Spotlight Sport - Figure Skating

Gateway to the Summer Games - Spotlight Sports

Figure Skating
Figure skating was the first winter sport included in the Olympic Games when it appeared at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. The singles and pairs competitions also appeared in the 1920 Antwerp Summer Games before making their winter debut in Chamonix in 1924.


		Competition \| Interesting Facts Learn More \| Other Sports \| Links

Competition
The major types of competitive figure skating are individual men's and women's competitions, pairs skating, ice dancing, and precision skating. In individual competitions, a single skater performs required elements and is judged on how cleanly and artistically the motions are executed. Pairs skating consists of two skaters performing together. In ice dancing, partners carry out the artistic motions of dance on skates. Precision skating, which is a highly structured activity, consists of a team of skaters who perform choreographed maneuvers.

Interesting Facts

The United States has a history of top figure skaters such as Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Scott Hamilton, Debi Thomas, Michelle Kwan and Tara Lapinski.
Judges rate how a skater presents himself or herself, how a program relates to the music, and how the skater utilizes speed and the ice surface. Judges award a presentation mark in both the short program and the free skate of men's, ladies' and pairs competition.
Young people interested in figure skating may practice many of the skills needed to increase balance and grace by using in-line skates or roller blades.

To Learn More About Figure Skating

Visit the Official Salt Lake City Winter Olympics Web site to get all the facts, latest scores and list of figure skating events.
The official United States Figure Skating Association Web site includes information about figure skating competitions across the United States as well as the Winter Olympic schedule.
Check out this concise overview of the rules, history and equipment needed to figure skate.
Visit this skating magazine site for complete information about International figure skating.
NBC Sports carries up-to-date information about all figure skating events at the Olympics.

Other Winter Olympic Sports

Alpine Skiing	Bobsledding	Figure Skating	Ice Hockey

Luge	Ski Jumping	Speed Skating	Snowboarding

General Sports Links
Olympians will compete in dozens of sports this winter. Even though Gateway to the Winter Games can't feature them all, you can learn about each and every one by visiting the sites listed below.

Griffin Publishing Group's Official Olympic Sports page
This K-12 education Internet site is filled with Olympic facts, lesson plans, athlete profiles and more.
International Olympic Committee
This official site of the International Olympic Committee reports Olympic schedules and features an excellent Olympic History Museum.
CBS Sportsline's Olympics 2002
Get top news stories and in-depth features about every sport.
CCN/SI
In addition to news on every sport, this site contains athlete diaries.
NBCOlympics.com
Select a sport to study or hear firsthand from an athlete who plays it.
Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics
This is the Official 2002 Winter Olympic site for Salt Lake. This site has schedules, sports outlines, athlete bios, and much more.
ESPN Salt Lake Winter Games 2002
Get a countdown to the games, with background on some of the different sports and the participating athletes.
United States Olympic Team
The United States Olympic Team site includes athlete bios, diaries, and pictures. Also, check out the exciting video and audio clips of the various athletes in action.

For information on purchasing Griffin materials, please visit the Griffin Publishing Group Web site at http://www.griffinpublishing.com.