USFS Figures - Manual

[icedancer2]

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have a copy of the US Figure Skating Figures Rules which includes drawings and classifications of all of the figures in the USFS test structure. I can send them to you if you are interested - just PM me with your email address and I will be happy to oblige!

Being that a Figures competition is being offered at Pacific Coast Adult Sectionals this year, it seems that more people are getting interested in possibly doing/testing and competing figures - but a lot of the materials are buried... so I am happy to send this out if people want it.

Happy Skating New Year everyone!!!:) :halo:

Moderator Note:
The USFSA site has the Compulsory Figures document available in pdf format (along with the other Rulebooks)
http://www.usfigureskating.org/Content/Compulsory%20Figures%20Rules.pdf (http://www.usfigureskating.org/Content/Compulsory%20Figures%20Rules.pdf)

[renatele]

I put online the old(ish) rulebook and the figures manual sometime ago...

(see this post (http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?t=18623))

Is this the one you have?

[icedancer2]

Yes - it is the second one- the one with the regulations for Figures.

Same deal. Great - now everyone just go over to renatele's post and click on the link - it will open up two more link - click on the 2nd one for the Figures Regulations.

Thanks! Glad someone was able to post it to this forum!

[manleywoman]

Thank you! I had saved pages 12-19, but not the rest.

How sad that someone here had this, but when I called USFS last week all they could direct me to were the judge's sheets. :?? They don't have the diagrams available online anymore.

Not that they need to, since figures are rarely done. But it would be nice.

[vesperholly]

There is obviously a need for a figures website! I am highly tempted to do it. What would you guys like to see on there? Diagrams, rulebook stuff, videos, photos, etc.

[icedancer2]

There is obviously a need for a figures website! I am highly tempted to do it. What would you guys like to see on there? Diagrams, rulebook stuff, videos, photos, etc.

Yes. All of it.

How said that US Figure Skating doesn't even have those materials! I got it on the CD that was sent with my 2003-2004 Rulebook - the whole Rulebook was on the CD plus the separate link for the pdf for Figures. Doesn't US Figure Skating still have copies of those CDs?

I was a little hesitant about "publishing" anything since the CD states that it is copyrighted... but since they don't even have it I figured, "Why not?" - Plus I'm all for promoting figures and I'm interested to see how our figures competition at Pacific Coast Adult Sectionals works out...

The funniest thing I ever heard someone say was at our rink a couple of years ago - we had a patch session before the dance session and one of the dancers said to me as I was getting off the patch, "Do they even do figures anymore? I don't think they do!" like it wasn't allowed or something... I thought, "What am I, chopped liver?"

I was also wondering if there had been an email campaign back in the days when figures were eliminated from the test and competition structures if they would have stuck around a little longer? Of course there was no such thing as email back then... and "Institutional Memory" is very short these days...

[Isk8NYC]

I had read a note on the OLD USFSA board some time ago that the PDF was available if you sent an email to dgreenlee@usfsa.org. I followed Laura Fawcett's directions and received a copy right away via email.

Skatingforums doesn't allow uploading of documents or files; Renatele is very kindly hosting the documents on her own site.
(Thanks, Renata!)

[kayskate]

I put online the old(ish) rulebook and the figures manual sometime ago...

(see this post (http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?t=18623))



Cool. Added the link to my links page. It will be a valuable resource, as would a figures-specific site if someone decided to create one.

Thanks!

Kay

[manleywoman]

I had read a note on the OLD USFSA board some time ago that the PDF was available if you sent an email to dgreenlee@usfsa.org. I followed Laura Fawcett's directions and received a copy right away via email.

That was not the person I contacted. I was directed to someone else in Publications. They claimed not to have anything else available. Perhaps they just didn't know any better.

Vesperholly: do it! I think it would be a terrific resource. Some things to consider including:

1) the diagrams
2) judges sheets
3) lisitin of competitions still offering it
4) an overview on how people can actually still do them, if interested
5) video (of amateurs, and the old stuff, like Trixie Schuba)
6) if they agree to it, a list of people who have recently passed figure tests
7) tips and tricks
8) resources for blades/scribes
9) rulebook stuff

Perhaps you can get a cool URL, like www.bringfiguresback.com, or www.figuresrock.com, or www.figuresfans.com! I'd do it if I had the time. I have enough on my plate with the podcasts!

