Competitive Figure Skating FAQ: Rules and Regulations Competitive Figure Skating FAQ: Rules and Regulations This article is part of the FAQ list for (amateur) competitive figure skating. This section covers rules governing the sport of figure skating. This FAQ list is posted monthly to rec.sport.skating.ice.figure. Send corrections and suggestions to sandra@shore.net. This file is available in both plain-text and HTML/Web versions. You can get to the HTML version from SkateWeb Figure Skating Page at URL: Table of Contents [1] How is figure skating scored? [2] Sometimes a judge gives marks that seem way too low. Why is this permitted to happen? [3] So exactly what are those rules for determining the placements from the ordinals? [4] [Skater A] was ahead of [skater B] until [skater C] skated, but then their placements flipped! How did that happen? Aren't the rules unfair? [5] What about rules for professional competitions? [6] Are professional skaters allowed to compete in the Olympics? Are amateurs allowed to be paid for skating? [7] Why can't skaters do back flips in competition?

[8] What is the "Katarina Rule"? [9] What is the "Zayak Rule"? [10] How do they decide which skaters get to go to the Olympics or world championships? [11] Why was [well-known skater] not disqualified when she had trouble with her skate laces? [12] How was [some skater] able to compete in both the World Junior championships and senior-level competitions in the same season? [13] Why do the TV commentators keep patronizingly referring to women skaters as "ladies" instead of "women"? [14] Isn't it unfair for the judges to watch the practice sessions? Aren't they supposed to judge only what happens in the actual competition? [15] Why is vocal music permitted for the original dance (jive)? I thought vocal music wasn't permitted in eligible competition. [16] Why are there four skaters on the podium at US Nationals instead of only three? [17] Why do they bother having the World Championships immediately after the Olympics? [1] 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. In the free skate, there are no required elements, and falling or omitting elements counts against the skater only as far as it reduces the overall difficulty of the program, or if it disrupts the flow of the program. Skaters are given two marks. The technical mark (for required elements or technical merit) is supposed to reflect the difficulty of the program and the clean execution of the elements. This includes spins, footwork, and connecting elements, as well as jumps. The presentation mark 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. Note that the presentation mark is specifically not a measure of "artistry" or how much the judges "like" a skater or program.

The two marks from each judge are added together and used to assign skaters comparative rankings, called ordinals . (In the case of ties, the technical mark has more weight in the short program, and the presentation mark in the free skate.) If you think of the judges' marks for a particular skater as forming a row of the scoring sheet, the ordinals are computed by looking at the columns; each judge's ordinals are assigned independently of the other judges. Then the ordinals from each judge are combined to determine the overall placements; the skater with the majority of first-place votes places first, etc. There is a complicated procedure for breaking ties and determining placements when no skater has a majority of votes, but the marks from all the judges are not added together, nor are the high and low marks discarded. The placements from each part of the competition are multiplied by a weighting factor, and then added together to get the final placements in the competition. At competitions where a qualifying round is held, the factors are 0.4 for the qualifying round free skate, 0.6 for the short program, and 1.0 for the final round free skate.

Otherwise, the factor for the short program is 0.5, and the factor for the free skate is 1.0. Scoring for ice dancing is similar, except that skaters do two compulsory dances selected from a set that rotates yearly and an original dance to a rhythm that also changes each year as well as a free dance. The weighting factors are .2 for each compulsory dance, .6 for original dance, and 1.0 for the free dance. For the 1997-1998 season, the compulsory dances are the Golden Waltz, Quickstep, Silver Samba, and Argentine Tango, and the original dance rhythm is the Jive. For the 1998-1999 season, the compulsory dances are the Ravensburger Waltz, Paso Doble, Tango Romantica and Blues, and the original dance rhythm is the Waltz. If you are really curious, you can find computer programs that implement the scoring rules at URL [2] Sometimes a judge gives marks that seem way too low. Why is this permitted to happen?

First of all, remember that the marks given by a judge to a particular skater are meaningless compared to the marks given by other judges -- all that matters is how that same judge ranks the skater compared to the other competitors. Sometimes a judge consistently marks all skaters a few tenths lower than the other judges without giving them significantly different ordinals. Because the competition results are determined by a majority vote of the judges, an individual judge can rarely influence the outcome of a competition by ranking a skater much higher or lower than is really appropriate. Furthermore, the referee of the competition is required to report instances of questionable judging, which can lead to disqualification of the judge in question for future competitions. (And in extreme cases of national bias, the ISU has been known to ban all judges from a particular country.) So judges actually have little motivation to try to deliberately manipulate the results of the competition. [3] So exactly what are those rules for determining the placements from the ordinals? First, make sure that you read the above discussion and understand what ordinals are, and how they are computed from the judges' marks. For each competitor, the lowest-numbered place for which that competitor has a majority of votes from the judges is determined.

