What do you mean by "doing figures"?

[sampaguita]

All the while, I thought the doing figures meant doing figures the way you do it in competition. You have a pattern to draw on the ice, and you're supposed to draw the pattern over and over again, and the judges look at how well you were able to repeat the tracing.

However, in my rink, I do see these figure 8 patterns drawn on the ice with a marker -- two lobes connected by rockers/counters. The higher level skaters skate over this pattern. However, this is not necessarily newly resurfaced ice, so I'm not sure if the quality of the tracing is checked, and I'm not sure if they do try to do the tracings over their previous tracings. (I'm pretty sure they do it repeatedly though).

Does this mean that these skaters are doing figures?

[hopskipjump]

My skater doesn't do anything called "figures".  She does (did) backward 8 circles. 
http://www.usfsa.org/content/mitf/diagrams/proposed/MIF%20-%20Pre-Juv%20-%20Backward%20Circle%208.pdf

[icedancer]

When I do figures it is as you describe in the first paragraph - doing prescribed figures, setting them out, tracing them, doing the turns, etc. -

The best way to do this is at a session once called "patch" here in the US where each student is given a strip of ice to practice doing figures as described in the old figures test structure.  I look at my tracings, see if the circles are even, turns at the tops of the lobes, etc.

There were rockers and counters in at the joining spot of figures in the higher level figures. It sounds as though someone at your rink is still teaching or doing figures and whether or not judges are examining them (and passing the tests) is another question.  I do wonder if anywhere in the world people are still taking figures tests.  I know that here we can still take the tests and actually I have taken a test in this decade (!) - if someone wants to take a figures test they just have to get it set up either on a regular test session or at another time when they can get the judges together.

So now we have a "patch" once a week for a half hour - it is a group class and we get a little bit of instruction which is nice - but when I go to a session, even on a crowded public I try to do a few figure 8s and serpentine figures just to get warmed up - I don't expect anyone to know what I am doing or to get out of my way or to even get really clean ice for that but it is important to me to do them every time I get on the ice, if even for a few minutes.

I can tell you that my skating after that half-hour session is generally much better than if I don't do any at all.  It really gets you settled on the ice.

Not sure I answered your question.

[nicklaszlo]

Does this mean that these skaters are doing figures?

No, they are practicing rockers and counters.

[sampaguita]

When I do figures it is as you describe in the first paragraph - doing prescribed figures, setting them out, tracing them, doing the turns, etc. -

The best way to do this is at a session once called "patch" here in the US where each student is given a strip of ice to practice doing figures as described in the old figures test structure.  I look at my tracings, see if the circles are even, turns at the tops of the lobes, etc.

There were rockers and counters in at the joining spot of figures in the higher level figures. It sounds as though someone at your rink is still teaching or doing figures and whether or not judges are examining them (and passing the tests) is another question.  I do wonder if anywhere in the world people are still taking figures tests.  I know that here we can still take the tests and actually I have taken a test in this decade (!) - if someone wants to take a figures test they just have to get it set up either on a regular test session or at another time when they can get the judges together.

So now we have a "patch" once a week for a half hour - it is a group class and we get a little bit of instruction which is nice - but when I go to a session, even on a crowded public I try to do a few figure 8s and serpentine figures just to get warmed up - I don't expect anyone to know what I am doing or to get out of my way or to even get really clean ice for that but it is important to me to do them every time I get on the ice, if even for a few minutes.

I can tell you that my skating after that half-hour session is generally much better than if I don't do any at all.  It really gets you settled on the ice.

Not sure I answered your question.

Thanks icedancer! Based on your answer, I get the impression that although figures are best done on patch sessions, it's not necessary, since you can do it on crowded public sessions as well?

Now that I think about it, I remember reading an article in the news a few years back that we had some Figures entry in our local ISI competition...I've never seen one live, so I don't know what it looks like. But since we have the same coaches I think some of them still teach figures to those who want or need to learn it.

No, they are practicing rockers and counters.

