The photo is of Olympics figure skating commentators Tara Lipinski and flamingly gay Johnny Weir. Both are former Olympic figure skaters, making knowledgeable comments about the performers. They work well as a team. I just finished watching a Project Runway episode where the designers had to create outfits for them to wear at the 2022 Olympics. They will wear the winning fashions. Chinese designer Anna Yinan Zhou made the winning look for Lipinski with a white V-cut dress shimmering with crystal beads. African American designer Bones Jones made Weir’s winning look of a white organza top and leather pants. Watching figure skating is one of my secret pleasures. In addition to the Olympics, I watch other figure skating competitions during the year. It can be very entertaining, especially if there are whimsical numbers with peppy music. I also like classical music accompanying dramatic moves. Ice dancing is a favorite of mine because no one ever falls. They are not allowed to do the high lifts and jumps as in other figure skating competitions. British ice dancers Jane Torvill’s and Christopher Dean’s rendition of Ravel’s Bolero in 1984 is spectacular. Figure skating requires extreme discipline and dedication. Let’s learn more about it.
According to Wikipedia, figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating and ice dance; the four individual disciplines are also combined into a team event, first included in the Winter Olympics in 2014. The non-Olympic disciplines include synchronized skating, Theater on Ice and four skating.
From intermediate through senior-level competition, skaters generally perform two programs — the short program and the free skate — which, depending on the discipline, may include spins, jumps, moves in the field, lifts, throw jumps, death spirals and other elements or moves.
Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level (senior) at local, regional, sectional, national and international competitions. The International Skating Union regulates international figure skating judging and competitions. These include the Winter Olympics, World Championships, World Junior Championships, European Championships, Four Continents Championships, Grand Prix series — senior and junior and ISU Challenger Series.
The sport is also associated with show business. Major competitions generally conclude with exhibition galas, in which the top skaters from each discipline perform noncompetitive programs. Many skaters — both during and after their competitive careers — also skate in ice shows, which run during the competitive season and the off-season.
Terminology
The term "professional" in skating refers not to skill level but competitive status. Figure skaters competing at the highest levels of international competition are not "professional" skaters. They are sometimes referred to as amateurs, though some earn money. Professional skaters include those who have lost their ISU eligibility and those who perform only in shows. They may also include former Olympic and World champions who have ended their competitive career, as well as skaters with little or no international competitive experience.
In languages other than English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Italian, Polish and Russian, figure skating is usually referred to by a name that translates as "artistic skating."
History
Although people have been ice skating for centuries, figure skating in its current form originated in the mid-19th century. “A Treatise on Skating” in 1772 by the accomplished skater Welshman Lt. “Captain” Robert Jones (c.1740–c.1788) is the first-known book on figure skating. He designed skates that could be attached to shoes by screws through the heels — rather than using straps — and these were soon available from Riccard's Manufactory in London.
Competitions were held in the "English style" of skating, which was stiff and formal and bore very little resemblance to modern figure skating. Without changing the basic techniques used by skaters, only a limited number of figure skating moves could be performed. This was still true in the mid-1800s before improvements were brought about by American skater Jackson Haines, who was considered to be the "father of modern figure skating." In the mid-1860s, Haines introduced a new style of skating, incorporating free and expressive techniques — which became known as the "international style." Although popular in Europe, the international style of skating was not widely adopted in the United States until long after Haines' death.
Early 1900s
The International Skating Union was founded in 1892. The first European Figure Skating Championships were held in 1891 in Hamburg, Germany, won by Oskar Uhlig. The first World Figure Skating Championships were held in 1896 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, won by Gilbert Fuchs. Only men competed in the early events, but in 1902 a woman entered the World Championships for the first time. British female skater Madge Syers competed in the men's competition, finishing in second place behind Sweden's Ulrich Salchow. The ISU quickly banned women from competing against men and established a separate "ladies" competition in 1906. Pair skating was introduced at the 1908 World Championships, where the title was won by Anna Hübler and Heinrich Burger of Germany.
