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Freeskating Singles
Closely resembling it’s popular counterpart on ice, Freeskating demands creativity, technical agility and virtuosity. The objective is for skaters to freely integrate the technical components – jumps, spins, and footwork – with music, to create a performance which embraces the realms of both sport and art.In the early competition levels, there is only one freeskating programme, ranging from 1.5 to 3 minutes. For more advanced competitors, the event is divided into two (2) sections.The Short Programme is skated first, and contains pre-specified elements (jumps, spins, footwork) which must be completed by each skater, in a routine that is choreographed to music of the skater’s choice. The Long Programme has no required elements, but must consist of a pleasing balance of jumps, spins, and footwork, congruent with the skating ability of the athlete. It is skated one or two days after the Short Program is skated.Two marks are awarded for each skating performance. In the first mark for "TECHNICAL MERIT", judges look for speed, height, and difficulty in jumps; control, velocity, and variety of position in spins; and originality and confidence in the footwork segments used to connect each item in the program.In the second mark for "ARTISTIC IMPRESSION" , judges consider the harmonious composition of the program as a whole, ease of movement in time to the music, and carriage together with originality and expression to the character of the music
Freeskating Pairs
Pairs skating includes many of the same elements as singles freeskating. The added bonus for Pairs, though, is the addition of dramatic lifts and spins, unique to the abilities of a man and woman skating as a team. As with Free Skating, the Pairs event has two components – a 2 minute Short Programme worth 25% of the total score, and a 4-minute Long Programme worth 75% of the total.
Both programmes are made up of elements similar to Free Skating but skated by two people in unison, and executed simultaneously (shadow skating) or symmetrically (mirror skating). Partners mirror or shadow each other as they move through their program, striving for perfect conversion of music to movement by executing a series of jumps, spins and footwork, and punctuated by exciting overhead lifts and "throw" jumps.
Exact timing is the prime objective in Pairs, along with steady jumps, good rhythm in the spins, and unison of footwork. Judges evaluate the harmonious appearance and style of the team, as well as the program content (TECHNICAL MERIT), and manner of performance (ARTISTIC IMPRESSION).
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