Before we go too far beating up on the program components, I thought it might be well if we went over what they are, particularly for dance, because that's where the rules are less intuitive:
Quite often, people don't know the actual rules in the different PCS scores components, and therefore become upset about stuff that really doesn't quite work that way. Fans are not wholly to blame. PCS component score rules are changed, just as TES rules are changed, and it's not like someone at the start of the TV coverage gives you a recap of the 29 pages in this calendar year for ice dance, for example. So just to give any discussion of the Worlds 2009 FD, ISU 1522 would have been the governing document, and ISU 1567 was not yet in effect.
ISU communication 1522, p. 33-35 has the chart for PCS for dance. (These were updated in August 1988.)
Let's take a look at the description for a typical range of winning PCS marks for last year, just to get an idea of how this could work. The chart has a lot of other ranges, but usually people are disputing about couples that got a top PCS score and shouldn't have, or about couples that should have gotten a top PCS score. Unfortunately, judges seldom vary more than a point between PCS components. The most variation I've noticedthis year is 1.75 for a single judge to vary in components. So anyway, that's why I want to look at a typical top score range for PCS:
Adjustments to PCS are also documented in Isu communication 1567, from this year. We'll get there later on.
Common misapprehension one: There is nothing about carriage and toe point in skating skills. You will note that a team that has good skating skills is one that has strong smooth, edges and is precise, with two strong partners. It is interesting that Interesting is also a quality in skating skills. Those sexy crossovers and progressives just don't make it
Skating Skills for 8.25-9.00
- strong, sure, fluid edges
- supple knee action
- stylish, precise, interesting & neat
steps/turns
- ease in accelerating even during
difficult steps
- always multidirectional
- broad skill range for both,
Note that linking footwork is also graded on being FAST (ice coverage) as well as difficult.
Linking Footwork/Movements for 8.00 to 9.25
- difficult, varied, sequences of
edges/steps/turns/holds for both
throughout
- one move flows easily into the next
- superior ice coverage
The place that carriage is covered in not in skating skills, it's in performance and execution. And a team's mediocre carriage may be offset by the fact that they project strongly. When I think of a team that projected strongly, I always think of Kylova & Ovsiannakov skating to Carmen. Note there appears to be no penalty at all for Over The Top Projection. There is no explicit reward for subtle & nuanced.
Performance/Execution for 8.25-9.00
- coordinated movements- excellent
matching
- superb carriage & lines
- effortless change of difficult holds
- project strongly
Timing is key to ice dance, and a dance with no strong rhythm may actually be penalized. Fans may not be aware when appealing skaters have lousy timing, but it will definitely affect PCS scores. For a good interp/timing grade, skaters must have perfect timing as well as portray the character of the dance. Note that the skaters are expected to produce understandable choreo here. A dance should not require a set of program notes to be understood by either judges or audience.
Interpretation/Timing component for 8.25-9.0
skaters and music meld – internal
motivation
- very good range of interesting
movements/gestures
- excellent ability to relate as one to
reflect music/theme
- excellent and understandable
expression of the music’s style and
character
- timing: 100% correct as above
- music selection: 100% as above
Three things to notice here:
1. Again, understandable choreo is stressed. Your nuanced, abstruse program is not encouraged. It may be downgraded.
2. Innovation is stressed. If a team is using the same lifts as everyone else, it would be bad, for example.
3. The music should not be one tempo
Choreography Component for 8.25 to 9.00
- superior choreography-clearly
understandable
- variety of innovative moves that
develop theme
- change of pace/tempo incorporated
with ease
- excellent use of music /space
/symmetry
This year, adjustments may be made to PCS in ISU Communication 1567 (p. 13). There are both extra rewards and extra penalties that judges may use to adjust PCS components:
http://isu.sportcentric.net/db//files/serve.php?id=1442
The Referee may advise the panel if music is without beat (FD): the judges must reflect this under Interpretation/Timing.
In the
Skating Skills component, stumbles outside the element are penalized:
Outside of Required Elements:
- Skating with hand(s) on ice at any
time including during introduction
and/or conclusion
by one - 0.5 per each
by both - 1.0 per each
- Loss of balance or Stumble:
by one - 0.5 per each
In the OD, penalties may be assessed in the
Linking footwork/Movements component. Note that straying apart on twizzles and midline not touching sequences can be severely penalized, and penalized multiple times:
requirements
- Loop on center line
- Cross center line
- Too far apart on permitted
separations
- 0.5 per each
- 0.5 per each
- 0.5 per each
by both - 1.0 per each
And again in both OD and FD, there are stiff penalties for excessive posing in the
Performance/Execution PCS component. Also, transitional lifts and spins & extra sets of twizzles may be rewarded 0.5 each, but only if they reflect the character of the dance:
- Extra or too long stops - 0.5 per each
FD
- Excessive use of stops/standing - 0.5 per each
- Separation in the beginning longer
than 10 seconds - 0.5 per each
- Separations more than 5 sec. - 0.5 per each
- Couple remains on the place at
the beginning of the program longer
than 10 sec - 0.5
OD & FD
- Additional permitted elements
(e.g. Lift(s), Dance Spin, Set of
Twizzles) which are not performed
for the Level – reflect character of
the music/dance + 0.5 per each
And under the timing component, in the OD, there is an additional fine for not having a strong rhythm, right from the beginning of the dance
OD
– Introduction without
beat/melody longer
than 10 sec. – 0.5
Finally, PCS scores may be dropped as well as GOE of elements affected, for falls and hands down situations.
Technical panel takes automatic deduction from total score: - 1.0 for every fall of one and - 2.0 for every fall by both partners;
If the fall causes interruptions to the program that exceed 5 seconds and part of the program was missed, the Referee additionally applies the
following deductions: - 1. 0 for 6-15 seconds interruption, - 2.0 for 16-30 seconds interruption etc.
In addition with falls – judge’s scores in some or all Components may also need to be reduced as well if a fall affects the rest of the program or
part of the program.
So on to further discussion:
