduce muscle inflammation and restore blood flow.

Gabi sprained her ankle the day of the JWC free dance in warm ups (might have also included a fracture I don’t remember the specifics). You can see that Gabi’s right ankle is taped to high heaven and back in the videos. P/C stop right after a series of transitions that’s pretty heavy on Gabi’s right ankle with a leaning besti squat and lunge and before their circular step sequence. Both of her one foot sections within the steps were on her right foot and you can clearly see that her skating throughout the entire program is affected by limited strength and mobility in her ankle. Again with the stoppage there was a clearly documented and visible injury and when talking with the medical personnel (after the referee) it was clear that they could continue within 3 minutes.

Here are the relevant sections of the special rules and regulations:

Hope this helps answer your question!

[wtficedance]

On the definition of team: gender, power, and equality in skating

Skate Canada made waves this week by announcing that it is updating the definition of 'team' with regards to pairs skating and ice dance to no longer refer solely to a partnership composed of a man and a woman, but to include two skaters regardless of gender identity. Skate Canada president Karen Butcher said on the revision, "This change is about removing barriers to participation in skating, and we believe it will have a significant impact in ensuring all gender identities are recognized and accepted equally and without prejudice."

For skaters who identify as non-binary or queer with a gender identity outside of the gender binary, this allows them to compete with lessened gender dysphoria if previously competing under their sex assigned at birth, such as non-binary pairs skater Timothy LeDuc who made history as the first out non-binary Winter Olympian in Beijing. But it also makes history as the first skating federation--and one of the three traditional skating powers--to allow for same-sex partnerships in pairs and ice dance.

It comes at an interesting time in international ice dance where elements have very recently been gendered where they weren't previously, with step sequence and twizzle levels now designated to the woman and man separately. And where in the past year, the ISU's big strides towards equality has consisted of revising communications to say "women" instead of "ladies" and allowing ice dance women to wear pants in the free dance. How progressive. (Men who wish to wear anything other than pants, like John Kerr's kilt for his Scottish OD in 2008, will still need an exception or face a costume deduction).

Gender in Ice Dance

Previously, the only gendered element was the spin, with men able to get a difficult position credit for a basic camel while women had to choose another variation. This change will likely affect dance far more than it will pairs due to the lower barrier for entry and due to far more mirrored elements than in pairs where the skillsets developed for lifting and throwing vs. twisting and balancing and landing are more highly gendered. Especially as only 4 lifts are required across two programs for dance--in comparison to eras where it was 7--ice dance’s brute strength and endurance requirements have evolved greatly in the last decade.

For now, by the nature of this ruling by Skate Canada as opposed to the ISU, unfortunately for the most elite level of skaters this change for young girls will result in partnerships between two women being seen as transitory as a stepping off point to a partnership where they can compete on the international level. But in a sport where young girls often retire due to lacking number of boys to partner with, this provides a massive developmental pathway where these young female athletes can continue growing with one another and increasing their skill levels. While the decision from Skate Canada (IMO) seems to be primarily motivated out of a desire for inclusion of queer athletes, it also could have a massive impact on improving the quality of training and experience for young girls. Whether it encourages them to challenge themselves by choosing a partnership with a stronger peer as opposed to sticking with a stagnant partnership that they are afraid to leave because it means giving up a chance at competing internationally, or just renewing their love of skating by doing it with a friend, this is a massive step forward for young athletes.

Madison Hubbell gave an interview to Russian media about her desire to do a show project with fellow Olympic medalist Gabriella Papadakis specifically about what skating between two women looks like.

"people have to see it. There are so many solo girls that want to do ice dance. And so many that spend years and years searching for a right guy, and I am sick of them sitting there searching. They need to find a way to perform, explore, express themselves, and share what they love about the sports. What would be a better way for two women than to skate together? But many of them are not used to the idea; they have not seen it, and for them, it’s almost like a lower tier. If I skate with a woman, maybe it means that I will never find a boy; it’s almost like admitting the fact that they might never be in competitive ice dance, which is too much to take on. We want to show them that there is no difference and that you can create amazing things – maybe even more amazing than what we are used to see."

Hubbell went through a transition early in her career after her brother Keiffer first split and then retired in 2012. Hubbell proceeded to pair with Donohue, and went on to a very successful career debuting at worlds in the same year. Most successful ice dancers are in fact not partnered since childhood, with the exception of sibling teams and the rare Virtue/Moir or Papadakis/Cizeron who go onto partnerships long enough that they can drive a car or drink. Many young girls spend half of their young careers waiting and wasting their talent because they don’t see another option, or settling for a partnership with a poor personality and/or skill fit.