And icedancer2: I once had a woman tell me to my face: " you still do figures? What a waste of time and money." :roll: It's my time and money to "waste" so what do you care?

[daisies]

5) video (of amateurs, and the old stuff, like Trixie Schuba)

If anyone cares, I have video of me taking the first half of my 8th in 2002. I failed this one -- I did pass it a month later, and the 2nd half in 2004 (!) -- but unfortunately I got the "retry" version on video. (Talk about amateur! hahaha!) It's on VHS, but I'm sure I can get someone to figure out how to upload it.

And icedancer2: I once had a woman tell me to my face: " you still do figures? What a waste of time and money." :roll: It's my time and money to "waste" so what do you care?
OMG!!! What an idiot! Obviously someone who knows nothing about skating. :roll:

[jazzpants]

And icedancer2: I once had a woman tell me to my face: " you still do figures? What a waste of time and money." :roll: It's my time and money to "waste" so what do you care?Show 'em a video of daisies skating an interp program... after they're done going "Ooooh!!!" and "Ahhhh" on her gorgeous edges, tell 'em that she passed all her figures tests and then we'll see if they still think that figures is a waste of time then!!! :twisted:

[pairman2]

I don't have the personal excitement about figures that some people have, however, I have always observed that the number of people out there that loves school figures seemed to be much larger then what the 'official' party line claims. Moreover, most of the people I deeply respect in figure skating had their roots in figures. So it has always mystified me to observe the distance, and what I would describe as a willful amnesia by USFS towards any resurgence of figures.

I hope any effort to support or rebuild school figures is sucessful!

[icedancer2]

I don't have the personal excitement about figures that some people have, however, I have always observed that the number of people out there that loves school figures seemed to be much larger then what the 'official' party line claims. Moreover, most of the people I deeply respect in figure skating had their roots in figures. So it has always mystified me to observe the distance, and what I would describe as a willful amnesia by USFS towards any resurgence of figures.

I hope any effort to support or rebuild school figures is sucessful!

Thank you - I love that term "willful amnesia" - it's like "figures? What is that? We did them SO LONG ago!" Willful amnesia is a better way to say it than short-term institutional memory, which is how I think of it.

Doesn't seem so long to me - in fact I did them about an hour ago...

[saras]

Vesperholly - that would be so cool!

I'd suggest (in addition to other suggestions already posted) links to historical photos, as well as YouTube videos of figures. I have a collection of .jpg files that I have found in web-poking, and I periodically update a list of YouTube videos.

I also have a 1942 copy of Skating Magazine that has an article on figures - with a stunning photo of a patch loop on the cover.

[vesperholly]

Website's a go!

I'm thinking "Go Figure" for a website name. I don't want anything like "bring figures back" because I'm not agitating to bring them back in that sense. :lol:

[saras]

Website's a go!

I'm thinking "Go Figure" for a website name. I don't want anything like "bring figures back" because I'm not agitating to bring them back in that sense. :lol:

anything anyone can find on "creative figures" - the historical precursor to the standard figures.

[LWalsh]

They were actually called special figures. I have an old book I got in a book store in Lake Placid with a bunch of them. I'm having a jeweler make me a doubkle sided pendant with two of the designs. They are really cool. I'll post a photo when I get it.

Lara

[Skittl1321]

They were actually called special figures. I have an old book I got in a book store in Lake Placid with a bunch of them. I'm having a jeweler make me a doubkle sided pendant with two of the designs. They are really cool. I'll post a photo when I get it.

Lara

Wikipedia says ISI currently has a creative figures division- you create an original figure that has to be submitted to the judges ahead of time. I wonder if that was what the other poster was thinking of.

Is this the same thing that special figures was?

[icedancer2]

Wikipedia says ISI currently has a creative figures division- you create an original figure that has to be submitted to the judges ahead of time. I wonder if that was what the other poster was thinking of.

