Winter Olympic Sports Breakdown: Figure Skating 101!

This Winter Olympic Sports Breakdown series will take a look at everything you need to know about some of the sports this winter including how they are scored, accounts you should follow for each sport, and who is expected to win! In this article, we will be talking all about figure skating. 

What It Is

Figure Skating can be competed as an individual, in pairs or as a group. Figure skaters perform different routines on the ice that include spins, jumps, and other challenging moves. Here is an example of a figure skating pairs routine.

How It’s Scored

The most confusing part about figure skating is scoring. Skaters are bound to a specific amount of jumps and moves they can perform depending on the length of the event they are competing in. Competitors gain points based on the degree of difficulty of elements of their routines such as jumps or spins which is assessed by the technical panel. Judges then give them points based on how well they executed those elements and give points on their skating ability. Each judge gives points 0-6. 0 being not skated and 6 being outstanding. For a visual explanation of figure skating scoring check out this video:

Who Will Win?

Russia, The United States and China all have solid chances at gold this winter in men’s and women’s singles and pairs.

Stay Up To Date

Follow these accounts to stay up to date on all things figure skating during the 2022 Winter Olympics.

 

View this profile on Instagram

 

U.S. Figure Skating (@usfigureskating) • Instagram photos and videos

 

View this profile on Instagram

 

The Olympic Games (@olympics) • Instagram photos and videos

Some Olympic sports can be confusing but we hope this helps make your time watching more enjoyable!

About the Author

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Tori Murphy

Tori Murphy is a junior at Penn State University studying Public Relations with a minor in Sports Studies.