"Of course, it’s only one aspect of this, but we are both very excited about this initiative to have a non-gendered event, more than creating a female-female event or male-male and then mixed. We think that everyone should be allowed to compete with everyone."

From a body image standpoint, skating has long denigrated and devalued women and girls seen as "too muscular" or "too tall" or "not feminine" enough due to their strength as skaters. Ranging from disgusting comments made to Kaitlin Hawayek this year, to Madison Hubbell and Tessa Virtue speaking about body shaming during their careers, this decision stands to empower young girls to lean into their strength as opposed to being shamed for it. While women have been permitted as lifters since 6.0 rules, very few teams have taken advantage of it in the last decade. The only team to do so being the Brown siblings during their first junior season. Many women in ice dance are afraid of challenging themselves in more athletic or reverse lifts that showcase their strength for fear of seeming less feminine.

"So many things worked really easily right away: transitions, skating skills, twizzles, one-foot, footwork, to track each other close – all have been really easy for both of us. But obviously lifts and tricks – things that we are used to do in one part of it – we have to learn how to be the base or to do a slightly different skillset."

In ice dance particularly, often there is a false gendering of strength in lifts that stems from the traditional mindset of stem and flower presentation: the woman is simply there to be lifted by her partner in a pretty position. She is simply a burden and any extra weight from muscles is not useful because the strength comes from the person lifting her. Incredible lifts like the stationary position achieved by Laurence Fournier Beaudry below involve the most power from the liftee, and are not possible without exceptional core strength.

Image taken by Ronda Churchill/AP Photo

Olympic Silver Medalist Tanith Belbin credits a switch to the coaching camp of Natalia Linichuk for forcing her to confront the toxicity of this regime in ice dance where young women are pressured to lose weight to make their partners' lifts easier. Linichuk ordered to her gain 10lbs and make an nutritionally informed diet to sustain her energy levels and improve her performance on ice. In the 2010 New York Times article on the subject, her partner Ben Agosto said he noticed a huge difference in her skating, "during lifts, she was no longer a sack of potatoes, holding on for dear life. She could hold her positions much better, and that made it easier for Agosto because she did not move around as much."

Hubbell alludes to this change in thought and challenging the notion that men need to lift because they are generally taller and stronger by noting the work that the IAM camp does with Cirque du Soleil acrobats: "often, acrobatic partners are almost the same size and height, so it’s all about leverage and technique."

Challenging this mindset is essential to valuing the amount of work that women in the sport do as incredible athletes and skaters. We see a large culture that values the strength and quality of men in ice dance and pairs, often at the expense of their female partners, where even in partnerships that are equally matched in talent and execution technical panels and officials will value male partners higher levels. We see this especially in reputation evaluation when it comes to individual step sequence levels. Of the top three teams last quad looking at OfSt levels, only S/K had the majority of their unequal level calls favor the lady. Despite for significant portions of that quad, all women were the stronger skater in their partnership looking at edge quality and control. Yet reputation or simply officiating bias, caused phantom no calls for clear mistakes made by men or simply attributed them to their cleaner female partner.

One Foot Step Sequence Level Calling Distribution

While culture changes at the officiating level are unlikely to happen on a scale faster than glacial, challenging the traditional gendering of technical strengths can only be seen as a step forward and potential at the skating community level to challenge the even unconscious bias that we all hold.

Community Reaction

Comments on the announcement have a varied mix of comments from full-throated support, to general trans and queerphobia, and a fair number of Blades of Glory references, but a strikingly common theme was that this change by Skate Canada is pointless because the ISU won't similarly follow--likely for years if at all. And while this is just my two cents on the matter, I truly believe that this is maybe the most positive change in skating in the past two quads. Momentum to make changes does not arise from nothing, this shift by a major federation, and one of the two currently non-sanctioned powers in the sport, provides a template for other federations to follow going forward. The ISU and the Olympics are highly important, what starts most dreams in the rink is thinking about that Olympic podium. But the fuel for the work put in is enjoyment of the sport at all levels. The vast majority of skaters will not see the Olympics or Worlds or international competition at any level. Their largest governing body is their domestic federation and it dictates what skating clubs they are apart of, what goals they work towards, what tier of development they can test into, and where they compete. This change is a massive step forward for not only the most elite tier of skating but those who lace up twice a week just to have fun doing something they love.