Is this the same thing that special figures was?

I think this is the same thing. In the US Figure Skating Adult figure test structure, you have the option of doing a Creative or Special figure as part of the Gold test. You can also substitute any figure of your choice.

I bet we could find some of these drawings somewhere - although it is also entirely possible for the skater to make up their own figure! Cool!

[LWalsh]

I think this is the same thing.


Not exactly. Here is the wikipedia on special figures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_figures they were introduced in the 1908 summer olympics. One of the figures I'm having made on the pendant was done by grafstrom (the Hugel star I beleive) in the 1924 Olympics and the other is in my book as the "Beak and Three Star". Both of these are based on the Maltese cross which I watched Don Jackson do for us several years ago at LP Adult Week. Very cool.

Lara

[LWalsh]

Here's the Grafstrom figure. I got the idea for the pendant from this one. I didn't want the cubic zirconia. http://www.cmarket.com/auction/item/Item.action;jsessionid=dGIMBGIUH0HuEaJh1aOhAA**.ap pserver2-i?_sourcePage=%2Fitem%2FbrowseImage.jsp&id=46858376

[daisies]

OMG that is so cool! I can't even imagine doing that as a figure. I had a hard enough time with paragraph loops!

[lovepairs]

I just finished reading "A Figure Skating Life" by Dorothy Hamill, which is a must read. I read it in two days--just breathed the book in. In it she speaks extensively about school figures in the most beautiful way. So, I'm reading the book and she's talking about patching after school at Fritz Dietl's in Westwood, NJ during 1968, and a few years after, and I nearly fell off my chair, and ran to the section of the book where are all here photos and there is one of her when she was 9 years old, or so, and I remembered her from patch! I thought I was going to have a stroke. She's one year older than I am. Anyway, she became something and I became nothing, but I still have a tremendous love of school figures and think they should be brought back.

The real barrier to bringing figures back is a financial one and really up to rink management. The reason why figures were done away with is the "Janet Lynn" thing, but also because rinks were loosing money with patch ice, which I could never understand, because patch sessions were always full with about 20 kids patching at once. But I remember a lot of talk around the rinks that "patch" was no longer financially viable.

I don't recall the 8th or Gold test having any optional figure is in it. Here is exactly what is on the Eight (Gold) Figure test:

Paragraph Double Three
Paragraph Loop
Paragraph Bracket

Of course, all of the above skated forward inside, forward outside, back inside and back outside. Once upon a time all 12 figures in this test had to be tested at once. Now they allow you to take 1/2 of the test first, and then the other 1/2 of the test at a later date. They call it 8A and 8B.

[daisies]

The reason why figures were done away with is the "Janet Lynn" thing...

Janet Lynn was partially responsible for reducing the value of figures -- to only 30%, due to the addition of the short program, then worth 20% -- but she wasn't responsible for their being done away with entirely. That came much later, and it was mostly a financial decision -- and not just for rinks. IIRC, it had a lot to do with TV revenue. And once the ISU did away with figures, USFS was virtually forced to follow suit. Apparently the fireworks really flew at that particular Governing Council!

I don't recall the 8th or Gold test having any optional figure is in it.

The previous poster said the optional figure was in the gold test in the "US Figure Skating Adult figure test structure" -- in other words, the Adult Gold Figure Test -- not the 8th figure test.

[kayskate]

Quad roller skating still has figure competitions. I used to take quad figure lessons for a while. They were a lot of fun and helped my ice skating. I had to quit roller skating b/c of time constraints. As I understand, roller figures were judged by the skater skating through chalk and leaving marks on the floor to demonstrate the precision of the "tracing".

Kay

[lovepairs]

Oh, okay...you were referring to the Gold Adult Figure Test. I had no idea that you were allowed to do an optional figure on that test...interesting.

Yes, you are correct the episode with Janet Lynn really set this whole thing into motion. It's really interesting, because Janet Lynn, recently, has started a "Summit Resolution," which is a summit and document that calls for the return of "classics" (for lack of a better term) back into figure skating. That's right, too, it was the TV revenue thing that caused the big financial hit. I recall that the argument was that figures didn't translate well to the TV audience and that it was tantamount to watching "paint dry on a wall." Quit frankly, I really don't see the difference between watch figures and watching golf. I can only imagine what went on at that particular governing council meeting.