Figure skating was the first winter sport contested at the Olympics; it made its Olympic debut at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. On March 20, 1914, an international figure skating championship was held in New Haven, Connecticut. This event was the forerunner of both the United States and Canadian National Championships. However, international competitions in figure skating were interrupted by World War I.
In the 1920s and 1930s, figure skating was dominated by Sonja Henie of Norway. Henie turned competitive success into a lucrative professional career as a movie star and touring skater, also setting the fashion for female skaters to wear short skirts and white boots. The top male figure skaters of this period included Sweden's Gillis Grafström and Austria's Karl Schäfer.
After World War II
Skating competitions were again interrupted for several years by World War II. After the war, with many European rinks in ruins, skaters from the United States and Canada began to dominate international competitions and to introduce technical innovations to the sport. Dick Button — 1948 and 1952 Olympic Champion — was the first skater to perform the double axel and triple loop jumps, as well as the flying camel spin.
The World Figure Skating Championships did not include ice dance until 1952. In its early years, ice dance was dominated by British skaters, and until 1960 the world title was won every year by a British couple, beginning with Jean Westwood and Lawrence Demmy.
On February 15, 1961, the entire U.S. figure skating team and their coaches were killed in the crash of Sabena Flight 548 in Brussels, Belgium en route to the World Championships in Prague. This tragedy sent the U.S. skating program into a period of rebuilding.
Meanwhile, the Soviet Union rose to become a dominant force in the sport, especially in the disciplines of pair skating and ice dance. At every Winter Olympics from 1964 until 2006, a Soviet or Russian pair won gold in pair skating in what is often considered to be one of the longest winning streaks in modern sports history. The 1967 World Championships was the last event held on an outdoor rink.
Effect of television and the present day
Compulsory figures formerly accounted for up to 60% of the score in singles figure skating, meaning that skaters who could build up a significant lead in figures could win competitions even if they were mediocre free skaters. As television coverage of skating events became more important, the popularity of free skating increased because this part of the competition was televised and shown to the general public, whereas the compulsory figures competition was not. The television audience would complain when superior free programs sometimes failed to equate to gold medal victories. Beginning in 1968, the ISU progressively reduced the weighting of compulsory figures and introduced the short program in 1973. A critical issue was said to have been the continued failure of Janet Lynn to achieve on the world stage despite her outstanding free skate programs. For example, she missed out on a podium place at the 1971 World Championships after winning the free skate competition decisively, which produced an uproar and loud booing from the audience during the medal ceremony.
With these changes, the emphasis in competitive figure skating shifted to increased athleticism. Landing triple jumps during the short program and the free skate became more important. By the 1980s, some skaters began practicing quadruple jumps. Jozef Sabovcik of Czechoslovakia landed a quad toe loop at the 1986 European Championships which was recognized at the event but then ruled invalid three weeks later due to a touchdown with his free foot. At the 1988 World Championships, Kurt Browning of Canada landed the first quad toe loop which has remained ratified. Despite expectations, it was several years before quads became an important part of men's skating. In 1988, Japan's Midori Ito became the first woman to land a triple axel, pushing the athletic and technical level for women's programs. Worth only 20% by 1989, compulsory figures were eliminated from international competition in 1990.
Television contributed to the sport's popularity by showing skaters in the kiss and cry area after competing. Television also played a role in removing the restrictive amateur status rules that once governed the sport. In May 1990, the ISU voted to allow skaters intending to skate professionally to return to ISU competition, provided that they obtained their national association's permission. In 1995, in an effort to retain skaters who might otherwise have given up their eligibility to participate in lucrative professional events, the ISU introduced prize money at its major competitions, funded by revenues from selling the TV rights to those events.
In 1984, more than 24 million people in Great Britain watched ice dance pair Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean earn unanimous 6.0s for presentation, the only perfect score in Olympic skating history, which was ranked the 8th greatest sporting moment in a UK poll. In the 1993 National Sports Study II — considered by the Associated Press as the largest study of spectator sport popularity in America — ladies' figure skating was the second most popular spectator sport in America, just behind NFL football out of over 100 sports surveyed. The 1993 study found that three figure skaters – Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming and Scott Hamilton – were among the eight most popular athletes in the United States, of more than 800 athletes surveyed. Dorothy Hamill was statistically tied with Mary Lou Retton as the most popular athlete in America. The Tonya Harding scandal in 1994 increased interest in figure skating. The first night of the ladies' figure skating competition in the 1994 Winter Olympics achieved higher Nielsen TV ratings than the Super Bowl three weeks earlier and, to that date, was the most watched sports television program of all time.
To show support, spectators sometimes throw a variety of items onto the ice after the end of a figure skating program, most commonly stuffed toys and flowers. Officials discourage people from throwing flowers that are not fully wrapped because of the possibility of debris disrupting or endangering the following skaters.
Countries that have produced a great many successful skaters include Russia and the former Soviet Union, the United States, Canada, Japan, China, France, Germany and Italy. While the sport has grown in East Asia, training opportunities in South Asia are limited due to a scarcity of ice rinks. India had only four major indoor ice rinks as of 2011, but there were plans for ten more to be built, mostly in malls, over the following five years. As of 2016, three of these intended ten indoor rinks were built at Neptune Magnet Mall, Atria Millennium Mall and Lulu Mall, respectively.
Four skating has mostly disappeared, while synchronized skating, singles/pair skating and ice dance have grown. On April 6, 2011, the International Olympic Committee officially confirmed the approval of a figure skating team event, which was introduced at the 2014 Winter Olympics. The elimination of the compulsory dance segment provided space for the team event. Each team is composed of a men's and ladies' singles skater, a pair and an ice dance duo. A maximum of ten teams can compete, with five eliminated after the short program. In December 2011, the ISU released details of the qualifying system and the competition.
Music
For competitive programs, figure skaters were once restricted to instrumental music; vocals were allowed only if they contained no lyrics or words. Beginning in the 1997–98 season, the ISU decided to allow lyrics or words in ice dance music. Although the rules were not relaxed for singles and pairs, judges did not always penalize violations. At the 2011 World Championships, Florent Amodio's long program music included words but an insufficient number of judges voted for a deduction. In June 2012, the ISU voted to allow skaters from all disciplines to choose music with words in their competitive programs beginning in the 2014–15 season.
Skaters may use professional music editors so that their music meets requirements. Ice dancers are required to skate to music that has a definite beat or rhythm. Singles and pair skaters more often skate to the melody and phrasing of their music. For long programs, figure skaters generally search for music with different moods and tempos. Music selections for exhibitions are less constrained than for competitive programs.
Clothing
Skaters are generally free to select their own attire, with a few restrictions. In competition, females may wear a dress, typically with matching attached briefs, and since 2004, they may also choose trousers. They may wear opaque flesh-colored leggings or tights under dresses and skirts, which may extend to cover their skates. Men must wear trousers; they are not allowed to wear tights, although officials do not always impose a deduction for violations. Matching costumes are not required in pair skating and ice dance.
Competition costumes vary widely, from simple designs to heavily beaded or trimmed costumes. Skaters risk a deduction if a piece of their costume falls onto the ice surface. An official may stop a program if he or she deems there to be a hazard. Skaters and family members may design their own costumes, sometimes with assistance from their coach or choreographer or turn to professional designers. Costumes may cost thousands of dollars if designed by a top-level costume-maker. Female skaters were required to wear skirts after Katarina Witt's costume and performance at the 1988 Winter Olympics.
According to current ISU regulations, costumes in competition must be fair, non-revealing and appropriate for both short and long programs. Costumes should not be showy or exotic in nature. Clothing, however, can reflect the genre of music chosen. Although the use of flesh-colored fabric means the costumes are often less revealing than they may appear, there have been repeated attempts to ban clothing that gives the impression of "excessive nudity" or that is otherwise inappropriate for athletic competition. In general, accessories or props are not permitted in competition. The ISU allowed an exception for the original dance in the 2007–08 season but not since.
