This week, as the figure-skating competition shifts to the women's event, the focus will be on the judges as much as the skaters. How do they make their decisions? Unlike in other sports, technical prowess counts for only so much. Winning is largely a matter of style. Evaluating the finer points of a skater's presentation, such as poise and emotive display, is subjective territory. But it could mean the difference between gold and silver, as Nancy Kerrigan learned in 1994, when judges ranked her flawless performance at Lillehammer behind Oksana Baiul's slightly flawed but more exuberant and stylish one.
Skaters can also get tripped up by a judge's cultural bias, with scores dividing along geopolitical lines. Russian and Eastern European judges, with their deep association with ballet and theater, tend to prefer skaters with classical styles, while Westerners are more receptive to contemporary moves. And prejudging is practically a requirement. Judges are encouraged to attend practices to see what the skaters can do. When they start judging, however, they reserve their highest marks for whoever they think will be the best skater--dampening prospects for early performers. Tricky jumps and graceful lines are still crucial, but in skating, luck and whim may carry the day.
--By Alice Park and Julie Rawe
THE SPIRAL
--WHAT IT IS Gliding in a continuous arc on either the inside or outside edge of one skate with the other leg extended behind. Variations include grabbing the free leg with one hand or switching edges in midglide (which is considered more difficult to do)
--WHO DOES IT BEST The exquisitely flexible Sasha Cohen, left, dips forward in a textbook Charlotte spiral while skating backward with her legs in perfect vertical alignment. Michelle Kwan does her own version of the Charlotte, as well as a signature change-of-edge spiral sequence that almost takes her from one end of the rink to the other
--WHAT JUDGES LOOK FOR A long fluid line and the ability to hold the edge
THE LUTZ
--WHAT IT IS A jump in which skaters glide on the back outside edge of one skate, kick off from the toe pick of the other and land on the edge of that skate. The rotation forces the upper body to turn in the opposite direction from the hips when entering the jump, making the move more difficult for women than for men to perform, since they have less upper-body strength to fight the lower body's rotation
--WHO DOES IT BEST Irina Slutskaya is powerful enough to hold the outside edge entering the jump, while Sasha Cohen probably turns more quickly in the air
--WHAT JUDGES LOOK FOR The most important aspect of a good Lutz is a clean outside edge on the takeoff. The U.S. women, including Kwan, above, tend to "flutz," or fudge it by shifting from the outside to the inside edge just before launching into the air. Sarah Hughes has been particularly penalized for this flaw, and to correct the problem, she does not enter the jump with as deep an outside edge
ARTISTRY
--WHAT IT IS Choreography, interpretation of music, speed in stroking and spinning, and coverage of the ice
--WHO DOES IT BEST Russian Maria Butyrskaya weaves music and moves into cohesive programs. Kwan also brings grace and maturity that are popular with fans and judges