IMHO, it is criminal that figures were eliminated. It would be almost impossible to bring them back now, because the argument would now be that the kids, working under the pressure of the new IJS system, wouldn't have the "time" to spend on figures, because of the pressure of trying to attain quads ect... I've gone to three PSA workshops and they always talk about how the kids bodies are presenting more injuries these days then ever, because of the stress of elements like the Beilman layback spin and the number of jumping repetitions that they are doing in practice in order to master these more difficult elements. They also mention that this is a relatively new phenomenon. Injuries weren't as prevalent when figures were in the picture. I'm probably showing my age, but there seemed to be more balance in skating, overall, when skaters had to practice figures several hours per day. Now, it seems to be such a race to the finish with loading programs up with elements and all of the speed and power associated with most of the Moves. Don't get me wrong, I'm a great fan of Moves in the Field, too, but it did replace the precision and a very different kind of concentration and discipline required to study School Figures.

[daisies]

I've gone to three PSA workshops and they always talk about how the kids bodies are presenting more injuries these days then ever, because of the stress of elements like the Beilman layback spin and the number of jumping repetitions that they are doing in practice in order to master these more difficult elements. They also mention that this is a relatively new phenomenon. Injuries weren't as prevalent when figures were in the picture. I'm probably showing my age, but there seemed to be more balance in skating, overall, when skaters had to practice figures several hours per day.

I will show my age, too, by agreeing with you. There definitely were fewer injuries when figures were required, for many reasons:

1) The obvious: They made the skater aware of their edges, where they were on their blade, where they were over their hips, etc.

2) They provided a break from the constant pounding of freestyle. Skaters didn't do two, three, four freestyle sessions in a row, they did figures, freestyle, figures, freestyle ... figures essentially provided a rest period and allowed the body to recover somewhat.

3) They taught discipline and patience. Figure sessions were like libraries -- quiet. They allowed skaters to think about what they were doing and take their time. They allowed skaters to rest their minds from the stress of freestyle.

4) Figure tests were much harder to pass than moves in the field tests are, so skaters weren't moving up in the ranks as quickly as they are now ... and, as a result, skaters back then didn't need triples so early in their careers because figures held them back in lower levels. Now, these kids are working on triples before they've truly mastered doubles -- and even before they've stopped growing -- so it's taking its toll on their bodies.

Sad.

[HelenC]

I love doing figures too! Still working on the 2nd test- it's going to be awhile.
Another helpful thing about figures is that as you do them, your feet and ankles get stronger, lessening the stress on the knees and hips on the jumps.
Skaters used to do doubles and some triples in soft boots.

[coskater64]

Thanks for the link to the figures manual, I have printed it out and will be using figures to build my strength back. I didn't like figures but I did well when I skated and it was usually my figure score they helped me. Of course I didn't get that far, just to my third. It was nice to find the detailed description of what a center should look like and how far the pushes should reach.

Thanks for posting that!8O

[Isk8NYC]

This LINK has a copy of the online version (http://worldfigureskating.net/index.php)of Maribel Vinson-Owen's "The Fun of Figure Skating" book.
It's a great intro to skating, especially if you're interested in learning the basic Figures. She covers patterns as well as the body positions and timing.

Some libraries also have copies, if you want to see the print version.

[pairman2]

I don't think it's realistic to go back to when figures were required tests and competed. On the other hand, I think it's odd that figures have basically had to become an 'underground' movement in order to be practiced.

Here's a possible comprimise. USFS should give figures recognition as an optional discipline and recognize that the whole history of figure skating is grounded in the principles of figures. Print the 8 tests/ patterns in the manual again. There are, at least at the moment, still a lot of coaches that remember the practice and technique. Give them the tools to teach these as a recognized option to students that could benefit from it. Allow any competitions of figures as a non-qualifying event by any willing sponsor clubs. As for judges for tests and competitions, they will never again be the majority of course but there are quite a few around that go well back into that era. Like in any discipline, judges are made. To the extent that the interest and demand is there by skaters, I think there is enough interest by judges that proportionately mirror the number of skaters out there who would like to take it up as a niche option.

