The Slippery Slope of Sliding Movements in Singles Skating

By Denise Williamson MFS, MM SFF, CC

It happens to many of us, you bump into someone in line to get coffee and begin some small talk. You explain you are in town for a figure skating competition and they exclaim “Oh, I love figure skating! They move so gracefully on the ice…” and then they ask you about the Olympics. Yes, they nearly always ask. It does seem that there are many fans of our sport. Enthusiasts are enamored by various aspects of the figure skating: the dynamic jumps, fast and creative spins, complicated lifts, intricate coordination of steps, extended skating edges, and the list goes on. All of these talents require movement and investment to hone the actions into precise techniques that will prove consistently reliable in the delivery of elements and skills. The refinement of position to make it “easy on the eyes” requires attention to detail from a devoted coach and athlete willing to put in the time until developed and consistent. Movements are taught but often appear to lack an indication intent that the movement shows control, purpose, and attractiveness.

I am an ISU Singles Technical Specialist and serve on panels of all skating levels domestically and internationally and have noticed a popular trend in the singles discipline to include the sliding movement. Many skating programs have some kind of sliding movement incorporated into the choreography within the body of the program or the ending of the program. With these slides a risk is taken by the athlete.

At the conclusion of the program, the Data Entry Operator will read back the finalized elements to the rest of the Technical Panel and all related deductions for verification. The deductions are not limited to falls but can include others such as costume and time violations (there can be others). The time violation occurs more often than the costume violation. The event referee will confirm with the Technical Account the time of movement by the athlete. A common statement by the event referee will be “they didn’t stop sliding until…” Each level has a permissible allowance, and it varies from level to level and short program versus free skate. This information can be found in the US Figure Skating rulebook Rules of the Sport 6051 and 6052 for Singles.

Here is an important rule stated in the US Figure Skating Rulebook: 6050 Duration of Skating – Singles Timing starts from the moment the skater begins to move or skate. Timing stops when the skater comes to a complete stop at the end of the program. This means that the body is no longer moving (i.e., no floating arm movement) and the entire body has come to a complete stop on the ice. A sliding movement can at times take too long to come to a complete halt on the ice.

Also with these sliding movements is the risk of a fall. The athlete typically doesn’t have any blades in contact with the ice and they could lose control for a moment or more. This could also result in a fall outside of an element and with the appropriate deduction taken. A fall is defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) and US Figure Skating as a “loss of control by a skater with the result that the majority of his/her own body weight is on the ice supported by any part of the body other than the blades, for example: Hand(s), knee(s), back, buttock(s) or any part of the arm.” It is not being suggested that knee slides are removed but coaches and athletes must be aware of the risks they are taking when performing them. Here again the movement must be trained and be consistent as all skating elements of the program.

In conclusion, it may be wise for all coaches, choreographers, and athletes to be aware of the various deductions that can occur within a program. These can be found in Rules of the Sport 1071 for Singles and Pairs. Think wisely about the knee slides so they don’t become the slippery slope to a deduction.

Denise Williamson (MFS, MM, SFF, CC) is the chair of PSA's Education Committee.