FIGURE SKATING SECRETS

“People don’t realize how much television networks have influenced what viewers are actually seeing,” she said. In fact, it was because of the networks that the “figures” portion of the figure skating competition was removed altogether.

More than two decades ago, skaters would trace figures in the ice in addition to performing a free skate routine. The two scores were then combined.

But Adams says viewers couldn’t understand how a skater who scored higher in the figures portion but lower than fellow competitors in the flashier free skate could still win a medal.
 
“So the networks decided the ‘figures’ was boring and put pressure on the skating federation, and they decided to drop it,” she said.

Read my entire interview in J Weekly, here.