ISU Rules Regarding Practicing During Competition

[FSExaminer]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could help me out with clearing up some rules for me.
Once an official ISU competition starts (Challenger Series or any ISU sanctioned competition). Are you allowed to practice outside of your designated practice ice sessions?
For example, the competiton starts, a person completes their practice ice. Later that day they practice again in the same or different ice rink even though everyone else only had one practice ice.
My thoughts would be that this is breaking some type of ISU rule but is it?

thanks!

 

[icewhite]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could help me out with clearing up some rules for me.
Once an official ISU competition starts (Challenger Series or any ISU sanctioned competition). Are you allowed to practice outside of your designated practice ice sessions?
For example, the competiton starts, a person completes their practice ice. Later that day they practice again in the same or different ice rink even though everyone else only had one practice ice.
My thoughts would be that this is breaking some type of ISU rule but is it?

thanks!

Not sure I understand the question correctly, but how is that breaking any rules? You are free to train if you can find free ice?

 

[DizzyFrenchie]

I remember that during Seoul Olympic Games (Olympics are not strictly speaking under ISU rules though), the Russian Federation had rented a Japanese rink, to avoid jet-lag, but I don't know if they were using it during the Games or before the Games. I think that other teams had rented rinks too, for the same reason, but I don't remember exactly which. That's a very interesting question!
I think it's allowed, because Figure Skating is not a sport where strict equality in material facilities is required between participants. During competitions, there are official hotels for teams, but I don't think they're compulsory, and often there's a choice, with a budget hotel and a higher-end one, and it can make a difference with the quality and hours of breakfast for instance. If you can have your usual breakfast with eggs and muësli at the right time before your first practice, you're likely to train better than if there was just bread and jam and you don't digest bread well and you've had it too late before your practice so it's still in your stomach.
It can be a fake advantage though: before the Russian athletes ban, I felt that Eteri Tutberidze girls were so overtrained that they used to fare just okayish at their Short Program, then after two or three days of training but less intense, they would fare and look much better at Free Skating. Should an Eteri Tutberidze be able to rent a rink nearby, she would, and her team's results might drop a bit in my opinion.

 

[macy]

to my knowledge i've never heard of any rule against it, i've read many times skaters sometimes finding another rink outside of official practice ice to fit in more ice time if they want it.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could help me out with clearing up some rules for me.
Once an official ISU competition starts (Challenger Series or any ISU sanctioned competition). Are you allowed to practice outside of your designated practice ice sessions?
For example, the competiton starts, a person completes their practice ice. Later that day they practice again in the same or different ice rink even though everyone else only had one practice ice.
My thoughts would be that this is breaking some type of ISU rule but is it?

thanks!

In the Vancouver BC area there are a LOT of rinks. During the 2010 Olympics, you could drop in to just about any rink in the city and suburbs and find somebody from some country practising, and not in secret behind closed doors. The mother of the dancers I was helping (a bit) to support told me it was pretty much word of mouth as to where competitors could find some spare ice. Sometimes their team leader found them ice, or they'd phone up a rink at random and rent a slot of time. It was all quite open, so I assume it was legitimate. Never thought otherwise, actually.

 

[FlossieH]

There was a junior skater chucked out of the US national qualification series last year for supposedly practicing on another rink after the start of the competition (she was reinstated on appeal, but that may have been due to a lack of evidence rather than because it was okay).

 

[icewhite]

There was a junior skater chucked out of the US national qualification series last year for supposedly practicing on another rink after the start of the competition (she was reinstated on appeal, but that may have been due to a lack of evidence rather than because it was okay).

I'm very surprised by that. I thought I read many times about skaters looking for ice to train on after the competition started already. I am now wondering if I always misunderstood.

 

[gkelly]

It's a US Figure Skating rule for qualifying competitions that you're not allowed on practice ice after the event phase has started. I.e., once the first warmup group has started warming up, the last skater in the event is not allowed to practice, even if not scheduled to compete for another couple hours.

At Sectionals (and Regionals when they existed), for quite a few years (decades?), the practice ice offered has been "unofficial" practice ice rather than specifically assigned per event, so there has not been a restriction on when or where skaters practice between checking in and the start of the short program, or between end of short program and beginning of free skate. Only while their actual event is in progress.

At Nationals, there is official practice ice, so there may be restrictions on practicing elsewhere outside the competition venue.

I'm not aware of similar rules internationally.

 

[kolyadafan2002]

Not sure I understand the question correctly, but how is that breaking any rules? You are free to train if you can find free ice?

Im not aware of ISU rules, but nationally some countries prohibit it.

 

[TT_Fin]

I would guess in Finland's competitions it is not allowed. Insurance is one big thing. If you go to train some else place you are supposed to, and hurt yourself, insurance may not pay - maybe the fed have taken a synchro insurance to all participants and they get paid if they need to go to doctor outside of the rink. And Finnish insurance companies are famous about to find a reason not to pay when somebody gets hurt. This is just a guess, but bases on how things usually work here. It is not expensive to go to doctor in Finland compared to some other countries, but it is not free either. I am quite sure it works like this at nationals. But skaters go to outdoor rinks also, then they are probably responsible about it themselves. I have seen some go after competitions, not during or before. Also people from countries/training conditions where there is not outdoor ice, seem to enjoy a lot to have such a possibility.

 

[ladyjane]

Ahem...examples when it's not allowed are given that took place during the pandemic? Which is a different situation from the usual (like in which hotel you are staying....). I don't know how it is in normal times, but I didn't see anyone remark on this exceptional happening.

 

[DizzyFrenchie]

Well, of course, at Stockholm Worlds for instance, there was a bubble and skaters had first to spend 24h in their hotel room with very inadequate (particularly for people unused to bread) and insufficient meals, and of course weren't allowed to go out until the end of the event.

 

[Amei]

I do believe that there is a rule, I remember at the 2019-2020 GPF when the 4 Russian ladies weren't at the competition yet even for the starting order draw someone said once they are at the competition they are limited on practices so they didn't arrive until they absolutely had to be there.

 

[kolyadafan2002]

Ahem...examples when it's not allowed are given that took place during the pandemic? Which is a different situation from the usual (like in which hotel you are staying....). I don't know how it is in normal times, but I didn't see anyone remark on this exceptional happening.

It's never been allowed for quite a few national championships (in spirit of fairness). In some , they even disqualify you if you break the rule.

 

[pearly]

There used to be for sure and I am pretty sure there still is. I will take a look at the rule book now and link it.

Edit: I found it in the rulebook for synchro, but not the singles, pairs and dance.

After registering at accreditation for a competition, Teams may not practice at a rink other than the official rink.