Opinion | Figure skating is evolving, not losing its artistry

I have been watching figure skating for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my mom always had the Olympics on, and I loved sitting with her to watch. Every four years at the Winter Olympics, figure skating takes center stage, and this year is no different. 

With Team USA already taking gold in the team competition, U.S. figure skaters have captured the world’s attention. Ilia Malinin, the 21-year-old American skater better known as “The Quad God,” has been dominating the headlines. His success in revolutionizing the sport by landing jumps that no other athlete has completed in competition has sparked debate within the figure skating community. It is a conversation that has existed for years, but it has come to the forefront during this recent Olympic cycle. Has the rise in technical difficulty taken away from the artistry of the sport? 

The current judging system was created after the 2002 Salt Lake City “Skategate” scandal, in which a judge was pressured to favor a Russian pair over a Canadian one. Under the old system, skaters were ranked against one another through relative placement rather than receiving specific numerical scores based on individual elements in their programs. 

Today, the International Judging System is divided into two main components. The Technical Element Score reflects the physical difficulty of the performance and evaluates elements such as jumps and spins. The second component is the Program Component Score, often referred to as the artistry score. This portion assesses skating skills, choreography, interpretation and overall presentation. Together, these scores form the Total Segment Score, which ultimately determines who stands on the podium. 

The new judging system was meant to bring clarity and fairness to a sport that had been riddled with controversy. By assigning base values to jumps and spins and then adding or deducting points based on quality, the system rewards precision and risk within a program. It never removed artistry from the equation. In fact, it standardized it. Skaters are still judged on skating skills, performance, composition and interpretation. Artistry is not an afterthought in figure skating. It is built directly into the scoresheet. 

Many critics overlook the fact that technical growth and artistry are not in separate arenas. They go hand in hand. Landing a quadruple jump is not simply about athletic ability. Perfecting it requires musical timing, seamless transitions and control entering and exiting the element. When someone like Malinin lands a quad axel, the most difficult jump ever completed in competition, he is not pausing the program to complete a trick. He is integrating an extraordinarily difficult element into choreography that must still flow and resonate with the audience. 

It is also worth remembering that figure skating has always pushed its technical boundaries. The triple jump was once considered shocking. Every era believes it has found the perfect balance between technicality and artistry, and every new generation is criticized for pushing the difficulty too far. The drive to achieve elements that have never been done before allows the sport to survive, grow and attract new audiences. 

Higher technical content does not erase emotion or storytelling. If anything, it raises the stakes. Every time I watch a performance by Malinin or Japanese figure skater Yuma Kagiyama, I am on the edge of my seat. Waiting to see whether they will land these difficult elements builds tension throughout the program. The willingness to include such high-risk jumps on the world’s biggest stage adds drama and depth. 

There is also a broader debate about what qualifies as artistry. Skaters have begun incorporating more unconventional styles into their programs. Take 2022 Olympic gold medalist Nathan Chen, for example. At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Chen performed to music with a hip-hop influence, incorporating choreography that felt edgier and more modern than traditional programs.

Malinin competes in a similar spirit, performing to rap music and including bold elements such as a backflip and his own signature move known as the “Raspberry Twist,” a rapid one and a half rotation horizontal twist in the air. Figure skating is about personality. The growing comfort among skaters to perform programs that reflect who they are and challenge tradition is essential to keeping the sport fresh. 

Ultimately, higher technical content does not erase emotion or storytelling. The blend of extraordinary technical ability and artistic expression creates something powerful on the ice. When a skater completes a difficult program cleanly, the emotion that follows that achievement is deeply artistic in itself. Rather than looking down on the technical revolution in figure skating, we should recognize it as part of the sport’s natural progression.

Ashley O’Doherty is a sophomore media and professional communications major who loves anything and everything to do with pop culture. In her spare time, you can find her hyperfixating over fictional characters, music and Philly sports. Email her at ajo65@pitt.edu.