Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Figure skating

For the correct use of figure skating terms, see Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Figure skating terminology.

The WikiProject Figure skating style guide applies to articles within the scope of WikiProject Figure skating. It is based on Wikipedia's general Manual of Style, while using the style guidelines presented by U.S. Figure Skating as orientation. This guide represents the consensus view of editors maintaining Wikipedia's articles about the sport of figure skating. However, if you notice any errors or disagree with certain recommendations, feel free to discuss them on this talk page.

Figure skating is a complex sport and performing art with a long history and list of technical terms, with a detailed terminology guide presented on a separate page. This general style guide gives an overview of the most common article types within the scope of WikiProject Figure Skating, including advices regarding the lead section, article structure, statistics tables, and the use of figure skating-specific templates.

Note that figure skating is a niche sport with rather limited coverage by mainstream media, often lacking in-depth information about encyclopedically notable events or accurate use of terminology. To have a broad selection of references for all types of articles, this page provides a list of reliable figure skating-specific sources.

General guidelines

Figure skating terminology and style guidelines

Main page: Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Figure skating terminology

Figure skating is a complex sport and performing art with a long list of technical terms and competition rules. It is subject to continuous changes regarding performed elements, judging criteria, and scoring systems, which require a high degree of sensitivity and accuracy in wording. However, figure skating is also a sport that casual readers may only watch every four years at the Winter Olympics, not being familiar with its rules and terms.

This sub-page gives an overview of the most important terms and wikilinks to the respective articles. It lists the terms with their correct spelling, abbreviation, and formatting style as well as concise definitions and distinctions from each other, providing guidance in how to make figure skating articles accessible to the widest possible general audience.

General terminology advices

• Use technical terms sparingly, following MOS:TECHNICAL and MOS:JARGON.
• Use the correct official terms, following the advices in this list of figure skating terms.
• Link to the term's respective article or section at first mention if there is one, following MOS:LINKING.
• Spell out technical terms, especially in the prose part of articles. Example: "triple Lutz-triple loop jump combination" instead of "3Lz+3Lo".
• Be consistent and avoid ambiguous terms. Example: Do not use "Mohawk turn" in the first and "C step" in the second sentence.
• Use more general terms if the context allows it. Example: "sit spin element" instead of "flying sit spin with change of foot".
• Write in descriptive style. Example: "triple Axel jump entered by a counter turn" instead of "counter triple Axel".
• Explain all parts of a difficult compound term like "rocker-counter-loop combination", using explanatory footnotes like {{NoteTag}} if needed.

General style advices

• Capitalize only the names of governing bodies, judging systems, competitions, ice shows, pattern dances, program titles, and those technical elements that are named after people, following the advices in this list of figure skating terms.
• Italicize only titles of books and official documents, non-recurring ice shows, and certain types of program titles, following these advices.
• American and British English are both accepted as long as one of the two is consistently applied in the article. Make sure to add either {{Use American English}} or {{Use British English}} at the top of the article to inform other editors about the used language variation.
• Add no-break spaces, following MOS:NBSP and these advices for no-break spaces in figure skating terms.

Lead section and article structure

Figure skating articles should follow the guidelines for article structure as per MOS:LEAD and WP:SECTIONS. Some differences do exist for figure skating articles.

• Lead size: Following MOS:LEADLENGTH, the lead can be divided into two or three paragraphs, counting ca. 250 to 400 words in readable prose size. In the case of vital or large-scope articles with multiple sub-pages, the lead can be extended to four paragraphs and about 600 words, but it must be of reasonable length compared to the content and size of the full article. For reference: the lead section of the featured article about Michael Jackson counts 540 words (as of April 2024).
• Referencing the lead: The lead section itself should only contain inline citations for information that are either likely to be challenged (like "X is considered one of the greatest skaters in history") or that do not appear in the rest of the article, which is generally discouraged. The recommendation is to mention every aspect from the lead in the article body as well, where it is sufficiently cited by reliable sources.
• General structure of the article body: There is no universal recipe for the structure of figure skating articles. This page provides suggestions for the following common article types: skater biographies, competitions, technical elements, and ice shows. For articles that do not fit any of these categories, the following basic structure can be used as orientation:

1. Terminology (if applicable): It provides a concise definition and explanation of the topic, making it more accessible for casual readers.
2. Background (if needed): It puts the article's topic into a global context, making it more accessible for casual readers.
3. History: This section is a chronological summary of all notable events related to the topic.
4. Topic-specific sections
5. Meaning or impact (if applicable): This section summarizes the topic's meaning for the sport of figure skating or beyond.
6. Statistical lists
7. Appendices and footers: See also – Notes and references – Further reading – External links.

