Judge For Yourself: Score the figure skating worlds | Golden Skate

Judge For Yourself: Score the figure skating worlds

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I guess they're geared toward more casual fans who are interested in getting a first taste of the process. Those of us who are more knowledgeable and more interested can use the ISU documentation to score along in greater detail.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Aren't some of the scores factored? For instance, is the PCS 50% of the ladies short program score? I didn't think so, but could be wrong.

Yes, the program components are factored. Not as a percentage of the total score, although the factors are chosen so that the PCS will roughly work out to half the score for each program, based on typical technical scores for that discipline, competition segment, and skill level.

Factoring the Program components

Ladies, Men, Pairs and Synchronized
In the ladies, men and pairs events, the five program components used are factored equally, then added together. The factored sum of the program component marks is called the Program Components Score. The idea behind factoring is to make the Program Components Score level with the Technical Score, hence granting equal importance to each. Since the perfect Program Components Score is always 50, this number is factored to roughly equal what each discipline is capable of scoring in the Technical Score. For example, in the ladies short program, women today are capable of scoring around 40 in the Technical Score. So the program components are factored by 0.8, lowering the 50 down to a 40, leveling the importance of the Technical Score and the Program Components Score. In the men's free skate, men today are capable of scoring around 100 in the Technical Score. So the program components are factored by 2.0, raising the 50 up to 100, and again leveling the Technical Score and the Program Component Score.

The following chart illustrates how each discipline factors program components in the junior and senior divisions:
Discipline Short Program Free Skate
Ladies 0.8 1.6
Men 1.0 2.0
Pairs 0.8 1.6
Synchronized 0.8 1.6

Ice Dancing
In ice dancing, the program components are factored separately, and then added together. In pattern dance four program components are used, while five are used in short dance and free dance. The idea behind the factoring is to place more emphasis on the components that are most important to each dance. For example, interpretation/timing is factored the highest in the short dance because interpretation of the rhythm is considered the most important piece to a short dance. While in the free dance, transitions are factored the highest because how skaters connect everything together is considered the most important. Like the other disciplines, the factors are also chosen to level the Technical Score with the Program Components Score, giving roughly equal importance to each. The following chart illustrates how each program component is weighted in each dance in the junior and senior divisions:

Program Component Short Dance Free Dance
Skating Skills 0.80 1.25
Transitions 0.70 1.75
Performance/Execution 0.70 1.00
Choreography/Composition 0.80 1.00
Interpretation 1.00 1.00
 

GF2445

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 7, 2012
I do agree that it's oversimplified but I think this is a great initiative that pj kwong made with other coaches. It gives you the bare bones of how the points system works. If I was a viewer who didn't know anything about skating, this would be helpful. People would begin to see that the scores aren't random but maths and adding up.

Anything that helps relieve some confusion is a good thing for this sport. Personally I wish it was a downloadable app.
 
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