Ordinals a skater gets for lower-numbered places carry over in determining majorities for higher-numbered places. For example, if there are 7 judges and a skater was given 2 first-place ordinals, 2 second-place ordinals, and 3 third-place ordinals, this skater would have a majority of 4 for second place. Then, the placements are determined by applying these rules: A skater that has a majority for a lowered-number place places ahead of any skaters whose majority is for a higher-numbered place. Among skaters who have a majority for the same place, a skater that has a larger majority (i.e., more votes) places ahead of the others. To break ties among skaters who have the same majority for the same place, add together the ordinals (not the marks!) from all the judges who voted with the majority. The rulebook calls this the Total Ordinals of Majority , or TOM for short. Do this for each of the tied skaters. A skater with a smaller TOM places ahead of skaters with a higher TOM.

If skaters are still tied with the same TOM, then the ordinals given to each of the tied skaters from all the judges are added together. This is called the Total Ordinals or TO. A skater with a smaller TO places ahead of skaters with a higher TO. If skaters are still tied with the same TO, they remain tied; they are both given the same placement in that phase of the competition. [4] [Skater A] was ahead of [skater B] until [skater C] skated, but then their placements flipped! How did that happen? Aren't the rules unfair? There are two possible ways this could happen. In the first case, it's possible for the positions of skaters in the standings for a particular competition phase (e.g., short program or free skating) to change. Here's an example.

Suppose that after skaters A and B have skated, the ordinals look like this: A 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 B 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 At this point, skater A has a majority of votes for first place, so is ahead of skater B. Now suppose skater C skates, and the ordinals are like this: A 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 2 2 B 2 2 2 2 3 1 1 1 1 C 3 3 3 3 1 2 2 3 3 Now, what has happened is that no skater has a majority of first-place votes. In this case, the winner of this competition phase is the skater with the most votes for first or second place -- in other words, skater B. The second situation where such flip-flops occur has to do with the weighting assigned to the different phases of the competition.

Suppose these are the overall standings after skaters A and B have skated their free programs: A 1*0.5 + 3 = 3.5 B 4*0.5 + 2 = 4.0 Assume skater C skates next, and gets marks that put her in third place in the free skate ahead of skater A. Since skater A has dropped a place in the free skate, this allows skater B to move ahead in the overall standings, like this: A 1*0.5 + 4 = 4.5 B 4*0.5 + 2 = 4.0 C 5*0.5 + 3 = 5.5 Sometimes the rules can be confusing or counterintuitive, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're "unfair". The confusing situations generally arise only when there is no clear consensus among the judges anyway, and any other way of computing the results would probably have a different set of flaws. As it is, the current scoring rules are the result of years of experience and refinement, and are unambiguous, consistently applied, and understood and accepted by the judges, coaches, and the skaters themselves.

Also, for a disinterested analysis by professional statisticians of the ordinal-based scoring system used in figure skating, check out an article called "Rating Skating" by Gilbert Bassett and Joseph Persky, in the Journal of the American Statistical Association, Sept. 94, Vol 89 #427, pp. 1075-1079. Their conclusion is that the system does work extremely well. [5] What about rules for professional competitions? In general, there aren't any rules -- each competition seems to have its own format and judging system. Most of the pro events are invitation-only, and often skaters are guaranteed large appearance fees in addition to the announced prize money. Pro-am ("open") events have evolved into two distinct formats. The more serious kind of pro-am competition is conducted under a variation of the basic ISU (amateur) rules and scoring system, with a regular short program but slightly different rules regarding the length and content of the free skating programs. (For example, vocal music and movements such as back flips that are normally not allowed may be used, but the number of jumps is restricted.) The judging at these events generally follows the normal ISU standards.

The second kind of pro-am event are the team "competitions" that the USFSA puts on under its own sanction. The USFSA pro-am events seem to have few, if any, rules, and the judging at these events is as silly as that at any of the pro competitions. [6] Are professional skaters allowed to compete in the Olympics? Are amateurs allowed to be paid for skating? The policy of the international governing body for skating, the ISU, has been that any skater who takes part in a competition that is not sanctioned by the ISU (or one of its national governing bodies, such as the USFSA) loses eligibility to compete in future "amateur" events. The ISU offered professional skaters a one-time option to reinstate as eligible competitors between 1992 and 1995. However, this opportunity has closed, and professionals may no longer reinstate or compete internationally as Olympic-eligible skaters. Sometimes professional skaters talk about wanting to reinstate to compete in the Olympics again, but they cannot do so unless ISU changes the rules again, and this is unlikely to happen.

Many people consider reinstatement to be a failed policy because it did not have the intended effect of bringing all skaters back into ISU-sponsored competitions on a permanent basis. The ISU's current policy is aimed at encouraging skaters to retain their eligibility by offering prize money and other financial incentives. Appearing in an unsanctioned professional competition is the only activity that the ISU now defines as being off-limits for eligible skaters. As long as they have the permission of their national federations, so-called amateur skaters can now be paid for doing tours and iceshows, competitions, endorsements, TV appearances, and the like, as well as coaching. It is more accurate to refer to their status as "eligible" than "amateur". For example, skaters may appear with Stars on Ice without losing their eligible status. The reason why eligible skaters typically do not appear on the US tour is that its schedule conflicts with the eligible competitive season, but several eligible skaters have appeared in their spring and summer tours of Canada, Europe and Asia. [7] Why can't skaters do back flips in competition?

Basically, because the consensus in the skating community is that back flips aren't really a skating move, and that if they were allowed in competition, the character of the sport might change in ways that are seen as undesirable. (It doesn't really have anything to do with whether the skater lands on one foot or two.) The same reasoning applies to other forbidden moves, such as pair-skating moves where the man swings the lady around by her feet, or lifts above the shoulder in ice dancing. [8] What is the "Katarina Rule"? This refers to the guidelines for skaters' costumes that were adopted after Katarina Witt showed up at the 1988 European championships wearing a skimpy showgirl costume trimmed with feathers. (Many people were dismayed by the increasing emphasis on theatrical costuming and displays of pulchritude, rather than athleticism.) Ladies are now required to wear skirts and pants "covering the hips and posterior". Men cannot wear clothing that is sleeveless or that exposes the chest. A more recent rule change requires men to wear trousers and not tights. Clothing is also supposed to be free from "excessive decoration", such as feathers that can come loose and create a safety hazard on the ice.

[9] What is the "Zayak Rule"? This refers to the rule that disallows skaters from repeating the same triple jump over and over in their free skating program. Skaters can only repeat two triple jumps, and only if at least one of the attempts at each repeated jump is in a jump combination. Note that this rule does not put an absolute limit on the number of triple jumps allowed in a program -- the effective limit is only a consequence of the fact that there are only six different triples commonly attempted by men, and five for women. If a skater were to "invent" a new kind of triple jump, they'd effectively be able to do one more triple jump in their program than their competitors. This rule is associated with Elaine Zayak, who for a time was including up to four triple toe loops in her competitive programs, but it was actually a more general trend in the early 1980's for skaters to pack their programs with repeated jumps. The rules were changed to reward skaters with a greater variety of skills rather than jumping for its own sake. [10] How do they decide which skaters get to go to the Olympics or world championships?

The ISU allocates the slots to the different countries depending on the placement of their skaters at the previous year's world championships. In past years, the formula was based on the placement of the highest skater from each country in each discipline. Now the formula is based on adding the placements of the two best competitors from the country. Competitors who didn't qualify for the short program or original dance are arbitrarily assigned 20 points, competitors who didn't qualify for the free skate get 18 points, and anyone who finishes lower than 16th overall gets 16 points. There is now an exception made for skaters who have to withdraw in the middle of the competition because of injury or equipment damage. For a 2- or 3-competitor team in the previous year, 1-13 points qualifies 3 entries, 14-28 points qualifies 2 entries, and more than 28 qualifies only 1 entry. For a 1-competitor team in the previous year, 1-2 points qualifies 3 entries, 3-10 points qualifies 2 entries and more than 10 points qualifies 1 entry.

Because the number of skaters participating in the singles competitions has become very large in recent years (making it hard to judge these events), there is now a qualifying round competition at the world championships to reduce the number who make it to the final round to a fixed limit of 30. Skaters perform their long programs only in the qualifying round. There is also a cut made after the short program in all disciplines to further reduce the field to the top 24 for the free skate. There is no qualifying round competition at the Olympic games, but the ISU has instead strictly limited the number of skaters in each event, again giving priority to countries whose skaters placed higher at the previous year's worlds. For the 1998 Olympics, a qualifying competition was held in the fall of 1997 to fill up the last few slots in each discipline, so that countries who did not previously qualify at worlds could have a second chance. In some countries, the national skating federation and/or Olympic federation impose additional rules on qualifying.

For instance, thanks to "Eddie the Eagle" (the frighteningly incompetent ski jumper), the British Olympic federation now won't send athletes to the Olympics unless they have shown they have a reasonable chance to place in the top half of the field. Similarly, Canada sets requirements for Olympic qualification based on minimum placements at past international events. In the US, the teams for the Olympic games and world championships normally consist of the top finishers from the US national championships. In theory, the selection committee is permitted to deviate from the consecutive order of finish, but in practice about the only time they do so is when a top skater from the previous year is unable to compete at nationals due to injury. (There is actually a legal reason for the loophole in the selection procedure: if the national championships were considered "Olympic trials", the TV rights and revenues would belong to the US Olympic Committee rather than the USFSA.) In turn, skaters qualify to compete in the US national championships by skating in regional and sectional qualifying competitions. Canada has a similar three-level hierarchy of qualifying competitions. [11] Why was [well-known skater] not disqualified when she had trouble with her skate laces?