Competitors’ expenses, income and funding
Figure skating is an expensive sport. This is particularly due to the costs of ice time and coaching. In the late 1980s, the expenses of a top-ten ladies' competitor at the U.S. Championships reached nearly $50,000 a year. In October 2004, a U.S. Figure Skating article estimated the annual expense at $9,000–$10,000 for pre-juvenile, $18,000 for juvenile, $35,000–$40,000 for novice and said junior and senior levels were somewhat more expensive. In the 2010s, American senior national medalists had expenses in the mid-five-figure range. Swiss skater Stéphane Lambiel said his costs were around 100,000 Swiss francs per season. World champion Patrick Chan's expenses were $150,000 in Canadian dollars. In 2015, CBC Sports estimated that a Canadian pair team had expenses of about $100,000 in Canadian dollars per year.
Prize money is relatively low compared to other sports. A men's or ladies' singles skater who won the 2011 World Championships earned $45,000 — about 1.8% to 2.5% of the $1,800,000–$2,400,000 for winners of the tennis U.S. Open and Australian Open. A couple who won the pairs or ice dance title split $67,500. A winner of the senior Grand Prix Final in December 2011 earned $25,000.
Some national associations provide funding to some skaters if they meet certain criteria. Many skaters take part-time jobs, and some have tried crowdfunding. In Germany, many elite skaters join the army to fund their skating. In Italy, some skaters join police agencies' sport groups, such as the Polizia Penitenziaria's Fiamme Azzurre (Carolina Kostner, Anna Cappellini, Luca Lanotte) or Polizia di Stato's Fiamme Oro (Federica Faiella, Paolo Bacchini). Some competitive skaters depend on income from shows. Shows must be sanctioned by their association, i.e. skaters may lose their competitive eligibility if they take part without permission. In some cases, skaters may feel pressure to compete through injury to be allowed to perform in a show.
Injuries and health issues
Competitive skaters generally do not wear helmets or other protective gear. There is a risk of head injuries, particularly in pair skating as a result of falls from lifts. Although pair skaters are most susceptible, serious head injuries can occur in all disciplines, including ice dance. Partners have accidentally slashed each other with their skate blades. This may occur when partners drift too close during side-by-side camel spins. Several female pair skaters have suffered head/face injuries during this element, including Elena Berezhnaya, Jessica Dubé, Mandy Wötzel, Galina Maniachenko Efremenko and Elena Riabchuk.
Commenting on falls and concussions, Madison Hubbell said that "Most of the time, the worst falls are on things we kind of take for granted." Shin splints, knee injuries and back problems are not uncommon. Hip damage may occur as a result of practicing jumps and throws. In rare cases, intensive training of spins may result in subtle concussions as for Lucinda Ruh.
Injuries have also been sustained by skaters from different teams when many skaters are practicing on the ice. Midori Ito collided with Laetitia Hubert at the 1991 World Championships, while Oksana Baiul and Tanja Szewczenko collided at the 1994 Olympics, but all went on to compete. On practice sessions with multiple skaters on the ice, the skater whose music is playing conventionally has right of way. Also, pairs and ice dancers skating as a unit have right of way over those skating separately, as changing course is more difficult for a couple.
In some countries, medical personnel may be slow to respond to accidents. At the 2000 World Championships in Nice, France, a pair skater who had been injured in a lift accident lay on the ice for several minutes and had to get up and leave the ice on his own before being offered medical attention.
Eating disorders are reportedly common in figure skating. Body image and the need to maintain a fit body is a very common issue in figure skating. As skaters age, their bodies change and change the way they must approach the sport. Skaters such as Gracie Gold and Ashley Wagner have faced issues such as eating disorders and depression.
Figure skaters occasionally have positive doping results but it is not common. Commenting on Soviet skaters, three-time Olympic champion Irina Rodnina stated in 1991, "Boys in pairs and singles used drugs, but this was only in August or September. This was done just in training, and everyone was tested [in the Soviet Union] before competitions."
Comentarios