Sean (for some reason I can't force myself to type "seanibu," LOL), if you want to see the details of how all this is scored under the new judging system, here are the ISU rules. Scroll down to page 29 ff. for the chart of point values.
http://www.isu.org/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,4844-160823-178038-80283-0-file,00.pdf
(This file says "complete and up-to-date," but it's not. For the current changes for spins and pairs lifts, especially the criteria for "level four spins," look up Publication #1319 on the ISU site, under ISU judging system.)
For instance, the base vaule for a double Axel is 3.3. Then you can get positive GOE of +1, +2 or +3, or negative GOE of -0.7, -1.4 or -2.1.
So if you fall on a double Axel attempt (this is not an easy jump), you get a mandatory -2.1 GOE and a mandatory -1.00 for the fall, so you end up with a total of
0.2 points for the element. (That assumes that there was not more than a quarter turn cheat on the landing, in which case it would have been downgraded to a single -- and
still subject to deductions.)
In contrast a single Axel with 0 GOE is worth 0.8 points.
For me, the more I look at how these points work out, the more impressed I am with how much work the ISU committees put into the point determinations, to take into account all the various combinations of factors.
For instance, a fall on an otherwise correctly done triple toe, triple Salchow, triple loop or triple flip (that is, the entrance was correct, the position and revolutions in the air were correct, but the skater couldn't hold the landing) gives you a lower score than the corresponding double.
But when you get to the more challenging triple Lutz and the much more challenging triple Axel, greater credit is given for completing the revolutions.
A triple Lutz with a fall gives you 2.0 points versus 1.9 for a double, and a triple Axel with a fall gives you 3.5 points versus 3.3 for a double.
In addition, the fall is penalized even further because you can't tack on the second jump of an intended combination, plus if the fall disrupts the flow of the program, that will give you lower program component scores (in skating skills, etc.)
So, to me, yes we can nitpick over fractions of a point (should the skater get 2.0 or 1.9), but the principle of increasing the relative reward on an accelerated scale as the difficulty goes up -- I like that aspect of the CoP.
MM
