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--WHAT JUDGES LOOK FOR Anything, from skaters' costumes and facial expressions to their connection with the music and the audience, is fair game. Good use of the entire ice surface, with elements scattered around the oval, is also important
COMBINATION JUMP
--WHAT IT IS Two or more jumps strung together with no steps in between. Top women pull off combos involving three midair revolutions per jump
--WHO DOES IT BEST Last year Irina Slutskaya, right, landed an unprecedented triple-triple-double. The Russian powerhouse and American medal contenders Sarah Hughes and Sasha Cohen all perform more difficult combinations than perennial favorite Michelle Kwan, who is planning a triple toe-triple toe. Hughes plans to launch two triple-triple combinations in her long program
--WHAT JUDGES LOOK FOR Flowing from one jump into the next is critical. Landing at a dead stop not only loses points, but also makes it harder to launch into the next jump. Edge jumps, such as the flip, Salchow and loop, which take off from the blade edge rather than the toe pick, require more technical skill, and earn higher marks for the increased difficulty
THE SPINS
--WHAT THEY ARE Twirls on the ice performed at high speed in varying positions
--WHO DOES THEM BEST For women, the layback spin is the showpiece, and both Hughes and Cohen are flexible enough to lean back with shoulders parallel to the ice while stretching their free leg into a perfect "attitude" position, up and away from the body
--WHAT JUDGES LOOK FOR In the layback, an arched back and well-placed free leg with the knee and foot parallel to the ice. Points are deducted for spins that are not centered or for failure to complete the specified number of rotations. In the short program, judges start counting the required eight turns once the skater assumes the full layback position. In the long program, the preparatory windup rotations are counted toward a total of six turns. Combination spins, in which the skater changes body position and sometimes even the spinning foot, are required elements in the short program.
In addition to the individual spins, pairs skaters also perform spins in which they are entwined as one. Here, judges reward innovative positions and quick, tightly placed twirls