Technical Info

Technical Information


Welcome to the Technical Information portion of the U.S. Figure Skating website. Here you will find important information on the many technical aspects of figure skating. For easier navigation, tabs on the left side of the page will guide you to each discipline (Singles/Pairs, Ice Dancing, Synchronized Skating and Adult Skating). Within the tabs are discipline-specific technical information, ISU communications, technical panel information and judges and referees information.

U.S. Figure Skating Alerts and Technical Notifications are on a separate page.

A link to the U.S. Figure Skating Rulebook can be found in the left-side navigation of this page.

Recent Updates

  • (7/31) - Ice Dancing handbooks for officials have been posted here.

  • (7/31) - Technical Notification #128 - Singles - Juvenile and Intermediate Spins Clarifications and Technical Notification #129 - Pair Skating - Juvenile, Intermediate and Novice Pair Spins Clarifications have been posted here.

  • (7/30) - The USAid Technical Panel Handbooks for singles and pairs have been updated here and for ice dancing here.

  • (7/30) - The 2013-14 Short Dance Elements for Junior and Senior has been updated here to include changes from ISU Communication #1805.

  • (7/23) - ISU Communication #1805 - Ice Dancing - Corrections to Requirements for Technical Rules with Ongoing Validity has been posted here.

  • (7/18) - There are no technical notifications this week.

  • (7/11) - There are no technical notifications this week.

  • (7/4) - Technical Notification #127 - Synchronized Skating calling specifications for wheel element has been posted here.

    Technical Notification #96 - IJS Calculations for Nonqualifying-Level Events and Non Standard Elements Scale of Values has been updated here.

  • (7/2) - Updated juvenile and intermediate pairs levels of difficulty have been posted here. Updated well-balanced program requirements for adult singles, pairs and ice dance events have been posted here.

  • (6/27) - Technical Notification #125 - Pair Skating - Intermediate Pair Skating factors has been revised here and ISU Communication #1798 - Synchronized Skating - Technical Requirements Season 2013-14 has been posted here.

  • (6/20) - Technical Notification #125 - Pair Skating - Intermediate Pair Skating factors and Technical Notification #126 - Ice Dancing - Juvenile Pattern Dance Review Clarification have been posted here.

  • (6/13) - There are no technical notifications this week.
    - A new chart detailing jump repeat requirements for Pre-Preliminary through Novice free skate along with the Well Balanced program charts for Singles Free Skate has been updated here.
    - The Adult Skating Levels of Difficulty and new season pattern dances has been updated here.

  • (6/6) - Technical Notification #124 - Ice Dancing - Pattern Dance Calling Specifications Clarification for Novice and below has been revised here.

  • (5/31) - A correction has been made to the "2013-14 Recommended Guidelines for "Skaters' Choice" Pattern Dances" here.

  • (5/30) - Technical Notification #124 - Ice Dancing - Pattern Dance Calling Specifications Clarification for Novice and below has been posted here.

  • (5/15) - Technical Notification #123 - Ice Dancing - General Rules for "Skaters' Choice" Music for 2013-14 has been updated here.

  • (5/10) - 2013-14 Well Balanced Program updates for singles and pairs have been posted here and ice dancing have been posted here.

  • (5/9) - Technical Notification #123 - Ice Dancing - General Rules for "Skaters' Choice" Music for 2013-14 has been posted here.

  • (5/2) - Technical Notification #122 - Ice Dancing, Singles and Pairs - Implementation Date of ISU Communications #1787 and #1790 has been posted here.

  • (4/18) - There are no technical notifications this week.

  • (4/11) - ISU Communication #1787 - Ice Dancing - has been posted here.

  • (3/28) - ISU Communication #1786 - Synchronized Skating - has been posted here.

  • (3/21) - The Pattern Dance Scale of Values with Sequences/Sections (no key points) has been updated here.

  • (3/7) - Two items related to pairs skating have been updated in the USAid Technical Panel Handbook - Adult Skating. Click here.

  • (3/7) - Additions to the Technical Information and the ISU Communications sections on the Ice Dancing Technical Info have been made. Click here.

  • (2/28) - A new Q&A, ISU Q&A - Singles/Pairs - Choreographic Sequences, has been posted here.

  • (2/21) - A new ISU Q&A for Synchronized Skating has been posted here.

  • (2/21) - 2013-14 Interim Short Program Elements for Singles and Pairs have been posted here.

  • (2/21) - There are no technical notifications this week.

  • (12/10) - The 2012-13 USAid Technical Panel Handbook - Adult Skating has been posted here.

  • (12/10) - The ISU has updated the Additional Q&As #2 for ice dance. The updated version has been posted here.

  • (11/21) - Technical Notification #121 - Synchronized Skating Rules - has been posted here.

  • (11/21) - An ISU Q&A for synchronized skating has been posted here.

  • (11/15) - The ISU has revised the Summary of Calls for Synchronized Skating. The revisions are in red and can be found in the documents posted here. Note: These changes are effective immediately.
    Use of the International Judging System

    The international judging system will be used at:
    • Regional and sectional championships - All qualifying levels and all disciplines
    • Synchronized sectional championships - Intermediate and above events including adult, collegiate and open junior
    • U.S. Junior Championships - All events
    • U.S. Championships - All events
    • U.S. Collegiate Championships - All events
    • U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships - Intermediate and above events including adult and collegiate
    • U.S. Adult Championships - Adult gold events and higher in the free skate (singles and pairs) and dance events, including masters open dance