The rules specifically allow for situations where skaters have problems with their equipment or clothing breaking that make it difficult or dangerous for them to continue skating, as well as similar problems with their music or the ice surface. Depending on the nature of the problem and how long it takes to fix it, the referee can either allow the skaters either to immediately pick up where they left off, or to reskate their entire program after all the other skaters in the group are finished. The rules even allow for such restarts after accidents that are clearly the fault of the skaters (one such incident at 1996 US Nationals involved a pair skater who required first aid after being whacked in the nose in a collision with her partner.) [12] How was [some skater] able to compete in both the World Junior championships and senior-level competitions in the same season? The ISU doesn't actually recognize separate junior and senior divisions. Instead, eligibility for the World Junior championships is based strictly on the age of the skaters. It's not uncommon (especially among European skaters) to continue to compete at World Juniors after also starting to compete in senior-level international events.

In USFSA-sponsored events, on the other hand, "junior" and "senior" refer to skill levels rather than age. Skaters who have qualified at the senior level may still be selected to compete at World Juniors as long as they meet the age requirements. Likewise, there are some juniors who are too old to be eligible for World Juniors. [13] Why do the TV commentators keep patronizingly referring to women skaters as "ladies" instead of "women"? "Ladies" is the official and traditional terminology of the ISU. Back in the old days, figure skating clubs were typically snobbish social organizations where the rich and well-connected could hobnob with one another, and it would have been a gross insult not to use the term "ladies" to refer to the kind of rich society women involved in the sport. It's very similar to the elitist traditions surrounding country clubs and golf, another sport where women athletes are still referred to as "ladies".

Nowadays, most people don't take the terminology very seriously, often using the term "ladies" with tongue planted firmly in cheek and an attitude of exaggerated reverence for the traditions of the sport that long predate contemporary notions of political correctness. [14] Isn't it unfair for the judges to watch the practice sessions? Aren't they supposed to judge only what happens in the actual competition? It's actually a good thing for the judges to watch the official practices at competitions, because it reduces the possibility that skaters will be judged by reputation or past performances instead of the way they actually skate at the event in question. Chances are, the judges have already seen some of the competitors at previous events and are somewhat familiar with their strengths and weaknesses as well as the layout and content of their programs. If the judges didn't go to practices, then the other skaters that the judges weren't already familiar with would be at a disadvantage. Not only does attending practices give the judges an equal opportunity to see all of the competitors, but it also gives them an impression of how they are skating now as opposed to during past events or previous seasons.

The judges have an awful lot of things they have to look for during a performance, and it can be very difficult to catch everything when seeing a program for the first time. The skating goes by very quickly and there are no slow-motion replays. So becoming familiar with the skaters' programs in practices helps the judges do a better job in evaluating them in the actual competition. If the judges have a rough idea of the planned technical content of the program and where in the program the big jumps are, they're less likely to miss them in the final performance because they blinked at the wrong time or were writing notes or otherwise distracted. The practices also give the judges an opportunity to observe if the skaters are doing anything unusual or especially difficult, so that they know to look for these elements and give the skaters extra credit if they're completed. (For example, a lutz with an unusual footwork entry might be confused with an easier flip jump on first viewing, or a quadruple jump might be mistaken for a triple.) Conversely, practices also give the judges a chance to observe whether skaters have particular problems with faulty technique that they should especially watch for during the competition.

Besides keeping track of what technical elements the skaters complete, the judges also have to pay attention to factors like the difficulty and variety of connecting steps, whether the program is balanced in terms of its layout and use of the ice surface, and the skaters' speed, carriage, and ease of movement in harmony with the music. It can be hard to evaluate the overall structure and choreography of a program at the same time that you're looking for specific technical elements, so again it's helpful for the judges to be able to make some preliminary observations in the practice sessions. These factors generally don't change much in between practice and performance anyway. In short, while judges are supposed to judge only what they see during the actual competition, watching the practices gives them a better idea of what to look for, so that they see the right things. [15] Why is vocal music permitted for the original dance (jive)? I thought vocal music wasn't permitted in eligible competition. The ISU develops requirements for the music and choreography for the original dance each year that are specific to the particular rhythm that is being skated.

In the case of the jive for the 1997-98 season, they decided to allow vocal music because coaches and skaters complained about the difficulty of finding suitable music without lyrics. (Similar problems were encountered some years earlier when rock'n'roll was the designated rhythm.) Incidentally, this is not the first or only time that vocal music has been used in eligible competition. Up until 1990, there were actually no rules prohibiting the use of music with vocals in the singles and pairs events and it was simply a tradition not to do so. When a few skaters used vocal music in the 1989-1990 season (notably US skaters Erik Larson and Natasha Kuchiki & Todd Sand, who both skated to opera selections), the ISU reacted by closing the loophole. [16] Why are there four skaters on the podium at US Nationals instead of only three? At the regional and sectional qualifying competitions for US Nationals, there are four skaters on the podium because it's the top four that advance to the next level of competition and it makes sense to honor all of them at the medal ceremony.

