media

Updates from 2010 Governing Council in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Frank Carroll makes some remarks at the 2010 Governing Council meeting. (Photo by Kelly Hodge)

(5/1/10) - U.S. Figure Skating's 2010 Governing Council meeting is underway in Costa Mesa, Calif.

U.S. silver medalist pairs team and Olympians Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig made the opening remarks Friday afternoon at the Hilton Orange County.

"Governing Council is so important because as a body you guide the future of our sport. Your actions taken here are felt all the way down to Basic Skills," Ladwig said. "Thank you to all involved with Governing Council for taking time away from your families and friends to come to Costa Mesa to make an impact in the lives of so many skaters."

Evora and Ladwig then presented Olympic team leader Lorrie Parker with a plaque in recognition of her work in Vancouver, as well as that of fellow team leaders Richard Dalley and Mitch Moyer. (Watch Amanda and Mark's full speech on U.S. Figure Skating's Facebook page.)

Next, a highlight video was shown of Evan Lysacek's gold-medal-winning performance at the Olympics, after which his coach, Frank Carroll, gave a short speech. He talked about how skating is for people of all ages and skill levels, how being an elite-level athlete gave him the confidence to know he could accomplish anything he wanted after he was done competing and how he plans on coaching for as long as he physically can because he "absolutely loves doing it."


APPROVED - Exhibit H - Membership Committee

This establishes a new category of membership ("Introductory") at a one-year reduced rate, with an implementation date of July 1, 2010.

Introductory members are individuals who have never been a full member or individual member of U.S. Figure Skating. They will receive a special discounted membership rate for one year only, and will be accorded all the benefits and privileges of membership. No person can be an introductory member for more than one year, even if his or her membership lapses.

APPROVED - Requests for Action 101-104 - Athlete Services Group

This is a reorganization of the Athlete Development Committee, with sub-committees being created for each discipline (singles, pairs, dance, synchronized). The stated goal is to create objectives and programs to foster the growth, development and long-term success of dance, pairs, singles and synchronized skating athletes.


The Athletes Advisory Committee Dinner took place Friday night at the Hilton Orange County. Skating stars past and present - including Tara Lipinski, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, Angela Nikodinov, Ryan Jahnke, Tiffany Chin, Evora and Ladwig, Rockne Brubaker and many others - were in attendance as were coaching greats like Frank Carroll and John Nicks. Lipinski, Meno and Sand, and Evora and Ladwig gave short speeches, attendees played games of "Figure Skating Bingo," and a tribute video to outgoing AAC Chair Justin Dillon was shown. Lindsey Weber will take over as the new AAC chair. (You can watch Evora & Ladwig and Meno & Sand's speeches on U.S. Figure Skating's Facebook page and Lipinski's speech on the INcrowd.)


PSA President Kelley Morris-Adair presented the PSA Official of the Year Award to Gale Tanger. Tanger's credentials include:

• World and Olympic judge and referee for singles, pairs and synchronized skating
• ISU technical controller for singles, pairs and synchronized skating
• National judge and referee for 35 years
• International, national and World team leader
• Member of U.S. Figure Skating Board of Directors from 1984-2007

302. Adult Skating Committee
Establishes lower passing averages for adult and masters age levels as follows:

Provide Masters Passing Averages to Adult Moves in the Field Tests including separate codes and recognitions for a Masters version

• Amend passing marks to 0.2 lower than Adult MIF tests for Adult Masters 50+ (bronze through gold)

Provide Adult and Masters Passing Averages to Moves in the Field Tests including separate codes and recognitions for Adult and Masters versions

• Amend passing marks to 0.2 below standard MIF tests for Adults 25-49 (intermediate and higher)
• Amend passing marks to 0.4 below standard MIF tests for Adult Masters 50+ (intermediate and higher)

303. Adult Skating Committee
Amend rule 3502 (page 213 Rulebook) to allow vocal music for all adult free skate and adult pairs programs.


307. APPROVED AS AMENDED - Competitions Committee
Amend rules 3065, 3066 and 3067 (pages 157-159 Rulebook); delete rules 3068, 3070, 3088, 3089, 3095 and 3096 (pages 159-161 Rulebook); and renumber rules 3069, 3071, 3072 and 3090 (pages 159-161 Rulebook). The revised and renumbered rules would read as follows:

3065 Eligibility of Non-U.S. Citizens to Compete in National, Sectional or Regional Championships - Singles, Pairs and Dance and Synchronized Skating

3066 Non-U.S. citizens who are members in good standing of U.S. Figure Skating and have never competed internationally for another national skating federation may enter U.S. Figure Skating qualifying competitions if qualified by test level.

3067 Non-U.S. Citizens who are members in good standing of U.S. Figure Skating and have competed internationally for another national skating federation will make application to the chair of the Competitions Committee by submitting a Non-U.S. Citizen Application to Compete.

A. Single skaters must have resided in the United States and cannot have competed for a foreign federation for one year preceding the date of the first competition the skater wishes to enter.
B. In the case of pair or dance couples, one partner of the couple must be a citizen of the United States. The non-U.S. citizen partner must have permission from the foreign federation of the country in which the skater is a citizen.

1. Siblings who are skating together as a couple, both of whom are under the age of 18, are excluded from the requirement that one partner be a U.S. citizen as long as all other requirements of 3065 through 3072 are met.

