Until the 1990s, Olympic figure skating included a segment called “compulsory figures,” in which athletes would slowly trace precise, intricate shapes into the ice, and judges would inspect the resulting swirls and loops to determine much of the skater’s overall score. These “figures” gave the sport its name, but they were gradually phased out because not even the most ardent skating fans would watch the tedious process on TV. Today's competitive figure skaters only do what their predecessors called the “free skating” portion—fast-paced programs set to music, packed with jumps and dance moves.
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Ukraine's Natalia Popova performs in the Women's Figure Skating Team Short Program at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics on February 8, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER NEMENOV