US Nationals is also considered a "qualifying" competition in the USFSA rulebook, and is governed by the same rules regarding medals and awards. The medals presented to the fourth-place skaters are made of pewter. [17] Why do they bother having the World Championships immediately after the Olympics? Television revenues from the World Championships are the principal source of income for the ISU, the international governing body for figure skating. The ISU doesn't make money from the Olympic games. Also, the number of entries in the figure skating events at the Olympics is now strictly limited. The ISU is actually much more controlled by the many smaller member countries than by the traditional skating "powers" such as the US, Canada, and Russia, and they are firmly committed to holding an open competition in which all countries which are ISU members can participate. Moreover, the World Championships have been in existence much longer than the Olympics, and they carry a considerable amount of tradition and prestige of their own. SkateWeb Michelle Kwan (Figure Skater) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Michelle Kwan Female Born Jul 7, 1980 Michelle Wingshan Kwan is an American figure skater.

She is a two-time (1998 and 2002) Olympic medalist, a five-time (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003) World champion (a record bettered only by Sonja Henie among ladies skaters) and a nine-time (1996, 1998â2005) U.S. champion (the all-time record, as tied with Maribel Vinson-Owen). She competed at a high level for over a decade and is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history.… Read More related links Want To Watch Ice Skating With Michelle Kwan? There's A Clinton Fundraiser For That CNN - Apr 01, 2016 '<mark>Michelle Kwan</mark>, the two-time Olympic medalist figure skater who now works for Hillary Clinton\'s presidential campaign, will hit the fundraising trail on Saturday with an event tailored to her first love: figure skating. ' Hillary, My Friend Huffington Post - Mar 03, 2016 'Hillary Clinton and I have a lot in common.

She\'s unemployed. I\'m unemployed. She\'s looking for a job. I\'m looking for a job. She sends a ridiculous number of emails in an effort to get the position she wants. So do I. We do it daily. She receives a lot of emails, or so I\'m guessing. And I receive a lot of emails. They\'re exclusively from her. It\'s a bit of a let down, honestly. Being unemployed and living with your parents for months on end with a shiny new master\'s degree and n... The State Of Asian Americans And Pacific Islanders Is Growing Stronger But Not For The Reasons Many Think Huffington Post - Jan 14, 2016 ' Yesterday the President delivered his final State of the Union address, and one thing is certain: the state of the Union was strong. The state of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is growing stronger, too--but not for the reasons that are commonly (mis)portrayed. The state of AAPIs is often characterized as strong because we are so-called \"model minorities.\" On average, Asian Americans have the highest educational attainment and highest median household income. Some have ...

read full article Related Articles I'm Tired Of Pretending Figure Skating Isn't The Best Sport Ever (But It Needs Help) Huffington Post - Oct 27, 2015 'I remember my first time watching figure skating with eerie clarity. February 1994. Like millions upon millions of other people around the world, my 9-year-old eyes were glued to the television to watch the skating competitions during the Olympic Games in Lilllehammer, Norway. I distinctly remember Tonya Harding\'s skate lace meltdown, Nancy Kerrigan\'s twinkling beige dress and Scott Hamilton\'s commentary yelping exuberantly about it all. I was totally hooked. In the years that follo... Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Michelle Kwan. CHILDHOOD 1980 Birth Born on July 7, 1980. 1991 10 Years Old In 1991, Michelle Kwan and her sister Karen began training with Frank Carroll. … Read More After one year of coaching by Carroll, 11-year-old Michelle placed 9th at the junior level at the United States Figure Skating Championships.

Read Less TEENAGE 1992 - 1995 7 More Events 1992 11 Years Old At the age of 12 in 1992, Michelle passed the gold test to become a senior-level figure skater despite the disapproval of her coach. 1993 12 Years Old In 1993, Kwan finished sixth at her first senior U.S. championships. Show Less The next season, she won the 1994 World Junior Championships. In 1994, Kwan finished second to Tonya Harding at the U.S. Championships, which ordinarily would have placed her on the U.S. team to the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. That place was instead given to 1993 national champion Nancy Kerrigan, who had been sidelined by an assault and battery (eventually connected to Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly) after a practice session at those championships. The 13-year-old Kwan went to Norway as an alternate but did not compete. Kerrigan and Harding both dropped out of eligible competition before the 1994 World Championships.

Because of this (and teammate Nicole Bobek not making out of the qualifying round), Kwan had the sole responsibility to ensure two entries for the U.S. at the 1994 World Championships by placing in the top ten. … Read More Kwan had an unusual mistake in the short program and placed eleventh in that portion of the competition, but skated a strong freestyle program and finished eighth overall. Read Less Show Less At the 1995 U.S. Championships, Nicole Bobek won the gold medal, while Kwan again placed second after struggling with her lutz jump in both the short program and free skate. At the 1995 World Championships, she placed fifth in the short program portion of the competition with a clean performance. … Read More She landed seven triple jumps in her free skating performance and placed third in that portion of the competition. She finished fourth overall.<br /><br /> Michelle began to develop a more mature style in 1996. Her new, more artistically expressive programs were "Romanza" (short program) and "Salome" (free skate). She also improved her extension, speed and jump technique, and performed to more difficult choreography.