• Structure of list class articles: For figure skating lists like cumulative medal counts, highest scores statistics or skaters' career achievements, this structure may not be applicable and should be decided case-by-case in a reasonable manner.
• Referencing the article body: Every information in the article body must be cited by reliable sources, ideally reliable secondary sources like history books, scientific journals, reputable magazines or newspaper articles. This goes especially for the prose part of the article. For a list of reliable figure skating-specific sources, see referencing.

Tables and templates

For the full list of templates used in figure skating-related articles, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Figure Skating/Templates.

Tables in figure skating articles and lists follow the general Wikipedia Manual of Style as per MOS:TABLE. That includes:

• Explanatory legend: Bulleted list of spelled-out terms and annotations placed above the table. It is recommended to place the list in a {{smalldiv}} environment. For correct usage, see examples in the sections below.
• Table caption: Summary of the table data and sorting key, which should be used on all data tables as per MOS:HEADERS. Example: "Total number of medals in men's singles by nation".
• Table size: As a general rule of thumb, tables should still look "reader-friendly" at 400 pixel display width. Keep in mind that the majority of readers uses mobile view on narrow smartphone screens, with large tables being often distorted. If a table gets too bulky, consider a split into multiple tables, use appropriate abbreviations or reduce the font size to 85%. To make lists of skaters in pairs and ice dance more compact, use the template {{FS skater}}.
• Abbreviations: To keep column headers narrow, use official abbreviations for figure skating terms, following this list, and add the spelled-out terms in the explanatory legend above the table. For the "References" column, use {{abbr|Ref.|References}}, which renders as Ref.
• Accessibility: Make sure that the table is accessible for screenreaders and similar devices as per MOS:ACCESS and MOS:DTAB:

1. Define row and column headers with intelligible titles, using the scope-parameters !scope=col and !scope=row.
2. Do NOT use multi-column headers in the middle of a table to group its content. Instead, add an additional column or split the table into multiple smaller ones.
3. Use colors only for visual support, not to add information, and use them sparingly.

• Sorting: This tool should be utilized whenever appropriate as per WP:SORT. This goes especially for cumulative medal counts and scoring results of competitions. In sortable columns, make sure to avoid multiple entries within one table cell. Here is an overview of the most common sorting keys in figure skating:

Sorting by date or season

• All chronological tables must be sorted from the oldest date at the top to the latest date at the bottom as per WP:SALORDER.
• For dates, use the format "Mon DD, YYYY" like "Feb 21, 2018". If placed in the left column, add |data-sort-type=date before the "Date" column header.
• For periods, use the format "20XX–20YY", "Mon DD – Mon DD, 20YY" or "Mon DD–DD, 20YY".
• For seasons, use the link format [[20XX–YY figure skating season|20XX–YY season]]. If "20XX–YY season" is too long, use the shortened forms "20XX–YY" or "XX–YY". All variations should be written with an en dash, not a hyphen or slash.

Sorting by skater

• To sort skaters by family name, use the template {{sortname|first|last}}.
  Example: {{sortname|Gabriella|Papadakis}} renders as Gabriella Papadakis and sorts by "Papadakis".
• If the Wikipedia page name of the skater's biography has additions in parentheses like "(figure skater)", use {{sortname|first|last|dab=figure skater}}. For more complex cases, see {{Sortname}}.
  Example: {{sortname|Javier|Fernández|dab=figure skater}} renders as Javier Fernández and sorts by "Fernández".
• For skaters from countries where the family name is placed first like China, you can use the usual link like [[Sui Wenjing]], which sorts by the family name "Sui".
• In sorting tables, split pairs or ice dance teams and place the partners in separate columns like "Female partner" and "Male partner" or "Skater 1" and "Skater 2" for gender-neutral column headers.

Sorting by country, city or competition

• For coutries, use the template with the country's abbreviation like {{AUS}} for Australia, which renders as Australia, or the shortened form {{flag|AUS}}, which renders as AUS.
• For cities and competitions, use the link to the respective article or combine it with the country flag.
  Example 1: |data-sort-value=Saitama|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Saitama (city)|Saitama]] renders as Saitama and sorts by "Saitama".
  Example 2: |data-sort-value=2021 World Championships|{{flagicon|SWE}} [[2021 World Figure Skating Championships|2021 World Championships]] renders as 2021 World Championships and sorts by "2021 World Championships".

