For testing MITF, the judges are given specific primary and secondary foci, so they have more structure, and should not be favoring something not listed as a focus. Not sure if they are given foci for freeskate tests?
But, we're discussing Test Track competition events that are judged under 6.0, right? So why are IJS or test evaluations being brought into play - are the judging criteria identical among the three? (Testing, 6.0 and IJS)
A coach made a comment last summer, stating that judges are "expecting to see" IJS-level skating under 6.0, which is part of the confusion for me - for Test Track and Basic Skills events, there are limitations on the skating elements. How do you reconcile those diverse expectations? Are the judges sitting there getting just as confused as we are, applying IJS and test criteria to 6.0 to somehow come up with a number?
I'll let you know next month - either someone put the wrong level event on a skater's exhibition program or choreographed it incorrectly.
Case in point: two skaters do Test Track Pre-Preliminary freeskate. The competition announcement clearly says "one position spins only." and "only single jumps Flip, Loop, Toe Loop and Salchow." One skater's program includes two or three Lutzes and a lovely camel-sit-scratch combination spin as the last element. How do you judge that under 6.0? There's a .1
.2 deduction per element - can you afford to throw away .3 - .4
.6 - .8 points and let the ordinals fall where they may?