[Isk8NYC]

I don't think you understand, no one in this thread wants to start "The Campaign for Figures." They're not suggesting rules or rulebook changes, they're just discussing resources for people who are interested.

I worked on Serpentines yesterday, meh.
I've printed out my next test level (Figures 1) and will practice on Tuesday.
The back edge circles will be my nemesis - oddly enough, I'm fairly strong at the 3's.

[Isk8NYC]

I bet we could find some of these drawings somewhere - although it is also entirely possible for the skater to make up their own figure! Cool!I know several people who competed in ISI's figure competitions. Many people "wrote" out words - like their name or "USA" for example. Others "drew" pictures like flowers and suns.

The best "trick" in watching them is when they stop and reverse directions with their toepicks.

[manleywoman]

I don't think you understand, no one in this thread wants to start "The Campaign for Figures." They're not suggesting rules or rulebook changes, they're just discussing resources for people who are interested.

Hey, don't speak for me. i wouldn't mind if they came back in the rulebook. And I don't think including them in the rulebook and listing them as an optional discipline really changes anything for USFS.

[Clarice]

I was in Chicago over Christmas, went to Rainbo, and bought a pair of patch blades. I have my scribe, I have the manual, and I'm rarin' to go! The Preliminary test doesn't look bad - the edges and waltz eight are what I did on Pre-Pre Moves, aren't they? So the circle eights are the only "new" thing I have to do. Can somebody give me an idea of what the passing standard would be? How close do I have to get my tracings? I'm trying to figure out whether I could take a stab at this test already in February.

[jskater49]

I always thought that at least all the figure eights, forward, backward, inside outside should be part of the moves tests.

j

[jskater49]

From what I understand, what it takes to pass the waltz eight for the pre-pre moves is NOTHING compared to the standard for a figure waltz eight.

j

[Clarice]

From what I understand, what it takes to pass the waltz eight for the pre-pre moves is NOTHING compared to the standard for a figure waltz eight.

j

Yeah, I'm sure that's true! But I'm also sure I don't need to be able to retrace my patterns exactly. So, how much leeway should there be at the Prelim level? Within 6 inches? Within 3 inches? The manual doesn't give those kinds of guidelines. Obviously, I'll ask my coach, but I'm not going to see her for a few days.

[Mrs Redboots]

I didn't like figures You looked fabulous skating them last June, though!

[saras]

I was in Chicago over Christmas, went to Rainbo, and bought a pair of patch blades. I have my scribe, I have the manual, and I'm rarin' to go! The Preliminary test doesn't look bad - the edges and waltz eight are what I did on Pre-Pre Moves, aren't they? So the circle eights are the only "new" thing I have to do. Can somebody give me an idea of what the passing standard would be? How close do I have to get my tracings? I'm trying to figure out whether I could take a stab at this test already in February.

It's not just the tracings being close, but the size and shape of the circles and placement of threes etc. If you have a decent command of edges already it probably won't take too long to pass the prelim test. That said, it usually does take a while to get comfortable in making the circle the right size and shape. I am at the point where I get out to warm up and I lay out a FO set of circles and then trace with the scribe and it's pretty darned close to what it should be - but that has taken years to get there ;) I don't think they look for "clean" threes on the waltz 8 - but those take a while too - to get them to the point where one edge of the blade goes in, the other out, and no flats or changes.

I still need the scribe to get the circle accurate for figures that I am working on mastering (brackets, back double threes, etc.) - so for those, if I just lay out a set on the warmup, there are places where it'll probably be off.

Anyway - I'm not sure there's an easy answer to your question. If your first tracing is 12 inches off somewhere, and you correct it on the next two, you should get a pass for that part. It's more about placement and circle shape than just tracing...though yes, close tracings help.