Read Less Show Less She won both the U.S. Championships and the World Championships in 1996. … Read More In the latter event, she edged out defending champion Chen Lu in a very close competition in which both competitors garnered two perfect 6.0s for Presentation in the free skate. Read Less In the 1996â97 season, Kwan skated to "Dream of Desdemona" (short program) and "Taj Mahal" (free skate). … Read More During this season, Kwan struggled with her jumps because of a growth spurt and problems with new skating boots which she wore for an endorsement contract with the manufacturer. Read Less Beginning in the 1996â1997 season, Kwan debuted a change of edge spiral that soon became her signature move. … Read More Kwan's spiral was famed by commentators not only for its great extension and line, but also its speed, the strength and security of the edge, the deep lean and the easy smoothness of the change of edge.

In the 1998â1999 season, Kwan revived a variation of the Charlotte spiral, a move innovated by German skater Charlotte OelschlÃ¤gel which hadn't been performed in decades.<br /><br /> Kwan's split falling leaf was praised by skating legends Dick Button and Peggy Fleming during competitions for its effortlessness and perfect split position in the air. Kwan has done multiple split falling leaves in immediate succession (without any turns or steps in between) while maintaining a split position on both.<br /><br /> Another of her trademark moves is a Y-spin done consecutively on both feet. Kwan is also one of the few skaters who can spin in both directions.<br /><br /> Kwan is a recipient of the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award (2001), which is given to America's best amateur athlete; she was the first figure skater to win the award since Dick Button won it in 1949. In 2003 she was named the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) "Sportswoman of the Year", and is the 5th figure skater in history to receive this honor.

She has also been named USOC "Athlete of the Month" fourteen times, which is more than any other athlete, male or female, as well as being named "Female Figure Skating Athlete of the Year" by the USOC multiple times. Read Less Show Less She fell twice and stumbled once in her free skate at 1997 U.S. Nationals, losing the title to Tara Lipinski. … Read More She lost the Champion Series Final to Lipinski a month later. At the World Championships, Kwan stepped out of her triple lutz combination and placed 4th in the Short Program portion of the competition behind Lipinski, France's Vanessa Gusmeroli, and Russia's Maria Butyrskaya. Kwan skated a six triple, mistake-free performance to win the freestyle portion of the competition, but placed second to Lipinski overall. Read Less Kwan started out the 1997â1998 Olympic season by winning Skate America (where she defeated Tara Lipinski) and then Skate Canada. … Read More However, she suffered a stress fracture on her foot and was forced to withdraw from her third Champions Series Final. Read Less Show Less Kwan regained her U.S.

title from Lipinski at the 1998 National Championships, despite her fractured toe. Many people consider her performances of her Rachmaninoff short program and free skate set to William Alwyn's "Lyra Angelica" at the 1998 U.S. Championships to be the high point of her career from both a technical and artistic standpoint. … Read More The performances earned her fifteen perfect 6.0s and left one judge in tears. Read Less Kwan and Lipinski were co-favorites to win the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. … Read More Kwan placed first in the Short Program portion of the competition, winning eight first place votes out of nine judges. In the free skate, Kwan skated a clean 7-triple performance but placed behind Lipinski, who also did 7 triples including a triple loop/triple loop combination and a triple toe-loop/half-loop/Triple Salchow. Kwan ended up winning the silver medal, with the gold medal going to Tara Lipinski and the bronze medal to Chen Lu.

Read Less Lipinski and Chen both retired from competitive skating shortly after the Olympics, while Kwan went on to win the 1998 World Championships in Minneapolis. Kwan continued to compete as an eligible skater in the 1998â99 season, although she bypassed the fall Grand Prix season and instead chose to skate in a series of made-for-television pro-am events. … Read More Her "regular" competitive programs that season were "Fate of Carmen" (short program) and "Lamento D'Ariane" (free skate). Read Less Scholastic published an autobiography by Kwan in 1998, titled Heart of a Champion, which is now in its sixth printing. … Read More In 1999, Kwan signed with Disney Publishing Worldwide for an 8-book deal which included an inspirational book for children titled, The Winning Attitude: What it Takes to be a Champion, as well as a series of fictional skating books inspired by Kwan and written by Nola Thacker called "Michelle Kwan presents Skating Dreams".<br /><br /> In 2005, Kwan's family opened the EastWest Ice Palace in Artesia, California.