I would challenge everyone to view this change with as much idealism as possible. With the events of the past quad it is easy to fall into sheer hopelessness and despair at the state of the sport when it comes to the sheer amount of abuse and mistreatment of athletes, to feel the sheer scale of harm done. But this change provides a massive step forward when it comes to inclusion and equal treatment: for queer athletes and for the sport as a whole.

Lag time by the ISU for follow up is truly not the worst thing either as time is needed for partnerships with same-sex and gender non-conforming skaters to be developed at the domestic level to be ready for international competition. I truly hope we can see massive evolution in the sport, with athletes free to bring new new styles, new techniques, and new modes of expression that allow them to be their most authentic selves.

[wtficedance]

well now you have to publish all your ideas for the RD given that the ISU have fucked it (full body cringe at the idea of the Olympic announcers having to tell the hundred million people watching that the theme of this very serious competitive sport is ‘dance party’)

Hi anon,

I promise I’m getting to it soon lol I’ll probably end up breaking it into parts so I can get some of it out as soon as possible. I’ve been working on it since October 2023 so it’s a work in progress.

-wtficedance

[wtficedance]

hi, i’m a new figure skating fan and i’m unsure of who to ask and this isn’t really ice dance related so i completely get it if you don’t answer. during 4cc this year, there was a lot of talk about the altitude of colorado. how does the altitude affect skaters? i mainly saw it in relation to single skaters so does it affect jumps and such? or is it like a stamina thing, in which case it also affects ice dancers? thank you!

Q #199

Hi anon,

So skating requires a specific combination of cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, and muscular power. Power specifically referring to the ability to generate force as quickly as possible. When your body metabolizes sugars to create ATP for your muscles it can do it through two different pathways:

1. anaerobic

2. aerobic

Anaerobic referring to without oxygen and aerobic with oxygen. Now I’m not going to torture you with the Krebs cycle but the aerobic pathway is 18x more efficient than the anaerobic pathway which is known as glycolysis. However, when say you do a jump, an activity that requires more force and more fuel for your muscles to create that force, your blood isn’t transporting anymore blood (and therefore anymore oxygen) than normal. The cells in the muscles first use their immediate creatine phosphate stores and then undergo glycolysis to get ATP to produce this force.

After about 90-120 seconds, your body’s heart rate rises and the rate at which your circulatory system delivers oxygen to your muscles allows them to switch to aerobic respiration which is more efficient and doesn’t produce lactic acid. However, you then need to breathe more rapidly and more deeply to inhale enough oxygen to saturate your blood to meet that increased muscular demand. At altitude, there is physically less oxygen in the air. So you can inhale the same volume of air, maxing out how your lungs expand, but with less oxygen your body must compensate with increased blood pressure and heart rate and/or glycolysis.

If you’ve ever exercised at altitude or fully gotten altitude sickness, the lack of oxygen distribution to your limbs can make it feel like your legs are wading through jello or they’re literally about to collapse. Prolonged altitude exposure exercise like running a 10k, alpine or nordic skiing, playing a game of soccer, doing a long hike, etc. often leads to headaches, chest pain, lightheadedness, and dizziness. All of which are not great when you’re spinning, twizzling, and/or jumping very quickly. Sometimes, these symptoms can hit harder after finishing exercise and you can have a harder time breathing simply sitting or standing.

Skating has a unique combination of steady state cardio (stroking, crossovers), explosive power (jumps, landings, lift entrances), and high demand muscular endurance (step sequences, one foot sequences, holding spin positions, lifts). Typically, so while the first difficult elements done in those first 90 seconds of programs are relatively unaffected by altitude basic stroking and endurance elements like lifts, step sequences, and difficult spin positions demand a lot more oxygen that’s not there. Elevated heart rate, increased breath rate, and glycolysis in the leg muscles to increase metabolic availability can lead to cramps, dizziness, and general muscle weakness, and explosive elements near the end of programs can simply not have enough oomph to cross the finish line.

I would say the discipline most affected by altitude is pairs because it has by far the most endurance elements as lifts last far longer than ice dance, and the most dangerous if someone gets a cramp or their muscles give out midlift. In singles, a skater might pop if they don’t have enough lift off on a jump landing but generally unless they get very dizzy or disoriented it’s not as much of a safety issue. Ice dance the biggest issues usually appear in lifts and step sequences as skaters get sloppy and don’t have the energy to bend their knees and extend fully. But unless dancers are visibly tripping or wobbly whether that’s reflected by the tech panel is up to politics.

Hope that answers your question!