Synchronized skating

Year	Location	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Source(s)
2016	Zagreb, Croatia	Les Suprêmes	Team Fintastic	Team Junost	[35]
2014	Neuchâtel, Switzerland	Team Fintastic	Les Suprêmes	Musketeers	[36]
2012	Gothenburg, Sweden	Team Fintastic	Musketeers	Les Suprêmes	[37]
2011	Neuchâtel, Switzerland	Team Fintastic	Musketeers	Team Braemar	[38]
2010	Gothenburg, Sweden	Team Fintastic	NEXXICE	Musketeers	[38][39]
2009	Neuchâtel, Switzerland	Team Fintastic	NEXXICE	Musketeers	[38]
2008	Rouen, France	Team Fintastic	Gold Ice	Musketeers	[38]
2007	Nottingham, Great Britain	Team Fintastic	Les Suprêmes	Chicago Jazz	[40]
2006	Helsinki, Finland	Musketeers	Team Fintastic	Chicago Jazz	[38]
2005	Neuchâtel, Switzerland	Musketeers	Team Mystique	Gold Ice	[38]
2004	Milan, Italy	Musketeers	Team Mystique	Gold Ice	[38]
2003	Kungsbacka, Sweden	Musketeers	Burlington Ice Image	Les Suprêmes	[38]
2002	Zagreb, Croatia	Ice Image	Spartak-Leader	Musketeers	[38]
2001	Neuchâtel, Switzerland	Team Fintastic	Les Suprêmes	Superettes	[38]

Finland

The Finnish member of ISU, the Finnish Figure Skating Association, holds the Finnish Synchronized Skating Championships at the Novice, Junior and Senior levels. Also, it holds two Finnish Championships Qualifiers before the nationals. Since the late 1990s, the senior-level battle for the qualifier wins and Finnish Championship—and the ensuing ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships (WSSC) entries—has mainly been fought between three teams from Helsinki, Marigold IceUnity, Rockettes and Team Unique, while a fourth and sometimes a fifth Senior team has competed along in the intervening years.

Finnish Senior Championships medalists

Finnish qualifications for the ISU WSSC

Throughout the years, the Finnish senior teams qualifying for the World Championships have been selected based on their performance at the two qualifiers and the national championships. In the season 2012–13, the teams were selected as follows: the Finnish Champion qualified automatically as Team Finland 1 for the WSSC. Team Finland 2 at the WSSC was the team which earned the fewest points from the first qualifier, the second qualifier and the Finnish Championships. The points equaled the sum of the positions at the three competitions with growing coefficients: the coefficient was 0,3 for the first competition result, 0,5 for the second and 1 for the last.^[50]

United States

In the

ISI (Ice Skating Institute) is another governing body which focuses on a more recreational form of competition and does not have the same divisions as those of the USFSA. Teams can compete in the Tot, Jr. Youth, Youth Sr. Youth, Teen, Collegiate, Adult, or Master age groups, in any of five categories: Formation, Advanced Formation, Skating, Open Skating, and Dance.^[51]

While most skaters participating in synchronized skating are female, the rules allow mixed-gender teams.

US Figure Skating Senior Championship

The Senior team level consists of 16 skaters. Skaters must be at least 15 years old and have passed the Novice Moves in the Field test.

USFSA Collegiate Championship

The Collegiate team level consists of teams with 12-20

Present day

Why not Synchro Petition

Although not currently an

The competitive levels of synchronized skating, like those in other disciplines of Figure skating, are now judged using the ISU Judging System that was introduced in 2004. Each element is assigned a difficulty level by the technical panel made up of a technical specialist, assistant technical specialist and a technical controller. Each level of difficulty for a particular element corresponds to a pre-determined base value. The base value is the number of points that are awarded for an executed element before the grade of execution or any deductions are applied.^[71] Judges assign a grade of execution from -3 to +3 to each of the elements. Each grade of execution, or GOE, corresponds to a point value. For each element, the highest and lowest GOE values are dropped and the rest are averaged then added to the base value. The sum of all the scores of the elements comprises the Technical Elements score.

