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Figure skating is a sport that many people admire from afar. You might find the sport to be captivating when you see figure skaters at the Olympic games. If you’re very interested in figure skating, then you might want to try it out for yourself. Read on to get a simple beginner’s guide to figure skating that will help you out. 

Figure Skating Has Been Around for a Long Time

Most people get into figure skating by admiring the grace and athleticism of the performers at the Olympic games. Figure skating is actually the oldest event in the winter games. It debuted at the 1908 London Winter Olympic Games, and it has been a big part of every Winter Olympics since. The tradition of figure skating goes back a long time. 

Scoring Is Complicated

Scoring in figure skating is quite complicated, and it might not make a lot of sense to casual viewers. Essentially, figure skaters are assigned two different scores that get combined to create their final score. There is a Total Elements Score (TES) and a Program Component Score (PCS). The combined score is known as the Total Segment Score (TSS). 

TES is a score that judges the overall technicality of the routine. Points are awarded for the various skating moves based on the degree of difficulty and how well the moves were executed. Every move, jump, and lift has a predetermined value, but the score will change based on how well things went. Nine judges assess the moves and then give their scores. 

PCS scores performers based on how they did during their performances. There are five elements of the performance that are factored into the equation. The five elements are composition, performance, transitions, skating skills, and how the music is interpreted. The same nine judges from earlier will assign a score to the skaters after judging them on the five elements. 

The TSS is determined by combining the two numbers, and this tells skaters just how well they did. Figure skating is about trying to perform the moves flawlessly, but you won’t be awarded as many points if you just stick to doing moves that are easy to do.