• Sourcing: All data in a table must be sourced with exception of basic mathematical calculations and operations like the total number of medals, participations or age. For calculating a skater's exact age of the form "Y years and D days", you can use this age-calculator.
  Global sources for the full table are generally preferred to sources for single rows or cells, proving the statistics' notability as a whole and avoiding original research. Global sources are placed as inline citations after the table caption. If there are multiple sources of the same type, they can be grouped as one bundled citation like this.
  Individual sources for single rows or cells are recommended to be added as inline citations in a separate "References" column.

Figure skater biographies

These articles must adhere to Wikipedia's policies about biographies (see MOS:BIO), with special sensitivity regarding living persons (see WP:BLP).

Examples: Tara Lipinski – Yuzuru Hanyu ( career achievements) – Nathan Chen

Biography lead and structure

The lead section is a concise summary of the article body, following the style guidelines of MOS:LEAD for biographies.

• First sentence: It mentions the skater's full name in boldface, date of birth and death in parentheses, and the occupation as a figure skater. It must be clear from the wording if the skater is still active as a competitor or professional or has retired from skating altogether. If the skater is active as a professional, do NOT use the term "retired" at all and do not write "former competitive skater" without clarifying the status as an active professional.
• Second sentence: It is recommended to mention the discipline(s) the skater has competed in (like men's singles), main partner(s) in pairs or ice dance, and the period of competing (from 20XX to 20YY).
• First paragraph: It contains a compilation of the skater's most important medals and titles (with the years in parentheses), especially gold medals won at major international events (Olympics, World Championships, European or Four Continents Championships, and the Grand Prix Final) and national championships.
• Other content: The lead can also include the number of scored world records in the ISU Judging System and other notable achievements and contributions in figure skating as well as essential information about public life and the most important awards and accolades if applicable.

Article structure
For details on the content of each section, click on "show" (prose sections highlighted in grey, list sections in purple).

Early life

This section usually includes information about the skater's birth date and place, family background (if known), and how they got into figure skating.

Competitive skating career

This section is a chronologocal summary of the skater's competitive skating career from the lowest competitive level to senior level, usually structured by seasons, using the title format "20XX–YY season". In the case of skaters with long careers, senior sections can be bundled by Olympic cycles for better overview (see: Yuzuru Hanyu). Note that figure skating seasons run from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. This section usually covers information about training, competition results (placements and total segment scores), and notable achievements like records or firsts. It is also recommended to merge information about coaches and choreographers into this section to avoid duplicate content.

Professional skating career (if applicable)

This section is a chronological summary of the skater's professional skating career, mentioning notable ice show productions or participations and other contributions as a professional. If a skater has participated in professional skating competitions, the results should be mentioned here as well.

Skating technique, style, and influences (if notable)

This section is a summary of all athletic skills and performing art skills the skater is famous for as well as innovations in skating, signature moves, skating idols, and other influences.

Post-skating career(s) (if applicable)

This section is a summary of the skater's other figure skating-related occupations like skating coach, choreographer, commentator, or otherwise publicly notable occupations like singer, actor, model, politician etc.

Public life (if notable)

This section is a summary of the skater's public presence beyond their main occupations, including endorsements and ambassadorships, philanthropy, appearances on film and television, publications like autobiographies etc.

Legacy and impact (if notable)

This section is a summary of the skater's public impact. It includes the influence of people in- and outside figure skating, the impact on competitions and notable changes in the sport as well as the skater's popularity, economic and social impact if applicable.

Personal life and education

This section is a summary of the skater's notable personal information like spouses and children, university studies or other higher education, non-public occupations like high school teacher or employee, and hobbies or social media presence if notable. Information about the skater's death also belong in this section.

Records and achievements (if applicable)

See also: Biography tables and templates § World record scores and § Firsts and other records.
This section is a list of the skater's records, firsts, and other notable achievements in figure skating.

Awards (if applicable)

This section is a list of the skater's awards and accolades with the year added in parentheses.

Programs

See also: Biography tables and templates § Programs and Figure skating terminology § Program titles.
This section is a chronological list of the skater's competition and exhibition programs by season from first to last, following WP:SALORDER. The program table should include information about the program titles, used music pieces, and choreographers.

Competitive highlights

See also: Biography tables and templates § Competitive highlights.
This section contains grids with the skater's placements at figure skating competitions of all levels.

