Figure skating and gymnastics have a typical boom-and-bust cycle in terms of popularity, with strong ratings during the Olympics and considerable drop-offs during their "off" years. Figure skating, on the other hand, has witnessed a more substantial decline in the previous eight years. The number of participants in the annual world championships has fallen from about 250 in 1992 to only about 200 today. The current state of affairs can be attributed to several factors. First, unlike many other sports, figure skating is not popular outside of the Olympic movement. There are no professional leagues, no World Series or NBA games to watch when the Olympics are not being held. And since most people don't know how to skate anyway, there's no built-in audience for new events or competitions. Another factor is that it's difficult to make a living as a figure skater. Even at the elite level, you need to win medals to attract sponsors, who in turn pay you to win more medals. This means that everyone's trying to outdo each other by doing more complicated moves and taking longer falls. The result is that there are now almost as many different types of programs as there are skaters: Some like to do classic figures while others prefer to use music videos as their guide. It's hard to stand out when you're not even sure what type of program you should be doing.