February 17th, 2010

Olympics figure skating 2010 continues to amaze fans.  Figure skating is one of the most popular Olympic medal events.  There are men’s singles, ladie’s singles, and doubles competitions.  Earlier this week, China brought in the gold and silver for the figure skating doubles, but the sport isn’t done with their Olympic fanfare yet. There are plenty of events left, and plenty of opportunities for skaters to go for the gold.

Tomorrow, February 18, will be a medal event for the men at the 2010 Vancouver games.  There’s much excitement and anticipation building over the competition, and once it’s over fans will have to wait until February 22 for the next medal event.  This is when the “Ice Dance Free Dance” competition will be held.

The Ladies single medal event will take place on February 25, which is towards the end of the 2010 games.

What is Ice Dancing? Ice Dancing is a couples’ skating event that does not feature the spins, whirls, and twirls featured in the couples’ program.  Think of it as ballroom dancing on ice, where athletes are judged based on their interpretation of the music and their overall flow.

During the singles program, a skater must complete a short program and a long program.  The short program lasts under 3 minutes, whereas the long program lasts between 4 and 4 ½ minutes.  Each program has requirements set for twirls, spins, and jumps that each person must perform.

If you haven’t watched figure skating in a while, it may be worth your time. It’s an artistic and entertaining sport.  If you don’t like to actually watch the skater, the music is usually pretty relaxing and good.

Source:
Vancouver Olympics Official Web site