I think figures were okay to be eliminated from competition starting in 1990, but if the sport had been run by wise heads who understood the need to practice figures as a basic foundation, then figures might have been kept as a requirement for all skaters to practice and to be rigorously tested on as part of entry to at least National championships.
Figures should also have been kept as a separate event/ category for those who were interested or excelled in competing them (but not held as part of regular major events). The reason figures were seen to be a problem was largely because of the difficulty of covering that part of competitions on television, and also the huge additional costs and demands of training time that practicing figures required.
If figures are brought back, it will likely be only for training and testing, but not as part of competitions. It might be a way to promote the sport though if figures were developed at local club levels for separate competition, especially since they are a basic foundation of figure skating.
Figures should also have been kept as a separate event/ category for those who were interested or excelled in competing them (but not held as part of regular major events). The reason figures were seen to be a problem was largely because of the difficulty of covering that part of competitions on television, and also the huge additional costs and demands of training time that practicing figures required.
If figures are brought back, it will likely be only for training and testing, but not as part of competitions. It might be a way to promote the sport though if figures were developed at local club levels for separate competition, especially since they are a basic foundation of figure skating.