Before there were CDs, iPods, or cassette tapes, figure skaters had special custom 78rpm records made of their figure skating program music.
Two to Three Records Per Skater:
Every skater had at least two or three custom made records professionally recorded at a recording studio. Custom made labels were on each skater's record. The records skaters used were 78 rpm records.
Record Cases for Figure Skating:
Every figure skater would enter the rink each day for practice carrying not only a skate bag (with skates inside), but also a record case.
Special record cases were manufactured to hold figure skaters records. Some record cases were made of wood and it was common for skaters to decorate their record cases. A small plastic compact record case was also popular among skaters.
Practice and Competition Records:
Custom made figure skating records were very expensive, so skaters took great care of their music. Usually, one record was used for practice, but another was kept in a very safe place and only used for competition.
Records Skipped:
Once in awhile, a skater's record would skip during a performance. When that happened, a skater had the option of skating the program from the beginning or starting at the point where the record skipped.
More Figure Skating Music Trivia:
Some ice rinks had a live organist play an organ at the rink for figure skating practices, tests, and competitions.
