33 Facts About Compulsory figures

The simple "figure eight" shape was executed by connecting two circles; other Compulsory figures included the three turn, the counter turn, the rocker turn, the bracket turn, and the loop.

Jones' limited body of Compulsory figures, which emphasized correct technique, were the accepted and basic repertoire of Compulsory figures in 18th century England.

Artistic skating in France, which was derived from the English style of figure skating and was influenced by ballet, developed Compulsory figures that emphasized artistry, body position, and grace of execution.

Jean Garcin, a member of an elite group of skaters in France, wrote a book about figure skating in 1813 that included descriptions and illustrations of over 30 Compulsory figures, including a series of circle-eight Compulsory figures that skaters still use today.

George Anderson, writing in 1852, described backward-skating Compulsory figures, including the flying Mercury and the shamrock, as well as the Q figure, which became, in its various forms, an important part of the repertoire of skating movements for the rest of the 1800s.

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Until 1947, for approximately the first 50 years of the existence of figure skating as a sport, compulsory figures made up 60 percent of the total score at most competitions around the world.

Compulsory figures were an important part of figure skating for the rest of the 19th century until the 1930s and 1940s.

Compulsory figures were worth 60 percent of the competitors' total scores.

Special Compulsory figures were not included in World Championships, although they were included as a separate discipline in other competitions, including the Olympics in 1908.

Compulsory figures began to be progressively devalued in 1967, when the values of both compulsory figures and free skating were changed to 50 percent.

In 1973, the number of Compulsory figures was decreased from six to three, and their overall weight was decreased to 30 percent, to make room for the introduction of the short program.

Compulsory figures speculated that television coverage of the sport, which brought more attention to how it was judged, was responsible and "since figures competitions weren't televised, fans could not be certain that the judges were on the level".

Kestnbaum agreed, stating that the elimination of Compulsory figures was motivated by finances, countries with an affluent middle class or government-supported training for athletes having more of a competitive advantage over less affluent and smaller countries with fewer ice rinks and resources to spend the time necessary to train for proficiency in Compulsory figures.

The last two seasons that compulsory figures were competed at an international competition were in 1989 and 1990; only two figures were skated and they were worth only 20 percent of the competitors' overall scores.

Compulsory figures have not been a part of any international or most national competitions since 1990.

The last time Compulsory figures were contested at the US Figure Skating Championships was in 1999.

Proponents stated that Compulsory figures taught basic skating skills, insisting that if skaters did not become proficient in Compulsory figures, they would not be able to perform well-done short and long programs.

American champion and figure skating writer John Misha Petkevich disagreed, stating that the skills needed for proficiency in Compulsory figures were different than what was needed for free skating, and that the turns and edges learned in Compulsory figures could be learned in free skating as easily and efficiently.

Compulsory figures, called school figures, are the "circular patterns which skaters trace on the ice to demonstrate skill in placing clean turns evenly on round circles".

Compulsory figures are called "patch", a reference to the patch of ice allocated to each skater to practice figures.

Figure skating historian James Hines reported that compulsory figures were "viewed as a means of developing technique necessary for eliter skaters".

Compulsory figures stated, "As scales are the material by which musicians develop the facile technique required to perform major competitions, so compulsory figures were viewed as the material by which skaters develop the facile required for free-skating programs".

The compulsory figures used by the International Skating Union in 1897 for international competitions consisted of "two or three tangent circles with one, one and a half, or two full circles skated on each foot, in some with turns or loops included on the circles".

Highest quality Compulsory figures had tracings on top of each other; their edges were placed precisely, and the turns lined up exactly.

Compulsory figures expected skaters to trace figures without looking down at them because it gave "a very slovenly appearance", and recommended that they not use their arms excessively or for balance like tightrope walkers.

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Writer Ellyn Kestnbaum noted that skaters who were adept at performing compulsory figures had to practice for hours to have precise body control and to become "intimately familiar with how subtle shifts in the body's balance over the blade affected the tracings left on the ice".

Compulsory figures added that many skaters found figures and their visible results calming and rewarding.

Sports writer Christie Sausa insisted that training in Compulsory figures "helps create better skaters and instills discipline, and can be practiced over a lifetime by skaters of all ages and abilities".

The German magazine Der Spiegel declared in 1983 that compulsory figures stifled skaters' creativity because not much about figures had changed in 100 years of competitions.

All compulsory figures had the following: circles, curves, change of foot, change of edge, and turns.

Compulsory figures stated, "It is the control of these circles that gives strength and power, and the holding of the body in the proper and graceful attitudes, while it is the execution of these large circles, changes of edges, threes and double-threes, brackets, loops, rockers and counters, which makes up the art of skating".

Change of foot, which happened during the short time the skater transferred weight from one foot to the other, was allowed in the execution of Compulsory figures, but had to be done in a symmetrical zone of each side of the long axis.

Since the goal of Compulsory figures is drawing an exact shape on the ice, the skater had to concentrate on the depth of the turn, the integrity of the edges and cusps, and its shape.