How is figure skating scored?
The singles and pair events each have two parts, the short program and the free skate. In the short program (formerly called the original or technical program), the skaters must execute eight required elements (jumps, spins, and footwork sequences); there are mandatory deductions for failures, and skaters are not permitted to retry missed elements or insert extra elements. Skaters are given two marks. The technical mark (for required elements or technical merit) and the presentation mark which is supposed to reflect the choreography, flow, and balance of the program, the ability of the skaters to interpret their chosen music, and other factors such as making good use of the ice surface, skating with speed, sureness, and effortless carriage, and unison for pair skaters. Sources: http://members.ping.at/brenter/ http://visions.simplenet.com/skate/sk8_1012.
