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.

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.

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.

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!

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Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r

This LINK has a copy of the online version 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.

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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 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

j

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.

You looked fabulous skating them last June, though!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

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.

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.

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.

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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 )

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.

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.

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

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!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

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.

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

http://winter-olympic-memories.com/h...figure_msp.htm

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

YouTube has a video story about Compulsory Figures here: Reflections on Ice - Compulsory Figures

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

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