[Clarice]

Thanks, saras - that gives me a little more idea of what's required. Luckily, I have access to coaches who have done figures, so by the end of the week I can get a good assessment of where I am and how much further I need to go. I don't want to sign up for a test I know I can't pass. I have passed through the standard Pre-Juv MIF test, though, and am working on Adult Gold, so I think I have the skills for Prelim Figures and just have to make sure my patterns are close enough. The First Figure Test will be a different story, however - I need to improve my back outside edges for the bracket pattern on the Gold test, and that BO circle eight is going to be quite a challenge. I like the idea of laying out my figure myself first, then checking it with the scribe - I hadn't thought of that.

[Isk8NYC]

Yeah, I'm sure that's true! But I'm also sure I don't need to be able to retrace my patterns exactly. So, how much leeway should there be at the Prelim level? Within 6 inches? Within 3 inches? The manual doesn't give those kinds of guidelines. Obviously, I'll ask my coach, but I'm not going to see her for a few days.
They're supposed to be on top of each other, unless you mess up the size or shape of the prior tracing. There's no written "x inches" margin of error, mainly because the lobe sizes are pre-defined. (For example, the basic figure 8 is supposed to be three times your height.)

As Saras pointed out the SHAPE of the circle is important. I remember getting nailed patch after patch for my egg-shaped lobes, lol.

[techskater]

That's generally what you do when you are getting ready to test - lay out, and then check. I'd start with using the scribe to get used to the figures THEN move to laying out up/down from your initial circle, then doing a full test layout and checking your circles. It can be very frustrating when you are first learning the figures to lay them out and then check and realize that you were not even close (ask me how I know this one :roll: )

[vesperholly]

I don't think it's realistic to go back to when figures were required tests and competed. On the other hand, I think it's odd that figures have basically had to become an 'underground' movement in order to be practiced.

Here's a possible comprimise. USFS should give figures recognition as an optional discipline and recognize that the whole history of figure skating is grounded in the principles of figures. Print the 8 tests/ patterns in the manual again. There are, at least at the moment, still a lot of coaches that remember the practice and technique. Give them the tools to teach these as a recognized option to students that could benefit from it. Allow any competitions of figures as a non-qualifying event by any willing sponsor clubs. As for judges for tests and competitions, they will never again be the majority of course but there are quite a few around that go well back into that era. Like in any discipline, judges are made. To the extent that the interest and demand is there by skaters, I think there is enough interest by judges that proportionately mirror the number of skaters out there who would like to take it up as a niche option.
I personally will not be doing any lobbying for figures to make a comeback competitively. Skating nowadays is so far removed from figures, I think it'd be nearly impossible. The vast majority of skaters just don't want to do them, so no one - clubs for ice time, testing, judging, competitions etc - will support it on a large scale.

My website is going to be a figures resource. Encouraging figures and providing a central location for information is far removed from lobbying for their return to the USFSA/ISU. Anyone who thinks differently is free to create their own website.

[icedancer2]

I just finished reading "A Figure Skating Life" by Dorothy Hamill, which is a must read. I read it in two days--just breathed the book in. In it she speaks extensively about school figures in the most beautiful way. So, I'm reading the book and she's talking about patching after school at Fritz Dietl's in Westwood, NJ during 1968, and a few years after, and I nearly fell off my chair, and ran to the section of the book where are all here photos and there is one of her when she was 9 years old, or so, and I remembered her from patch! I thought I was going to have a stroke. She's one year older than I am. Anyway, she became something and I became nothing, but I still have a tremendous love of school figures and think they should be brought back.

So interesting that you brought that up - just today, one of the parents asked me if I had read this - when I told her I was going out to do some figures... she just had to tell me all about this book and how beautiful it was. Can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

The real barrier to bringing figures back is a financial one and really up to rink management. The reason why figures were done away with is the "Janet Lynn" thing, but also because rinks were loosing money with patch ice, which I could never understand, because patch sessions were always full with about 20 kids patching at once. But I remember a lot of talk around the rinks that "patch" was no longer financially viable.

