Figure skating combines the grace of ballet with the danger of extreme sports. Athletes launch themselves into the air, spinning four times before landing on a blade no thicker than a coin. Surprisingly, this glamorous sport began as a rigid test of drawing shapes on ice. Today, it dominates the Winter Olympics with its dramatic costumes and intense rivalries. However, behind the sequins and smiles lies a world of strict rules, blistered feet, and frozen physics. Prepare to glide into the history of the rink.
Figure skating
Historically, figure skating got its name because skaters had to draw patterns on the ice. Until 1990, competitors traced “compulsory figures” like figure eights into the surface. Consequently, judges inspected the clean lines on the ice to determine the winner.
Surya Bonaly performed a backflip on one foot at the 1998 Olympics. Although backflips are strictly illegal in competition, she did it anyway to protest the judges. Incredibly, she remains the only skater in history to land a backflip on one blade.
The area where skaters wait for scores is officially called the “Kiss and Cry.” A Finnish official named Jane Erkko coined the term in the 1980s. She noticed that the athletes in that corner were always either kissing with joy or crying with disappointment.
Surprisingly, music with lyrics was banned for decades. Skaters could only perform to instrumental tracks until the rules changed after the 2014 Olympics. Therefore, modern routines now feature pop songs by artists like Beyoncé and Elton John.
Physically, the blades are not flat like a knife. Instead, they have a groove down the center called the “hollow,” creating two distinct edges. Thus, skaters actually glide on an “inside edge” or an “outside edge,” never the flat bottom.
Skaters do not get dizzy because they train their eyes to ignore the spinning. Unlike ballet dancers who “spot” a fixed point, skaters spin too fast for that technique. Eventually, their brains learn to suppress the nystagmus reflex that causes dizziness.
The “Katarina Witt Rule” changed the rules of figure skating for years. In 1988, the German star wore a high-cut costume with feathers instead of a skirt. As a result, the International Skating Union passed a rule requiring more modest clothing.
Before the Zamboni, resurfacing the ice took over an hour. Frank Zamboni invented his famous machine in 1949 because he wanted to speed up the job. Consequently, what once required a team of men and tractors now takes just fifteen minutes.
The “Axel” stands as the only jump where the skater takes off moving forward. Because they must land moving backward, this jump requires an extra half-rotation. Therefore, a triple Axel is actually three and a half full turns in the air.
Fans throw thousands of teddy bears onto the ice after performances. This tradition shows appreciation for the skater’s hard work. Afterward, volunteers collect the toys and donate them to local children’s hospitals and charities.
Skaters often bleed into their boots during training. The leather boots must be incredibly stiff to support the ankle during landings. Unfortunately, breaking in a new pair involves weeks of painful blisters and bruising.
A massive judging scandal changed the figure skating scoring system forever. At the 2002 Olympics, a fix involving French and Russian judges corrupted the results. Thus, the sport abandoned the old “6.0” system for a complex points-based math model.
Pairs skating differs significantly from Ice Dance. In Pairs, athletes perform high overhead lifts and throw jumps. Conversely, Ice Dance forbids high lifts and focuses entirely on complex footwork and rhythm.
Jackson Haines, an American ballet dancer, invented the modern style. In the 1860s, he added music and dance moves to what was then a stiff, formal activity. Sadly, Americans rejected his style, so he moved to Vienna where he became a star.
Finally, spinning fast creates enough force to pull blood from the hands. During a scratch spin, the centrifugal force can make a skater’s arms feel heavy and red. Thus, physics pushes the human body to its absolute limit in figure skating.