Detailed results

See also: Biography tables and templates § Personal bests and § detailed results.
This section contains tables with the skater's personal bests and a list of total segment scores achieved at senior and junior level (lower levels should not be listed). The tables and single entries are sorted chronologically from first to last. Senior results in the current +5/-5 GOE System should be placed at the top.

Appendices and footers

See also: Biography tables and templates § Footer templates.

• See also (if applicable): Bulleted list of links to Wikipedia articles related to the skater like List of Olympic medalists in figure skating or Ina Bauer (element).
• Notes and references: List of explanatory footnotes, inline citations, and cited works, using the templates {{NoteFoot}} and {{Reflist}} for example.
• Further reading (if applicable): List of additional high-quality sources about the skater that are not listed in the "notes and references" section.
• External links: Bulleted list of official weblinks related to the skater in this order: Official website (if the skater has one), ISU profile, national federation profile, Olympics profile, Olympedia profile, Skating Scores statistics page, and other notable profiles like IMDb if applicable. Social media accounts must not be listed as per WP:NOSOCIAL.
  This section also includes links to Wikipedia sister-projects like Wikimedia Commons and other footer templates.

Biography tables and templates

Infobox

Example
Born	(1998-05-04) May 4, 1998 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	169 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Figure skating career
Country	Canada
Discipline	Ice dance (2014–2019) Women's singles (until 2014)
Partner	Partner 2 (2016–2019) Partner 1 (2014–2016)
Began skating	2003
Competitive	2008–2019
Professional	2019–present
Highest WS	2nd (2013–2014)
Medal record
Event Olympic Games 0 0 1 World Championships 0 1 2 Four Continents Championships 1 2 0 Canadian Championships 2 2 0 Medal list Olympic Games 2014 Sochi Singles World Championships 2014 Saitama Singles 2013 London Singles 2018 Milan Ice dance Four Continents Championships 2013 Osaka Singles 2014 Taipei Singles 2017 Gangneung Ice dance Canadian Championships 2013 Mississauga Singles 2014 Ottawa Singles 2017 Ottawa Ice dance 2018 Vancouver Ice dance

Use the following figure skating templates: {{Infobox figure skater}} and {{Figure skating infobox medals}}.

• Place the infobox above the lead section in the article's plain text (Wiki markup code).
• Mandatory parameters: |country=, |discipline=, and |partner= (for pairs and ice dance).
• Profile picture: Use the |image= parameter to add a profile picture of the skater from the Wikimedia Commons library. Make sure to add an alternative text for screenreaders with |alt= and an image caption with |caption=.
• Coach and club: Only add the current |coach= and |skating club= for skaters who are still active at competitive level. Former coaches and clubs should be mentioned in the "competitive skating career" section in the prose part of the article, supported by reliable secondary sources.
• Retirement: Do NOT fill out the |retired= parameter as long as the skater is still active as a professional! Use |years_competitive= and |years_professional= to mark the periods of skating at competitive and professional level as shown in the example on the right.
• Highest ISU world standing: Use an ordinal number in the two-letter suffix form, with the period added in parentheses.
• For the full list of available parameters and detailed instructions, visit the template documentation.
• Medal record: Use the |medalrecord= parameter to embed the template {{Figure skating infobox medals}} in combination with the module {{FS medal}}. For detailed instructions, including skaters who changed countries or disciplines, visit the template documentation.

Note: For skaters with other notable occupations like singer or politician, the "Infobox figure skater" can be embedded into the more general {{Infobox person}}, using the |module= parameter.

World record scores

Use the following figure skating template: {{Figure skating world records}}.

• For competition names, follow these advices. For scores, use numbers with two decimal places like 93.10.
• For junior records, add (J) after the segment like "Short program (J)".
• Use the |ref= parameter to add global sources for the full table, usually the official ISU progression of highest scores tables like this bundled source. Only add individual citations in the notes column.

Example

• J – Junior record score

Chronological list of world record scores in the +5/-5 GOE System 

Date	Score	Segment	Event
Mar 8, 2018	85.90	Short program (J)	2018 World Junior Championships
Nov 3, 2018	91.53	Short program	2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki
Nov 4, 2018	183.44	Free skating
Nov 4, 2018	274.97	Combined total
Nov 16, 2018	97.12	Short program	2018 Rostelecom Cup
Mar 23, 2019	186.95	Free skating	2019 World Championships
Mar 23, 2019	294.79	Combined total

Firsts and other records

Use the following precast table:

Precast table

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Chronological list of firsts and records in competitive skating
!scope=col width=50px|Date
!scope=col|Achievement
!scope=col width=200px|Event
!scope=col width=50px|{{abbr|Ref.|References}}
|-
!scope=row|
| || || ||
|-
!scope=row|
| || || ||
|}

• For competition names, follow these advices.
• Support each first or record with a reliable secondary source, adding one or more inline citations to the "References" column.
• Only place a full stop after the achievement description if it is a full sentence.

