#judging system

Thanks for asking!

I definitely prefer the IJS to the 6.0 system. The main reason for this is that the IJS gives so much more feedback to the skater. I know I found it enormously helpful, when I moved up from 6.0 to IJS levels. Under 6.0 I had no idea why I might have finished behind another skater, and no feedback on what I was doing well or what needed work. Under IJS, the information was all there at my fingertips. I under rotated this jump. I didn’t get credit for this spin. The judges thought I was lacking in this PCS category.

Of course, like any scoring system, it has its weaknesses, and things could be improved. For example, I’d like to see the system of fall deductions overhauled. A flat -1 no longer cuts it when the top skaters are scoring 100+ in the SP. But, you don’t want to make it -5 either, because that hurts the skaters who aren’t scoring as high. My idea would be to make it a percentage of the base value - say, 50%. That way, the deduction is tailored to the value of the element, which allows for deductions that affect both the high-scoring and the lower-scoring skaters equally, without unduly punishing one or the other. And GOE for a fall has to be -3 (or -5 if they’re bringing that in). None of this “take -3 from what you would have given the jump” rubbish. I also don’t believe you should be able to get +GOE on jumps that are <, <<, e or !.

Thanks for asking.

Predominantly, yes, the technical difficulty was the difference between Boyang and Yuzuru. But there are other factors. Yuzuru’s spins are better than Boyang’s, too. And in general, Yuzuru has a better run of the blade, cleaner edges, and more effortless movement than Boyang. He also does more with his feet between the elements - more steps, more turns. This is important. Additionally, Boyang, while great, did have one or two landings that were questionable, while there was nothing questionable about anything Hanyu did.

It is very hard to compare two polar opposite programs. Boyang’s La Strada was extremely enjoyable, very fun and so will naturally appear more lively than Hanyu’s quieter Hope and Legacy. I enjoyed both programs very much, but for different reasons. I am not a particular fan of either skater, but I am very impressed by both. Both skaters, of course, have their weaknesses, but all skaters do, and Boyang’s have had a lot more press/fandom airtime than Hanyu’s. It was the right result, and both should be proud of themselves.

Now, onto Jason (who, I will freely admit, I love to pieces). Jason’s The Piano free skate is one of my favourite FS of all time, possibly one of the best-choreographed ever. One of the unfortunate things that we have seen happening in the last couple of years is the tying of PCS to TES. That is, land the big jumps, get bigger second mark scores even if you don’t really earn it. I had a ton of problems with how 4CC shook out in that regard and I also had some problems with the Worlds PCS for the same reason.

You see, Jason is one of the best PCS skaters in the world. He has fabulous line, incredible musical interpretation, great deep, clean edges, good speed, excellent transitions (that actually go with the music), great performance ability…the list goes on and on. Of all the active men in the US the only one who can beat him in this regard is Joshua Farris and we haven’t seen him since The Comeback was announced. And of all the skaters in the world…well, Jason should be right up near the top.

Jason’s PCS is still high at the moment, but now he is surrounded by skaters who maybe shouldn’t be getting that height on their PCS marks. Much as I enjoyed Boyang, 88 PCS - only one point behind Jason’s PCS in the FS at Worlds - was way too high. And do not even get me started on Chen’s PCS relative to the other US men.

Thanks for asking!

I tend to agree with you. -2 for both falling, the jump only counted as the lesser jump if someone pops (that’s what happens - so if she does a triple Salchow and he does a double, the pair only gets credit for the double) - it’s so incredibly harsh.

It took a long time to finish all 6 jumps, and now I can say that I understand the difference between them. It was my main goal while doing it as I aim to do an animation. Now my research is concentrated more on how to do elements, and my tutor suggested to use audience to represent different elements. I liked the idea and I'm planning to do it as a part of development work.