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Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly an aspect of the sport of figure skating, from which its name (in English) derives. The original focus of the sport was the carving of specific figures into the ice. The patterns of compulsory figures all derive from the basic figure eight.
Compulsory figures in competition
Up until 1947, competitors at figure skating events were required to skate a total of 12 figures (6 different figures skated on both feet) which were worth 60% of the total score. With the increasing number of entrants, figures competitions (which were then skated outdoors) began to take a very long time, so in 1948 the number of figures was reduced to six (alternating left and right foot starts) while retaining their weight at 60%. This competition format continued until 1968.
Pressure to reduce the weight of compulsory figures began when the Olympic Games and other skating competitions began to be widely shown on television. Television coverage posed major problems to the compulsory figures for two reasons. The first and more obvious one is that they were not suitable to television coverage themselves. Even the most ardent skating fan found the completion of the figures, followed by seemingly microscopic analysis by the judges, to be tedious at best and unwatchable at worst, and the general public obviously found them to be of no interest. The other problem was that the skaters who excelled at compulsory figures often were not the most talented at free skating, but at times racked up such a large lead from the school figures that they won the competitions anyway. This would often leave viewers stunned and appalled, since they had watched only the free skating and had little or no knowledge of or interest in the compulsory figures.
To address this, and to put more emphasis on the free skating, a reform was undertaken. The first step was taken in 1968, when figures were reduced to only 50% of the total score. Then, in 1973, the number of figures was reduced from six to three, and a new element, the short program, was added to competitions. Seen as something intermediate between the full free skating program of four or five minutes and the compulsories, this two-minute program incorporated certain required elements of the free program which were judged on their technical merits. The short program combined a sense of mandatory elements and a presentation that could be of interest to a television audience and paying live spectators. The short program added more "watchable" activity to a figure skating competition, and was considered by most to be hugely successful.
From the 1973 to 1975 seasons, the weights of compulsory figures, short program, and free skating were 40%, 20%, and 40%, respectively. From 1976 to 1988, this changed to 30%, 20%, and 50%; and then to 20%, 30%, and 50% in the 1989 and 1990 seasons. Compulsory figures were eliminated entirely from international competition after 1990. Purists felt that an important instillation of discipline into the sport had been lost, but more casual followers were in fact relieved that they were gone.
Today, compulsory figures are no longer a competitive event and few competitive skaters have the time or interest to learn how to do them. Some adult recreational skaters, however, still find pleasure in the control and patience required to master figures. Compulsory figures also remain a part of artistic roller skating.
Compulsory figure terminology
Figures are composed of either two or three circular lobes. The simplest figure, the circle eight, consists of a circle skated on an edge on one foot tangent to another circle skated on the corresponding edge on the other foot. The place where the circles meet is called the center, and a line through the center of the circles is called the axis or long axis. The change of foot at the center is accomplished by a thrust from the former skating foot onto a strike by the new skating foot.
More complex two-lobed figures include a three turn or bracket turn at the halfway point on each circle, or a double three -- two three turns placed symmetrically to divide the lobe into thirds.
The most basic three-lobed figure is the serpentine, skated by doing half a circle on the middle lobe and a change of edge on the same foot to complete the full circle at the end; and then repeating on the other foot to complete the figure. Variations on the three-lobed figures include placing a rocker or counter turn at the centers instead of a simple change of edge, or combining a change of edge with the turns in the ordinary two-lobed figures.
A paragraph figure is an advanced two-lobed figure skated entirely on one foot, with a change of edge at the center. The entire figure is then repeated on the other foot over the original tracing.
Most figures are skated on circles about three times the skater's height. However, a special class of figures, the loops, are done on much smaller circles, four or five feet in diameter. Here the skater curves sharply inward at the top of the circle to make a teardrop-shaped loop tracing about a blade-length wide. The basic loop is a two-lobed figure, but like the other two-lobed figures it also has more difficult serpentine and paragraph variants.
Practice of compulsory figures is commonly called patch because each skater is assigned their own patch of ice to practice on, instead of sharing the entire ice surface.
Classification of compulsory figures
Figures were formerly identified by these numbers in the rulebook. Note that each figure has several variants depending on which foot, edge, and direction is used to start the figure.
- * Circle Eight
- * Serpentine
- * Three
- * Double Three
- * Loop
- * Bracket
- * Rocker
- * Counter
- * One Foot Eight
- * Change Three
- * Change Double Three
- * Change Loop
- * Change Bracket
- * Paragraph Three
- * Paragraph Double Three
- * Paragraph Loop
- * Paragraph Bracket
Judging of compulsory figures
The criteria that are used to judge figures include:
- The circles must be perfectly round, without wobbles, flats, bulges, or curling inward.
- All the circles in the figure must be the same size.
- The turns on a figure must be lined up with the central axis, and the circles themselves must also all line up.
- The turns must be symmetrical in shape and executed on true edges without scraping or "flats".
- Loops should be shaped like loops, and not be circular or pointed.
Judges normally stand on the ice, off to one side, to watch the execution of the figure. When the skater has finished, they typically check the alignment of the figure from different angles, peer closely at the tracings of the turns, and pace off the diameters of the circles to check their sizes.
Equipment for compulsory figures
Somewhat paradoxically, compulsory figures require a blade that is less sharp than for freestyle skating in order to produce more precise tracings of edges and turns. A shallower hollow along the bottom of the blade prevents accidental "flats" caused by touchdown of the other edge. Blades for compulsory figures also have smaller toe picks that are placed higher on the front of the blade so that the picks do not drag accidentally on the ice. When figures were a regular part of skating competitions, many skaters recycled their old free skating boots and blades into skates for figures by having the bottom toe pick ground off.
A device called a scribe -- essentially, a large compass -- is commonly used as an aid for learning and practicing figures. It can be used to lay out the initial shape of a figure and to check the shape and size of circles already skated, and as a straightedge to check the alignment of the turns. However, scribes are not permitted in competition, nor may skaters rely on markings on the ice or rink boards (such as hockey circles or lines) to align their figures.
References
- Johnson, Susan A.: "And Then There Were None". Skating, March/April 1991.
- Evaluation of Errors in Figures, 6th edition. USFSA, 1964.
"Compulsory figures"