I wonder if "patch" ice could be brought back in the more organized rinks and clubs, but maybe have it be just 1/2 hour instead of the 45-minutes to full hour we used to do as kids. I do remember being quite bored with that - looking at the clock the whole time, although appreciating that figures were important for our sport and wanting just as much as anyone to pass that next test, have good ice on my patch, etc.

Maybe calling a 90-minute session "patch and freestyle" would be a way to do it - half-hour of "patch" and follow with an hour of freestyle? Maybe even have the "patches" less organized and regimented than they were and at least learn the front and back eights, loops and turns on a circle? I think there are alot of ways that it could be done, but it would take some organization.

We had a patch session in our city for about 3 years - it ended about a year ago - one of othe coaches had gotten interested in teaching their kids about figures and some of the parents also thought it would be good for the kids. At the beginning of the "patch" one person would make all of the patch lines and then others would scribe out circles on everyone's patches. The coach would go around to each kid and give them equivalent of a 10-minute lesson on their patch and show them the different figures. She didn't worry too much about centers and lining then up and all of that - just doing basic figures around those scribed circles. They would often do all of the "figures" on one set of circles. Some of the older kids really got into it and some of them (the ice-dancers especially) used them to practice their moves - doing them around the circles - also doing them in dance holds, which was really kind of cool!

The rest of the patches were taken up by those adults who had done figures as kids or even some adults who just wanted to learn figures (sort of like the people on this forum!). I would do layouts (of sorts) of the figures that I was working on and sometimes use the patch to work on dance turns or MITF (small). It was great and a good warmup for the social dance session that followed!!

But after a while, the kids got bored, they didn't test and they ultimately didn't really "get" the whole idea of figures, (although some now say they miss it) so the session was eliminated. Maybe some day we'll get it back again - who knows? But at least someone was willing to try it - albeit in a different way that we did when figures were required for testing and competing.

[icedancer2]

This LINK has a copy of the online version (http://worldfigureskating.net/index.php)of Maribel Vinson-Owen's "The Fun of Figure Skating" book.
It's a great intro to skating, especially if you're interested in learning the basic Figures. She covers patterns as well as the body positions and timing.

Some libraries also have copies, if you want to see the print version.

thank you for posting this - this is an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning more about how to do the figures - I just copied off the portion about doing BI 3s and plan to add it to my practice materials for that figure that I'm planning to compete at Pacific Coasts - the RFO2-LBI3 -- yikes those BI 3s on the circle are killing me!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jp1andOnly]

we actually had somethign like this at my club within the last couple of years. We didn't do true "patch' but we worked on elements that were in patch and a coach traced out circles so the youngins could practice.

The reason for this was that in Canada we have "skills" that replaced figures (similar to moves in the field in the US but set to music). A lot of the skaters couldnt do true brakets or loops and would fail the tests. Anyhow, a couple coaches thought it would be a great idea to isolate some of the moves that were in figures and now in skills and really focus on them. It was lots of fun.

So interesting that you brought that up - just today, one of the parents asked me if I had read this - when I told her I was going out to do some figures... she just had to tell me all about this book and how beautiful it was. Can't wait to get my hands on a copy.



I wonder if "patch" ice could be brought back in the more organized rinks and clubs, but maybe have it be just 1/2 hour instead of the 45-minutes to full hour we used to do as kids. I do remember being quite bored with that - looking at the clock the whole time, although appreciating that figures were important for our sport and wanting just as much as anyone to pass that next test, have good ice on my patch, etc.

Maybe calling a 90-minute session "patch and freestyle" would be a way to do it - half-hour of "patch" and follow with an hour of freestyle? Maybe even have the "patches" less organized and regimented than they were and at least learn the front and back eights, loops and turns on a circle? I think there are alot of ways that it could be done, but it would take some organization.

We had a patch session in our city for about 3 years - it ended about a year ago - one of othe coaches had gotten interested in teaching their kids about figures and some of the parents also thought it would be good for the kids. At the beginning of the "patch" one person would make all of the patch lines and then others would scribe out circles on everyone's patches. The coach would go around to each kid and give them equivalent of a 10-minute lesson on their patch and show them the different figures. She didn't worry too much about centers and lining then up and all of that - just doing basic figures around those scribed circles. They would often do all of the "figures" on one set of circles. Some of the older kids really got into it and some of them (the ice-dancers especially) used them to practice their moves - doing them around the circles - also doing them in dance holds, which was really kind of cool!