Wouldn't it be possible to practice rockers and counters without having to draw Figure 8 patterns on ice? I'm sure 3-turns don't need Figure 8's, but I'm not sure about rockers or counters.

[Clarice]

Yes, of course you can practice rockers and counters without drawing a figure 8 on the ice; I do it all the time.  I usually do it placing the turn on the blue line.  I'm still imagining that figure 8, though.  You can practice a lot of things on an 8, even dance patterns.

Sometimes I do draw the 8 - I have an attachment for a marker on my scribe.  Since I'm practicing on either a freestyle or a public session, others will be skating through my figure and it's easier if there's a black line there.  It also seems that when I draw it, others make more of an effort to stay off my "patch".  I place it on the rink where I'll be the least disruptive to whatever else is going on.

[ONskater74]

In a perfect world I could use brand new ice to lay out every figure.... Reality is that you use the first eight until it is unskatable...rutted/ground up etc. Then shift a bit and start another. Then you have maniacal little boys on hockey skates, who can;t stop or steer, careening past/into your path all the time.
Doing rockers and counters over and over on one spot will really grind the center up. If you really want to see the tracings it is better to just "imagine" the eight and do your turns on blank ice and forget skating the whole circle.

[sampaguita]

[mod note: removed quote at member's request]

So using figures as drills is not the same as "doing figures", would that be right?

[FigureSpins]

So using figures as drills is not the same as "doing figures", would that be right?

I think you should ask the skaters since none of us could possible know their intent and you obviously weren't watching if you don't know if they checked their tracings or just the turns. 

Really, don't ask for replies if you're going to pick apart the answers.  It's like being nibbled to death by mice.

[sampaguita]

Really, don't ask for replies if you're going to pick apart the answers.  It's like being nibbled to death by mice.

Sorry FigureSpins.

[Robin]

Maybe I can help. I did figures though the third test. Figures are the basis for all freestyle. All figures are based on the figure 8, with each circle, with the exception of loops, being about three times the height of the skater. In practice, on what we called a patch session, each skater was assigned a patch of ice. Most rinks could accommodate 20-22 skaters. We had an instrument called a scribe, which is basically a large compass that we used to mark out a circle for practice. We would skate over that, practice the movements, and then move up about a foot or so and skate the figure without the use of the scribe. In tests and competition, you have to skate the figure on a clean sheet of ice. You are judged for size accuracy, symmetry, and tracing accuracy. Figures are all about body position, posture, and using the shoulders against the hips.

It's really hard to concentrate on doing figures on a public session. No one gives you any respect.

If you're interested, seek out a coach who had done figures. You can only benefit from doing them.

[Robin]

Wouldn't it be possible to practice rockers and counters without having to draw Figure 8 patterns on ice? I'm sure 3-turns don't need Figure 8's, but I'm not sure about rockers or counters.

Yes, of course you can do three turns without going through the whole figure 8 part of it. Skating is full of three-turns. However, the point of figures is control. You would be amazed how much control you need to skate a simple forward outside three figure and return to center, and trace your markings.

[sampaguita]

Maybe I can help. I did figures though the third test. Figures are the basis for all freestyle. All figures are based on the figure 8, with each circle, with the exception of loops, being about three times the height of the skater. In practice, on what we called a patch session, each skater was assigned a patch of ice. Most rinks could accommodate 20-22 skaters. We had an instrument called a scribe, which is basically a large compass that we used to mark out a circle for practice. We would skate over that, practice the movements, and then move up about a foot or so and skate the figure without the use of the scribe. In tests and competition, you have to skate the figure on a clean sheet of ice. You are judged for size accuracy, symmetry, and tracing accuracy. Figures are all about body position, posture, and using the shoulders against the hips.

It's really hard to concentrate on doing figures on a public session. No one gives you any respect.

If you're interested, seek out a coach who had done figures. You can only benefit from doing them.

Robin, thanks for this! I think the key here is doing it "over again". Seems no one at my rink does figures, then...