What figure skating desperately needs right now is a women’s final without a judging controversy, which means having a clear-cut decision in what is expected to be a contest for gold between Michelle Kwan of the United States and Irina Slutskaya of Russia.
Such an outcome is unlikely, though, and the reasons have nothing to do with collusion, national bias or predetermined judging, even though the world now is aware any of those elements could be a factor.
The problem is the judging emphasis in the free skate is on presentation, and styles vary widely from skater to skater. In the presentation marks, judges are supposed to consider quality of jumps and spins, amount of ice coverage, speed, creativity, emotional appeal and whether the entire program makes choreographic sense.
A judge has to assess all that within about 30 seconds after the four-minute performance ends. That assessment, while hopefully honest, is necessarily subjective, more the province of an arts critic than a sports official. Sometimes skaters are so different it would be like judging a brilliant performance of the Bolshoi’s “Swan Lake” against a brilliant performance of Alvin Ailey’s “Revelations.”
“Sometimes,” said Britta Lindgren of Sweden, referee of the women’s event here, “it is more than you can handle.”
In case of a tie, the presentation mark is decisive. For example: In Thursday’s free skate, if Slutskaya were to receive a 5.8 for technical merit and a 5.8 for presentation and Kwan were to get a 5.7 for technical merit and a 5.9 for presentation, both would have a combined score of 11.6, but Kwan would be placed ahead of Slutskaya, according to that judge.
Theoretically, the judges’ task would become easier if Slutskaya were to fall while Kwan does not, or if Kwan were to land only six clean triple jumps to seven for Slutskaya. Neither of those scenarios is guaranteed to decide the outcome, although it could guarantee one skater a higher technical mark.
So what is there to separate Kwan from Slutskaya if both skate perfectly?
Jumps: Kwan’s are lower, and her triple-triple combination is much less difficult than either of the two Slutskaya might try. But jumps do not make presentation; just ask Midori Ito of Japan, 1992 Olympic silver medalist and the greatest female jumper in the sport’s history.
Ito was the first and last woman to land a triple axel jump in competition, her final one coming as she lost to Kristi Yamaguchi of the United States in the 1992 Olympics.
“I think I was a pioneer, but I had just jumps, not artistry,” said Ito, here doing commentary for Japan’s NTV. “You cannot be a champion just with jumps. Michelle has good technique and artistry.”
Spins: Slutskaya’s are faster and more intricate.
Spiral sequences: Kwan’s are the best in the sport.
Footwork: Slutskaya’s is faster and more difficult.
Edges: The way Kwan’s blade edges cut the ice allows her to skate with a seamlessness Slutskaya cannot match.
Arm and leg positions: Although Slutskaya has worked with a choreographer from La Scala Milan, she still looks like an athlete trying to assume balletic poses that are more natural for Kwan.
That would leave the question of whether Slutskaya’s technical prowess outweighs Kwan’s presentation skills. It did not in Tuesday’s short program, ostensibly a technical exercise. The 5.9s Kwan received from all nine judges in presentation not only won the short program but showed the judges’ disposition to give her similarly high scores for an error-free long program.
“Michelle may not be better in some areas, but she touches you,” said 1956 Olympic bronze medalist Ingrid Wendl of Austria. “Her programs stay with you. It is like when you go to the theater: She would be the one you are talking about the next day.”
And what of Sasha Cohen in all this? Does Cohen, who stands third, have a chance to win the gold?
She likely cannot do it without serious mistakes by the two women ahead of her. Cohen is at a disadvantage for not having competed at the last world championships. Every women’s champion since the inaugural 1924 Winter Games has won a medal at the worlds the year before the Games.
For better or for worse, judges need to be convinced a skater is good enough to become an Olympic champion. That certainly was a factor in Paul Wylie’s failure to win the 1992 gold.
Will there be an argument after Thursday’s results are in? Probably, but that might not be such a bad thing. Why else do you think about 100 million people are expected to watch NBC’s telecast?
The judges
Thursday’s free skate will have only three judges from former Soviet bloc nations. But don’t look for North American solidarity: The Canadian judge was among four who preferred Irina Slutskaya in short program. The Russian judge had Maria Butyrskaya third, Sasha Cohen fourth and Sarah Hughes 10th in short program. Only the Slovak judge agreed with consensus placements of all nine for the top four short-program finishers. The German, Italian and U.S. judges put Cohen ahead of Slutskaya.
Sissy Krick, Germany
Tatiana Danilenko, Russia
Maria Hrachovcova, Slovakia
Ingelise Blangsted, Denmark
Paolo Pizzocari, Italy
Irina Absaliamova, Belarus
Pekka Leskinen, Finland
Deborah Islam, Canada
Joseph Inman, U.S.
– Philip Hersh.
How figure skating is judged
Olympic figure skating is divided into two parts: a long program and a short program. Tuesday’s women’s short program, in which Michelle Kwan placed first, is worth one-third of the final scoring. Thursday’s long program is worth two-thirds and will determine final placements.
1. SCORING A PROGRAM
Nine judges award each skater two marks on a 6.0 scale for each program. One mark is for the difficulty of a program’s individual elements, the other for the artistic impression of the performance.
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MICHELLE KWAN’S SCORECARD FROM TUESDAY’S SHORT PROGRAM
JUDGES GER RUS SLV DEN ITA BLR FIN CAN USA
Technique 5.8 5.7 5.9 5.7 5.5 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.6
Presentation 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9
Overall total 11.7 11.6 11.8 11.6 11.4 11.6 11.6 11.6 11.5
Ordinal 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 1
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2. DETERMINING PLACEMENT
The two marks are added and ranked. A place number, or ordinal, is assigned to each skater based on her total marks compared with the rest of the eld in the eyes of each judge. Kwan, as the skater with the most first-place ordinals, won the program.
3. COMBINING SHORT AND LONG SCORES
The overall winner is calculated using a formula called factored placement. In the short program, a factor of 0.5 is multiplied by the finishing placement, while the long program placement is multiplied by 1.0. The skater with the lowest score wins. The skater with the better free skate result wins all ties.
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TOP SKATERS AFTER SHORT PROGRAM
SHORT PROGRAM LONG PROGRAM
FACTOR FACTOR TOTAL
Place points Points Place points Points POINTS
Michelle Kwan U.S. 1 x 0.5 = 0.5 – x 1.0 – –
Irina Slutskaya Russia 2 x 0.5 = 1.0 – x 1.0 – –
Sasha Cohen U.S. 3 x 0.5 = 1.5 – x 1.0 – –
Sarah Hughes U.S. 4 x 0.5 = 2.0 – x 1.0 – –
Maria Butyrskaya Russia 5 x 0.5 = 2.5 – x 1.0 – –
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POSSIBLE GOLD SCENARIOS
If either Kwan, Slutskaya or Cohen places first in the long program, she will win the gold medal. How Slutskaya or Cohen could win.
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Long program place Short points Long points Total
Slutskaya 1.0 + 1.0 = 2.0
Kwan 0.5 + 2.0 = 2.5
Cohen 1.5 + 3.0 = 3.5
Cohen 1.5 + 1.0 = 2.5
Kwan 0.5 + 2.0 = 2.5
Slutskaya 1.0 + 3.0 = 4.0
Source: U.S. Olympic Committee
Chicago Tribune
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