C. A non-U.S. citizen may compete for a U.S. Synchronized Skating team provided that:

1. the foreign federation of the country in which the skater is a citizen provides permission;
2. the skater has not represented a foreign federation in the course of the same membership year (July 1-June 30);
3. at least 75 % of the team members are citizens of the United States.

3068 The application and supporting documentation, including release from the previous federation, competitive history, and a copy of the applicant's valid passport from the country of citizenship, must be submitted in English no later than the deadline for registration for the competition the skater is seeking to enter.

3069 In order to qualify for the level of competition, the applicant must have passed the necessary skating tests before the deadline established in 3212. The chair of the Competitions Committee will determine what tests are to be taken, and may elect to waive all or part of this requirement agreement.

3070 Any misrepresentation or omission of a material fact on the application, the entry form or on any documents provided will subject the applicant to discipline as specified in the U.S. Figure Skating Rulebook. For purposes of this rule, a material fact is a fact, which, if it were properly disclosed, would result in an application being denied and an entry rejected.

3071 Except as otherwise provided, only citizens of the United States are eligible for selection to the U.S. Olympic Team, the U.S. World Team, the U.S. World Junior Team or U.S. Figure Skating Team.

3072 All non-U.S. citizens who have at any time skated in United States national, sectional or regional competition and subsequently represented a foreign federation at any level of skating competition will not be eligible to compete in United States national, sectional or regional competition unless they reapply for permission to compete as provided for under the provisions of 3065.

Renumber rule 3090 accordingly.

Implementation date: June 1, 2010


308. Competitions Committee
Eliminates qualifying rounds at U.S. Collegiate Championships


310. Competitions Committee
Increases per diem and maximum reimbursement expenses to $15 for breakfast and $15 for lunch and $160 per day (dinner would remain at $30).


314. Competitions Committee
Pushes up entry deadline for U.S. Adult Championships from Jan. 15 to Feb. 1 and for U.S. adult sectional championships from Jan. 2 to Feb. 1


325-327. Dance Committee
Amends rules 3502 (page 213 Rulebook), 4221 (page 294 Rulebook), 4222 (page 294 Rulebook), 4223 (page 295 Rulebook), 4412 (page 311 Rulebook) to allow juvenile, intermediate and novice dance couples to choose their competition music for the asterisked dance (see rule 4412, pg 311).Official U.S. Figure Skating music will not be used for this dance; instead each competing couple will choose and register their own music.

Skaters' chosen music may be +/- 2 beats per minute different from the tempo as stated in the dance description of the called dance and may include vocals. Music introduction and number of patterns to be skated would not change.

Competition warm up time would be the same as the warm up time for standard compulsory dance competitions, but no competition music would be played during warm up. Soft background music may be played.


342. Singles Committee
Removes the requirement in the intermediate free skate to change feet in the combination spin


343-344. Singles Committee
For the juvenile and intermediate free skate, the optional spin is now defined as a spin in one position with no change of foot and no flying entry


345. Singles Committee
Reduces the number of jumps in the juvenile and open juvenile free skate from six to five


346. Singles Committee
Allows for the inclusion of a triple jump in the intermediate short program


350-351. Synchronized Skating Committee
Amends rule 3261 (page 172 Rulebook) regarding cross-over skaters as follows:

3261 Synchronized teams may enter more than one level, using different music and a different program, provided that there is no less than a 50 percent change of skaters. See 3260 for exceptions. No team may be comprised of more than 50 percent of athletes who are also on any other team. This applies to both the entire roster and the athletes who are skating on the ice at any given competition.


352-354. Synchronized Skating Committee
Increases the maximum team size for pre-juvenile, open juvenile and open adult from 12 to 16



the following NEW BUSINESS ITEMS were among those approved

Presented by Mark Ladwig, Athlete Delegate

Add new subsections A, B and C to rule 3142 (page 164 Rulebook) to read as follows:

3142 All juvenile and intermediate pairs and dance skaters will compete at their respective sectional championship. The eight highest-placing teams in each division (i.e. juvenile pairs, juvenile dance, intermediate pairs, intermediate dance) will advance to the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships.

A. In addition, if there are fewer than eight teams from one or more sections, a sufficient number of teams from other section(s) will be permitted to enter in order to bring the number of entrants up to a maximum of 24 at US Junior Figure Skating Championships.

B. These additional entrants in the intermediate pairs and dance and juvenile pairs and dance events will be selected in the order of their placement at the comparable sectional event of the same year.

C. If two teams are tied for the additional place both will be permitted to enter.


Presented by Wendy Enzmann, Yarmouth Ice Club

Propose to amend rule 3432 (D) (page 189 Rulebook) as follows:

3432 IJS - Duties of Event Officials - All Skating Disciplines

D. Technical controller


12. A technical controller may serve as an assistant technical specialist in qualifying competitions as follows:

a. Sectional-level-and-above technical controllers may serve as assistant technical specialists at regional and sectional qualifying competitions and all nonqualifying competitions in the discipline(s) in which they are certified.

b. Regional-level technical controllers may serve as assistant technical specialists at regional qualifying competitions and all nonqualifying competitions in the discipline(s) in which they are certified.

c. Nonqualifying level technical controllers may serve as assistant technical specialists at all nonqualifying competitions in the discipline(s) in which they are certified.

Implementation date: May 2, 2010