Program Component Score

The judges will award points on a scale from 0.25 to 10 (in increments of 0.25) for five program components to grade overall presentation. As with Grade of Execution (GOEs), the highest and lowest scores for each component are thrown out, and the remaining scores are averaged. The final program components scores are then multiplied by a set factor to ensure the technical score and program components score are balanced.^[72]

The five program components are:

• Skating Skills - Overall skating quality, including edge control and flow over the ice surface (edges, steps, turns, speed, etc.), clarity of technique and use of effortless power to accelerate and vary speed.
• Transitions - The varied and/or intricate footwork, positions, movement and holds that link all elements.
• Performance - The involvement of the skater physically, emotionally and intellectually in translating the music and choreography.
• Composition - An intentional, developed and/or original arrangement of all types of movements according to the principles of proportion, unity, space, pattern, structure and phrasing.
• Interpretation of Music - The personal and creative translation of the music to the movement on the ice.^[72]

Technical Score

Each element of the program is assigned a base value, which gives skaters credit for every element they perform. Some elements, such as spins and step sequences, have levels of difficulty on which the base values are established. Judges grade the quality of each element using a grade of execution score within a range of -5 to +5, which is added to or deducted from the base value. GOEs are proportional to the base value of each element. The highest and lowest scores for each element are thrown out, and the remaining scores are averaged to determine the final GOE for each element. The GOE is then added to or subtracted from the base value for each element, and the sum of the scores for all elements forms the technical score.^[72]

Segment Score

The technical score is added to the program components score to determine the segment score (short program/rhythm dance or free skate/dance). The scores for each segment are then added together to determine the competition score. The skater with the highest competition score is declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the team with the highest free program score wins the competition. The IJS is used at events in the national qualifying structure including the U.S. Championships as well as many local competitions at the juvenile through senior levels, including Excel.^[72]

6.0 System

In the United States, the introductory levels of Aspire Beginner, Aspire Pre-Preliminary, Aspire Preliminary, Open Junior, Open Collegiate, Open Adult, and Open Masters are still judged under the 6.0 judging system. These levels can compete at the regional level but cannot qualify for the national championships. The basic principle of the 6.0 system is a "majority" system. Each event is judged by an odd number of judges, and the winner of the event is the team placed highest by a majority of these judges.^[72]

Differences in Judging Systems

The IJS is based on cumulative points rather than the 6.0 standard of marks and placement. The IJS focuses on the skaters and not the judges. Judges do not have to use their memory to compare all aspects of every skater and figure out where to place them, but simply evaluate the qualities of each performance.^[72]

Highest scores at ISU competitions

Short program

Rank	Team	Score	Event	Source
1	Team Surprise	87.84	2004 Neuchâtel Trophy	[73]
2	Rockettes	83.46	2010 Cup of Berlin	[74]
3	Team Unique	82.36	2009 Worlds	[75]
4	NEXXICE	80.12	2009 Worlds	[75]
5	Marigold IceUnity	78.68	2009 Worlds	[75]

Free skating

Rank	Team	Score	Event	Source
1	Team Surprise	159.60	2004 Neuchâtel Trophy	[76]
2	Marigold IceUnity	147.31	2014 Worlds	[77]
3	NEXXICE	146.03	2014 Worlds	[77]
4	Paradise	145.84	2014 Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy	[78]
5	Rockettes	145.68	2014 Worlds	[77]

Combined total

Rank	Team	Score	Event	Source
1	Team Surprise	247.44	2004 Neuchâtel Trophy	[79]
2	Rockettes	223.90	2010 Worlds	[80]
3	NEXXICE	223.58	2009 Worlds	[81]
4	Marigold IceUnity	223.45	2014 Worlds	[82]
5	Paradise	220.54	2014 Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy	[83]

References

External links

• International Skating Union