Hello From Governing Council

We all made it to Costa Mesa for this year’s Governing Council and have started attending the various meetings. Quite a few of us attended the IJS Proposals Meeting. This is where our USFS representatives detailed the possible changes that the ISU Congress will be voting on in July in Barcelona, Spain. These changes will affect what you either will be performing in your competitions or what you will be watching skaters perform on television.

Here are the notes that I took during the meeting. Pay particular attention to the Dance changes. From now on the proposal is to combine the Compulsory Dances with the Original Dance into a new event called the Short Dance. By combining the two segments, dance will now only be TWO parts (Short Dance & Free Dance).

Singles/Pairs Changes

Proposals – Technical

· Sr & Jr men – Short Program

o Flying spin and the spin in one position must be “different” in nature (flying camel with a sit/sit or a flying sit and a camel/camel)

o Only one step sequence

· Sr & Jr ladies – Short Program

o Doube or Triple Axel

o NO SPIRAL SEQUENCE

· Possible only one use of a variation per program (ie.

· Singles Free Skating

o No more than 2 double axels per program

o Men – second step seq will have a fixed value (either full or no value if a minimum number of turns and steps are done)

o Ladies – spiral will have a fixed value (2 spirals of 3 sec or 1 spiral of 6 seconds – intention to have other connecting steps and moves

· Pairs

o 7 elements

§ solo spin alternates years with Pair spin

§ no spirals

· Jump Downgrades

o ¼ to ½ under-rotation will receive 70% of base value of the attempted jump

o New definition of a Sit Spin – upper part of the skating leg must be at least parallel to the ice

Additional Possible Proposals

· Counts only once per program – Backward, Variations, Change of Edge

· Still only 2 features per foot in a combo spin

· Variations need to be significantly different

· Only the first attempt at a feature counts

· Eight revs can count twice in one spin but possibly not in two different spins

· Additional bullet for steps – at least half a pattern on one foot only is a feature

· Simple variety increased to 7 turns, Variety to 9 turns, Complex stays the same

Dance Changes

NEW FORMAT FOR ICE DANCE - Free Dance & “whatever happens before the free dance”

Short Dance (See example here)

· Choreography to prescribed rhythms or themes

· Program time 2:50 +/- 10 sec

· All music provided by the couple

· Required elements

· Differentiation from the Free Dance

· Clear judging and calling criteria

· The elements for the program will be seleceted from the following

o Dance lifts

o Dance spins

o Set of twizzles

o Step sequences

o Sequences of Pattern Dances (formerly Compulsory Dances)

o Combination of steps/turns from Pattern Dances

Novice – Pattern dances are 100% of the first part of competition score

Junior/Senior – All or part of Pattern Dance sequences included as required elelment

Junior would be (5 elements each gets a GOE)

· 1 NTMDS

· 1 short lift

· 1 set of twizzles

· 2 sequences of the Viennese Waltz – may be performed anywhere in the program (tempo is fixed in the range of the pattern dance and will be checked by the referee) must start at step #1 of the pattern

· Pattern requirement is as in current OD

Senior Short Dance

· 1 NTMDS

· 1 short lift

· 1 set of twizzles

· 1 pattern of the Golden Waltz (can be entered at any point of the sequence)

Music

· Must have an audible rhythmic beat and melody

· Must change at least once during the program