The ice rink houses many of her skating medals and memorabilia. Read Less Show Less Kwan won her third national title at the 1999 U.S. Championships, competing against a weak field. At the 1999 World Championships, Kwan did not skate her best, and placed second behind Russian competitor Maria Butyrskaya. Show Less Kwan's win at the 2000 U.S. Nationals was controversial to some. … Read More She was criticized for planning an easier solo jump in her short program than some of her competitors (a triple toe loop rather than a triple flip), and fell on this element in the competition. The judges nevertheless placed her third in that segment behind younger challengers Sasha Cohen and Sarah Hughes; however, the placement still kept her in contention for the title. Ultimately, she won the free skate with the best performance of the night, capturing 8 of the 9 first-place ordinals. Read Less At the 2000 World Championships, Kwan was again in third place after the short program, behind Maria Butyrskaya and Irina Slutskaya.

… Read More In her free skate, Kwan landed seven triple jumps, including a triple toe loop/triple toe loop combination, and won that segment of the competition. Butyrskaya lost her commanding lead by finishing third behind Slutskaya in the free skate, allowing Kwan to win the overall title as well. Read Less During the 2000â2001 season, Kwan began working with famed designer (and former figure skater) Vera Wang, who would design most of her competition and exhibition costumes for the next 6 years. … Read More Kwan was only the second figure skater Wang designed for, following Nancy Kerrigan. At that year's national championships, Kwan again won the title, receiving first-place ordinals from all 9 judges in both the short program and free skate. Read Less … She returned to Singapore a month later as a Public Diplomacy Envoy to meet local students and to promote ice skating in the tropical country. <br /><br />As of 2008, Kwan is a member of the Chinese-American organization Committee of 100. In 2014, Kwan joined Fox Sports 1 for its Winter Olympics broadcast.

<br /><br />Kwan was known for her unrivaled consistency in delivering clean programs, as well as her strong skating skills and deep, quiet edges that have been described as "silent blades" that "barely whispered". <br /><br />Although not of the greatest height nor explosive spring nor sustained landing, Kwan, for most of her career, included all of the triples (except for the axel) in her programs, including two lutzes (the most difficult jump after the axel). Read Less She landed the triple toe-triple toe combination cleanly eleven times in competition, including at her 2000 and 2001 world championship victories. TWENTIES Show Less At the 2001 World Championships, Kwan was second behind Slutskaya in the short program. … Read More Kwan won the title with her "Song of the Black Swan" free skate, executing 7 triples, including a triple toe loop/triple toe loop combination. Read Less Kwan and Carroll decided to end their coaching relationship two days before the start of the 2001 Skate America competition. … Read More In interviews, Kwan said she needed to "take responsibility" for her skating.

Read Less Show Less Coachless, Kwan arrived at the 2002 U.S. Championships in Los Angeles amid the media's scrutiny over her separation with Carroll and her season's inconsistencies. Kwan won the competition with a revived "Rachmaninoff" short program and a new "Scheherazade" program for her free skate, securing a place on the 2002 Olympic team. … Read More Joining her on the team were Sasha Cohen (second) and Sarah Hughes (third). The 21-year-old Kwan and Russia's Irina Slutskaya were favorites to win the gold. Kwan led after the short program, followed by Slutskaya, Cohen, and Hughes. In the free skate, Kwan two-footed her triple toe loop combination and fell on her triple flip, while Sarah Hughes skated a clean program. Kwan won the bronze medal behind Hughes and Slutskaya. Read Less Kwan's final event of the season was the 2002 Worlds, where she won the silver medal behind Slutskaya. Kwan began working with coach Scott Williams in the summer of 2002.

… Read More She continued to compete on the Olympic-eligible circuit, although in a more limited way. Read Less During the fall seasons of 2002 to 2004, Kwan competed in only one Grand Prix event, Skate America in the fall of 2002, which she entered as a last-minute replacement. … Read More She won the event and qualified for the Grand Prix Final but chose not to compete in it. Kwan chose to not compete in Grand Prix events in the 2003 and 2004 seasons where the new judging system was being used. Read Less Kwan won all phases of every competition she entered in the 2002â2003 competitive season with her programs: Peter Gabriel's "The Feeling Begins" from The Last Temptation of Christ (short program) and "Concierto de Aranjuez" (free skate). … Read More She won the U.S. Championships again and regained her World title. Read Less Show Less In autumn 2003, she hired noted technician Rafael Arutyunyan as her coach, with whom she attempted to increase the technical difficulty of her programs and hone her jump technique.

In the 2003â2004 competitive season, she skated again to "The Feeling Begins" for her short program, and Puccini's "Tosca" for her long program. … Read More Again, Kwan won the U.S. Championships, earning seven more 6.0s for presentation during the free skating. Read Less Show Less At the 2004 World Championships, after a difficult qualifying round, Kwan was penalized in her short program for going two seconds over the time limit. … Read More This caused her to place fourth going into the long program, behind American Sasha Cohen, Japan's Shizuka Arakawa, and Miki Ando. Kwan skated a clean performance with five triples and received the last 6. marks given at the World Championships. She placed second in the free skating portion (she was one judge short from winning the free skating) and placed third overall, behind Arakawa (who performed seven triples, including two triple-triple combinations) and Cohen.

