Olympic Figure Skaters
Women's figure skating is the most popular figure skating event at the Winter Olympics. There are "queens and princesses of the ice" who have left their mark on the figure skating world. There are also many famous people who have been a part of ice skating history.
Become a Figure Skater
Do you want to get an idea of what's involved in becoming a figure skater? Before you begin to skate, there are things you should know.
- Ice Skating Is Fun!
- Step-by-Step Beginning Ice Skating Lesson
- Register for Ice Skating Lessons
- Learn to Figure Skate
- Dress Like a Figure Skater
- Buy Skates
- How to Lace Figure Skates
- Take Some Private Figure Skating Lessons
- Set a Practice, Lesson, and Training Schedule
- Join a Figure Skating Club
- Take Figure Skating Tests
- Compete in Figure Skating Competitions
Recognize Olympic Figure Skating Jumps
Certain jumps are done by Olympic figure skaters...read more
Understanding the Steps, Turns, and Footwork That Olympic Figure Skaters Perform
Every step or turn a figure skater does has a name. Can you identify the figure skating turns that are done on one foot? Next time you watch an elite ice skater do a step sequence, try to recognize at least one three turn, one bracket, one counter, and one rocker.
The Figure Skating Judging System
A new kind of scoring replaced the old 6.0 figure skating judging system and was created in response to the 2002 Olympic figure skating scandal. The idea was to attempt to make figure skating competitions more objective and fair.
Competitors are given two scores: a technical score and a program component score. The technical score is added together to the program component score and the result is the segment score. The sum of all the segment scores (the short program and the free skate) becomes the total competition score. The skater with the highest score wins.
- How to Understand Figure Skating Scores
- Why Does a Triple Jump Get Scored Only As a Double?
- Why Do Figure Skaters Fall Down and Still Place High?
Olympic Figure Skating Events
- Ladies singles
- Men's singles
- Pair skating
- Ice Dance
- Team Trophy Event
Phases of Olympic Figure Skating Events
At the Olympic Games, at least two different phases of a competition take place. This means that Olympic figure skaters do more than one performance before a champion is crowned. The winner of the first phase of an Olympic event may win an Olympic title, but there is a chance that someone else can "pull up" and become the Olympic Figure Skating Champion. In the final phase of Olympic figure skating competition, the skaters who place in the top four after the initial phase, compete last, so the last part of an Olympic figure skating event is the most exciting to watch!











