Synchronized skating

For precision roller skating, see Artistic roller skating.

Marigold IceUnity

Synchronized skating or synchronised skating, a large and fast-growing discipline, consists of 8—20 (the number of skaters on a team depends on the level) athletes skating on ice at one time moving as one flowing unit at high speeds [1]. This discipline of figure skating was originally called precision skating in North America because of the emphasis on maintaining precise formations and timing of the group.

Details

For a synchronized team to flow in unison, individual skaters must be competent at a variety of skating skills, including speed, footwork and ice presence. The team performs a program set to music, with required formations including circles, lines, blocks, wheels, and intersections. The teams are required to perform step sequences involving a number of various turns such as twizzles, counters and rockers and simpler turns like three-turns, mohawks and choctaws. In Junior and Senior divisions, teams are required to perform two different routines: a short program and a free skating program. Generally, the short program is more technical in nature, where the free skating is longer and provides an opportunity to showcase expression, emotion and interpretation. Teams in the senior division are also permitted to perform lifts in the free skating program including pair lifts where the lifted skater may not be lifted overhead, as well as group lifts consisting of three or more skaters which can be extended overhead to full arm height in a variety of positions.

A synchronized routine may consist of straight line sequences, wheels, blocks, circle step sequences, or also moves in isolation. Moves in isolation are when one or more skaters separates from the rest of the group and performs freestyle type moves. For example, three skaters may separate and go into sit spins, while the rest of the team is in a circle formation. The three skaters will then join the group again and carry on with the routine. Junior and Senior programs also include moves in the fields where the whole team does moves such as spirals, spread eagles or ina bauers connected.

Required elements:

• No Hold Block: The no hold block has the same qualities as a regular block. The only difference is that the skaters are not connected in a no hold block.
• Spins: Every skater must spin in unison. Each spin rotate at the same time and have the same number of revolutions. The spin can be performed in a circle, block, or line.
• Pairs Element: This is a free skating move where one skater holds on to another. Different types of pairs element include spins, lifts, and pivots such as death spirals.
• Wheel: For a wheel every skater must rotate around a common center point. There are many different formations that teams an form including a two to five spoke or a parallel wheel. Each spoke (line) of the wheel should be straight and the skaters should be leaning into the center of the wheel. The difficulty of the wheel can be increased by adding footwork, changing the rotational direction of the wheel, or traveling.
• Block: This is an element where the skaters are lined up in at least three parallel lines. Five lines is the maximum a block can have. The block should travel over the entire ice surface. The lines should be straight and evenly spaced. To increase the difficulty of the block teams can add step sequences, pivot the block, or change the configuration.
• Circle: There are many different ways to complete this element. Teams can have one circle, multiple circles, a circle within a circle, or disconnected circle. The circle should be evenly spaced between the skaters and should form a round shape. To increase the difficulty of a circle a team can include step sequences, traveling, and changes of rotational direction.
• Intersection: An intersection is when the skaters skate towards each other in lines and intersect. The intersection can be two lines but can have three or four lines. At the point of intersection skaters could do turns or free skating movements to increase the difficulty. The entry to the intersection can be made more difficult by intersecting from an angle or from a whip.
• Line: There are many different types of lines. Lines can be two parallel lines, one straight line, or a diagonal line. To increase the difficulty the team may pivot the line, change configuration, or incorporate retrogression into the line.
• Movement in Isolation: In this element some of the skaters are isolated from the rest of the team while performing free skating elements such as spins, spirals, lifts, or jumps. The free skating elements must be performed by a minimum of three skaters and a maximum of less than half of the team.
• Moves in the Field: This element is a sequence of movements that must include free skating moves such as spirals, spread eagles, Ina Bauers, and other flowing moves with strong edges, connected with linking steps. It must include at least three different free skating moves.

Competitions

There are international synchronized skating competitions at the novice, junior, and senior levels (with senior being the most elite). The International Skating Union held the first official World Synchronized Skating Championships in 2000 in Minneapolis, MN, USA, in which the strongest senior teams from across the globe gather to determine which is the world's best. Although in 1996 the first "World Challenge Cup" was held in Boston, MA, USA, it was unofficially the first competition to crown the world champion of synchronized skating (Team Surprise of Sweden). The top junior teams from around the world compete against one another in the World Challenge Cup for Juniors (WCCJ), held in a different location every year. Recently the top novice teams in the world have had an opportunity to compete against one another with the Leon Lurje Trophy which was held for the first time in the 2006-2007 season.