Read Less For the 2004â2005 competitive season, Kwan skated her long program to "BolÃ©ro", choreographed by British ice dancer Christopher Dean who had famously skated to the music with Jayne Torvill two decades before, and debuted a new short program, "Adagio" from Aram Khachaturian's ballet Spartacus. … Read More At the U.S. Championships, she won her 9th title, tying the all-time record previously set by Maribel Vinson-Owen. Interestingly, Vinson-Owen had coached Frank Carroll, who in turn coached Kwan. Read Less During the 2004â2005 season, she debuted a triple flip-double toe-double loop combination. Show Less At the 2005 World Championship, Kwan competed for the first time under the new judging system. … Read More She had a rough qualifying round and placed third in the short program. In the free skate, Kwan fell on her triple salchow and two-footed a triple lutz.

Although she finished third in both the short and long program portion of the competition, Kwan was edged by Carolina Kostner for the bronze medal and finished fourth overall, missing third place by .37 points. It was the first time since 1995 that Kwan had failed to medal at any international competition, and would be her final competitive event. Read Less Kwan looked at the 2005 Worlds as a learning experience in the ISU Judging System. … Read More She continued to train and stated that she would attempt to qualify for the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. Read Less However, following a hip injury, she was forced to withdraw from her three planned competitions in the fall of 2005. Kwan skated her new short program ("Totentanz") at a made-for-TV event in December, 2005, but her performance was well below her usual standard. Show Less On January 4, 2006, Kwan withdrew from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships with an abdominal injury incurred in December 2005.

One week later, she filed a petition with the USFSA for a medical waiver to be placed on the 2006 Olympic figure skating team. On January 14, 2006, after the United States ladies' figure skating event, the USFSA's International Committee met and in a 20 to 3 vote approved Kwan's petition under the stipulation that she show her physical and competitive readiness to a five-member monitoring panel by January 27. Kwan performed her long and short programs for the panel on the stipulated day, and her spot on the Olympic team was established, as the panel felt she was fit to compete. However, on February 12, 2006, the United States Olympic Committee announced that Kwan had withdrawn from the Games after suffering a new groin injury in her first practice in Turin. … Read More Kwan remarked that she "respected the Olympics too much to compete." The Turin organizing committee accepted the USOC's application for Emily Hughes (who had finished third at the U.S.

Championships) to compete as Kwan's replacement.<br /><br /> After her withdrawal from the Olympic team, Kwan turned down an offer to stay in Turin as a figure skating commentator for NBC Sports. During an interview with Bob Costas and Scott Hamilton, Michelle Kwan said she was not retiring yet. Read Less Kwan underwent elective arthroscopic surgery in August 2006 to repair a torn labrum in her right hip, an old injury which she traces back to 2002. … Read More According to Kwan, the surgery allowed her to skate pain-free for the first time in four years. Read Less Kwan did not compete during the 2006â2007 figure skating season. 2007 27 Years Old Kwan told the Associated Press in October 2007 that she would decide in 2009 if she planned to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics, but she ultimately decided not to do so, focusing instead on graduate school.

… Read More She has said "Representing the United States as an American Public Diplomacy Envoy the past three years has been very rewarding, and I want to do more." Read Less Show Less On February 17, 2010, Kwan told ABC News in an interview that she was continuing her studies as a graduate student at the Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, as well as continuing her work as a Public Diplomacy Envoy. Kwan also said she would be commentating for Good Morning America at the 2010 Winter Olympics. She was chosen as the guest of honor to help open a new synthetic skating rink at the Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore in December 2010, where she performed a modified routine to "Winter Song", a program she self-choreographed with her sister. Show Less On April 15, 2011, it was announced that Kwan would serve as an adviser to the U.S.-China Women's Leadership Exchange and Dialogue (Women-LEAD). Kwan has been a longtime supporter of the Special Olympics, taking part in "unified sports" events, which bring together athletes with intellectual disabilities and without.

In 2011, she was added to the board of directors for the Special Olympics. … Read More Kwan has had many endorsement contracts throughout her career, including Aim Funds, Campbell's, Caress soap (Unilever), Chevrolet, Coca Cola, Disney, East West Bank, Got milk? Kraft, Mattel, Maxxis, Mcdonald's, Minute Maid, Riedell Skates, Royal Caribbean International, Starbucks, United Airlines, Visa, and Yoplait, among others.<br /><br /> Kwan's multi-year deal with Chevrolet (starting in 2000) was estimated to be worth over $1 million. The Chevrolet/Michelle Kwan R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Scholarship program was established by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors in cooperation with Kwan.<br /><br /> In 2002, Kwan was named a "celebrity representative" and spokeswoman for The Walt Disney Company in a three-year deal reported to be worth $1 million a year. This deal was later renewed and expanded in 2006. Read Less

Question: The qualifying age to compete in World Figure Skating Championships has been '15 years old by 1 July of the previous year', since when?
Answer: 1996