The rest of the patches were taken up by those adults who had done figures as kids or even some adults who just wanted to learn figures (sort of like the people on this forum!). I would do layouts (of sorts) of the figures that I was working on and sometimes use the patch to work on dance turns or MITF (small). It was great and a good warmup for the social dance session that followed!!

But after a while, the kids got bored, they didn't test and they ultimately didn't really "get" the whole idea of figures, (although some now say they miss it) so the session was eliminated. Maybe some day we'll get it back again - who knows? But at least someone was willing to try it - albeit in a different way that we did when figures were required for testing and competing.

[Ellyn]

Here are images of the special figures from the 1908 Olympics:

http://winter-olympic-memories.com/html/results/jp_3d/s04_london/s04_figure/s04_figure_msp.htm

[jskater49]

One of the complaints about figures also was the honesty of judging .... it did seem like well knowns were "held up" when it came to judging...I remember Tiffany Chin complaining at the 84 Olympics that her figures were on par with the top skaters but her figure scores kept her out of contention.

j

[Isk8NYC]

YouTube has a video story about Compulsory Figures here: Reflections on Ice - Compulsory Figures (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmSv6R7PTJg)

ETA: Sorry - the video was removed. If I find it again, I'll update the link.

[Isk8NYC]

Found this on Google:
http://books.google.com/books?id=PEECAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=figure+skating+scribe&source=bl&ots=bZIYvvEVDu&sig=InBGKC3_Dp3dewsQTX37vPZLyO0&hl=en&ei=ZxkcStTFIKKqtgfo0JD3Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6#PPA116-IA1,M1 (http://books.google.com/books?id=PEECAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=figure+skating+scribe&source=bl&ots=bZIYvvEVDu&sig=InBGKC3_Dp3dewsQTX37vPZLyO0&hl=en&ei=ZxkcStTFIKKqtgfo0JD3Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6#PPA116-IA1,M1)

It's a digitized book, originally published in England, about figure skating. It's titled "A System of Figure Skating" by H.E. Vandervell and T. Maxwell Witham. (1869)

It focuses mainly on Figures. I thought the section on writing your name on the ice was cool, lol.

[icedancer2]

Found this on Google:
http://books.google.com/books?id=PEECAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=figure+skating+scribe&source=bl&ots=bZIYvvEVDu&sig=InBGKC3_Dp3dewsQTX37vPZLyO0&hl=en&ei=ZxkcStTFIKKqtgfo0JD3Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6#PPA116-IA1,M1 (http://books.google.com/books?id=PEECAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=figure+skating+scribe&source=bl&ots=bZIYvvEVDu&sig=InBGKC3_Dp3dewsQTX37vPZLyO0&hl=en&ei=ZxkcStTFIKKqtgfo0JD3Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6#PPA116-IA1,M1)

It's a digitized book, originally published in England, about figure skating. It's titled "A System of Figure Skating" by H.E. Vandervell and T. Maxwell Witham. (1869)

It focuses mainly on Figures. I thought the section on writing your name on the ice was cool, lol.

Thanks for posting - I don't have time to look at it right now but writing your name on the ice can be a "creative figure" and we plan to have a "creative figures" event in our figures competition this summer.

[Isk8NYC]

Thanks to FSWer for the heads up on this.

There is a DVD available called "Figure Eights, the Life Force of Figure Skating."

The creator, Karen Courtland Kelly, has a promo online at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EE1bZ3jewc

AubdryB found an order site here:
http://www.peakedgeperformance.com/P...mance/DVD.html

I updated the Scribes for Sale thread in the Trading Post forum last week - there were a few scribes on Craigslist.

[Isk8NYC]

The USFSA site now has rulebooks online in pdf form.

They included the Compulsory Figures Rules:
http://www.usfigureskating.org/Content/Compulsory%20Figures%20Rules.pdf