In the United States and Canada, there are several other recognized age and skill levels. In the US, the divisions include Beginner, Pre-Juvenile, Preliminary, Open Juvenile, Open Collegiate, and Open Adult (the non-qualifying divisions/ the divisions that cannot go to nationals) and Juvenile, Intermediate, Novice, Junior, Senior, Collegiate, Adult, and Masters (qualifying levels).

ISI (Ice Skating Institute) is another division that focuses on a more recreational form of competition. Teams can compete in the Tot, Youth, Jr. Youth, Teen, or Adult divisions as either synchro or formation teams, formation being the easier of the two since skaters are not allowed to pick up their feet while going backwards.

While most skaters participating in "synchro" are female, the rules allow mixed-gender teams.

History

The first synchronized skating team was formed by Dr. Richard Porter, who became known as the 'father of synchronized skating'. The 'Hockettes' skated out of Ann Arbor, Michigan and entertained spectators during the intermissions of the University of Michigan Men’s Hockey Team. In the early days, precision skating (as it was then called) resembled a drill team routine, or a precision dance company such as The Rockettes.

During the 1970s, the interest for this new sport spawned tremendous growth and development. As each season passed, more and more teams were developing more creative and innovative routines incorporating stronger basic skating skills, new maneuvers and more sophisticated transitions with greater speed, style and agility. Due to the enormous interest in the sport in North America, the first official international competition was held between Canadian and American teams in Michigan in March 1976. With the internationalization of the sport, it has evolved rapidly, with increasing emphasis on speed and skating skills, and "highlight" elements such as jumps, spirals, spins, and lifts that originally were not permitted in competition.

Present day

At the senior level, the top positions at the World Championships have been overwhelmingly dominated by Sweden and Finland – as of 2000, the Swedish Team Surprise has won the competition five times (2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007) placing in the top three every year except 2010 and 2011, the Finnish Marigold IceUnity three times (2002, 2004, 2006), the Finnish Rockettes three times (2008, 2010, 2011) and the Canadian NEXXICE once in 2009. Other top teams include the United States' Haydenettes and Miami University, the Finnish Team Unique, and Canadian teams black ice (discontinued) and Les Suprêmes.

Although not currently an Olympic sport, fans and participants of this fast-growing discipline have begun to strive for recognition by the rest of the skating and athletic world. In 2007 synchronized skating took one step closer to Olympic contention when it was selected to be part of the Universiade or World University Games as a demonstration sport. Countries from around the world competed in Turin, Italy with Sweden, Finland, and Russia coming out on top.

Synchronized skating has been covered by Skating magazine since the sport's inception. It is a varsity sport at several colleges such as Miami University (and many more are developing club-level collegiate teams without varsity status such as the team at UMass Amherst), and has already been reviewed for Olympic eligibility. Miami University has been a trailblazer in collegiate synchronized skating, fielding the first completely funded varsity synchronized skating program in the United States, as well as their coach Vicki Korn working towards gaining "synchro" NCAA status in the United States.

Judging

The competitive levels of synchronized skating, like those in other disciplines of figure skating, are now judged using the ISU Judging System that was introduced in 2004. Each element is assigned a difficulty level by the technical panel made-up of a technical specialist, assistant technical specialist and a technical controller. Each level of difficulty for a particular element corresponds to a pre-determined base value. The base value is the amount of points that are awarded for an executed element before the grade of execution or any deductions are applied. The base value for every element can be found on the ISU website under ISU Communication 1532, Appendix D. Judges assign a grade of execution from -3 to +3 to each of the elements. Each grade of execution, or GOE, corresponds to a point value. For each element, the highest and lowest GOE values are dropped and the rest are averaged then added to the base value. The sum of all the scores of the elements comprises the Technical Elements score.

A series of five categories comprises the Program Components score. The Program Component score includes the following categories: skating skills, transitions, performance/execution, choreography, and interpretation. Each judge gives a mark for each component. Then a trimmed mean is calculated by dropping the highest and lowest score. The remaining scores are then averaged. The panel’s points for each program component are multiplied by the factors: .8 for the short program, 1.6 for the junior, senior and collegiate free skate and 1.0 for intermediate, novice and adult. The factored results are rounded to two decimal places and added. The sum is the Program Components Score.

The Technical Elements and Program Components scores are then added to form the total segment score. The team with the highest total segment wins the competition. For junior and senior teams that have two programs, the scores of both programs are added together. The added scores that are the highest are the winners.

In the event of a tie, the team with the highest free program score will win the competition.

In the United States, the introductory levels of Preliminary, Pre-Juvenile, Open Juvenile, Open Junior, Open Collegiate, and Open Adult are still judged under the 6.0 judging system. These levels can compete at the regional level but cannot qualify for the national championships.

See also

• World Synchronized Skating Championships

External links

• Synchronized Skating at the ISU