"Competing Against the Book" is a term used by figure skaters who participate in Ice Skating Institute (ISI) competitions. Ice Skating Institute is the skating association that governs recreational figure skating.
Ice Skating Institute offers many recreational competitions. When only one skater enters an event, and there is no other physical skaters to compete against, the skater "Competes Against the Book," which is the standard set in the ISI Rulebook.
Winning first place when competing against the book means a skater did quite well. When a skater places second to the book, that means there are areas he or she could improve at.
Dan Hollander, professional skating star and comedian, makes this comment about his experiences with "Competing Against the Book":
"I was the short cute kid who had nobody to compete against except the dreaded Ice Skating Institute Rulebook....which I placed Second to all the time! Grrrr...I always imagined there would be this book on the first place podium looking down, laughing at me."
