Figure Skating Is Now Judging the Judging

"With this quest for points . . . it's really hard to open your program to two or two and a half minutes of 'Flight of the Bumblebee' and pull off two quads and a triple axel," said Scott Hamilton, the former world and Olympic singles champion who is now an Olympic commentator for NBC. "A lot of people are building their programs to accommodate what they have to do."

But the very demanding nature of the system, some skaters and officials say, has encouraged the refinement of skills such as spinning and footwork that were often overlooked in the past as skaters strove merely to overload their programs with difficult jumps. A case in point is American Tim Goebel, who won the bronze medal at the 2002 Games after landing a record three quadruple jumps in his long program. At the time, Goebel was known as the Quad King but was considered artistically behind many of his rivals. Now, hampered by injuries, he limits his quads to one attempt per program and has worked to improve his artistry under Audrey Weisiger, with whom he trains in Fairfax.

"It's sort of shifted the focus away from jumping to different aspects of skating," Goebel said. "There's a lot more detail and intricacy in most programs across the board. I think it's good. It's taken skating in a different direction."

It's also presented the possibility of technical glitches, two of which showed up at last year's world championships in Moscow. A human input error placed U.S. champion Johnny Weir seventh instead of sixth after the qualifying rounds (the mistake was discovered before the next round). A software error also deprived China's Li Chengjiang of the correct point total for a spin during the qualifying rounds. That, too, was corrected and the software was modified.

Skaters' opinions about the system tend to be shaped by personal experience. Five-time world champion Michelle Kwan, who received more than 50 6.0s in her career and is petitioning for a waiver onto the Olympic team because of a groin injury suffered in December, has expressed ambivalence, saying the new system has forced her to be guided by numerical values rather than unfettered artistic expression when she choreographs. Sasha Cohen, meantime, who has finished second to Kwan in four national championships, raves about the way the new system tends to brush reputation out of the way, rewarding performance.

The U.S. ice dance team of Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto are among the most visible beneficiaries, having climbed from 13th at the world championships four years ago to second last year. Such a leap would have been unheard of under the old system, in which young skaters, particularly in dance, were expected to tolerate low marks for years until they were deemed experienced enough to deserve high placements.

The new system also allows for more movement in the standings. In the past, skaters who finished in fourth place or lower after the short program, worth 33 percent of the score, were considered all but out of the running for first even before the start of the long program, worth 67 percent. But the new system's straightforward method of point accrual means nearly anything can happen after a great skate.

"The only thing the skaters miss about the 6.0 system is just the immediate comprehension of what a score means," Cohen said. "I definitely love the system because it just creates possibility. . . . There's nothing like [the old reputation factor], 'Wait two years and you will get your scores.' That's just so fair and so fresh in the new system. . . . I'm very glad this was introduced."

Though the new system has reduced the emphasis on flat-out jumping, it hasn't lessened the physical toll on skaters' bodies. Several, in fact, complained at Skate America in Atlantic City in October that they have been forced to practice longer hours to master a wide range of skills and, as a consequence, are wearing their bodies out. Goebel attributed some of his recent injuries to the fact he trains 25 to 30 percent more than in the past because he has so much ground to cover daily.

The system was designed, of course, not to please every skater but to ensure that the outcome of skating events would not be determined by bloc judging or deals between countries, as happened in Salt Lake City. During a meeting after the pairs competition at those Games, the French judge Marie Reine Le Gougne broke down in tears and admitted being pressured to vote for the Russian gold medal winners as part of a deal originally intended to reward the French ice dance team of Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat.

Anissina and Peizerat won the ice dance competition later in those Games.

"When they . . . went out to receive their gold medal, Gwendal looked at me and said, 'Did we really win?' " said U.S. ice dance judge Charlie Cyr, who has been instrumental in the development of the new system. "That's pretty sad."

To prevent manipulation, the system requires that the highest and lowest scores from the judging panel are tossed out. Several skaters said they were not convinced the new approach would eliminate cheating, despite that and other safeguards, but most agreed it was an improvement.

"I'm not going to say it's impossible" to cheat, Cyr said. "If you want to crack a safe, you can crack a safe. It's not fail-safe. But it sure is better than it was before. . . . I think everyone's on board that this is the way."