Example: List of career achievements by Yuzuru Hanyu § Firsts and other records

Programs

Use the following figure skating templates: {{Figure skating program list}} and {{FS program}}.

• For program titles, follow these advices.
• The following information, if known and sourced, should be added to the list: program title (as submitted by the skater to the ISU), composers and/or performers, all tracks used in the music cut, and the choreographers of the program.
• Use the |refx= parameter to add sources for each season, usually the skater's ISU profile page. Example: Charlene Guignard.
• For past seasons, search the history of the skater's ISU profile page at the Wayback Machine. For exhibition programs, use reliable secondary sources like newspaper articles or the official page of the show (some have the planned programs listed), and place the reference directly as an inline citation after the program title.
  

Example

• Program details mentioned at first occurrence
• Olympic seasons highlighted in blue
• Programs performed at the Winter Olympics highlighted in bold

Competition and exhibition programs by season 

Season	Short program	Free skate program	Exhibition program
2020–21	Piano Concerto No. 5 Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven Performed by Dieter Zechlin Choreo. by John Doe	Moulin Rouge! Composed by Craig Armstrong Choreo. by Jane Doe Tracks used "El Tango de Roxanne" (performed by Ewan McGregor, José Feliciano, Jacek Koman) "Come What May" (performed by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor)	—
2021–22	Piano Concerto No. 5	"Winter" From The Four Seasons Composed by Antonio Vivaldi Choreo. by John Doe	Moulin Rouge!
			"Bohemian Rhapsody" Performed by Queen Choreo. by Jane Doe

Competitive highlights

Use the following figure skating templates: {{Figure skating competitive highlights}} and {{FS placements}}.

• For competition names, follow these advices. For placements, use ordinals in the two-letter suffix form like 1st or 22nd.
• Use the |ref= parameter to add global sources for the full table, usually the skater's ISU competition results page. Example: Gabriella Papadakis.
• Do NOT add inline citations inside table cells! It messes up the coloring and other technical features of the template.
• It is recommended to split the competitive highlights into placements at senior and lower competition levels. This keeps the tables at reasonable size, both in horizontal and vertical direction, and reduces the number empty cells to a minimum.

Example

• GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
• CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
• C – Cancelled event, WD – Withdrawal, TBD – Placement to be decided
• Medals at team events are awarded for the team result only. The individual placement at the ISU World Team Trophy is listed in parentheses.
• The 2015 Autumn Classic International was not part of the ISU Challenger Series that season.

Competition placements at senior level 

Season	2015–16	2016–17	2017–18	2019–20	2020–21
Winter Olympics			6th
Winter Olympics (Team)			5th
World Championships	10th	7th		C	TBD
Four Continents	6th	WD		2nd	C
Grand Prix Final			1st
GP Rostelecom Cup	5th	3rd	1st	WD
CS Autumn Classic	3rd	4th	2nd
U.S. Championships	4th	1st	1st	1st
World Team Trophy		5th (3rd)		3rd (1st)

Personal bests

Use the following figure skating template: {{Figure skating personal bests}}.

• For competition names, follow these advices. For scores, use numbers with two decimal places like 208.10.
• Use the |ref= parameter to add global sources for the full table, usually the skater's ISU personal bests page. Example: Sui Wenjing.
• Avoid adding inline citations in single table cells.

Example

• TSS – Total segment score highlighted in bold
• TES – Technical element score
• PCS – Program component score

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System 

Segment	Type	Score	Event
Total	TSS	298.03	2023 World Championships
Short program	TSS	102.46	2020 Four Continents
	TES	54.97	2020 Four Continents
	PCS	45.31	2023 Skate Canada
Free skating	TSS	208.10	2023 World Championships
	TES	116.22	2023 World Championships
	PCS	93.94	2023 Skate Canada

Detailed results

Use the following figure skating template: {{Figure skating detailed results}}.

• For competition names, follow these advices. For scores, use numbers with two decimal places like 208.10.
• Only list detailed results from the season onward, when the skater has officially moved up to junior level, having competed in at least one ISU-sanctioned junior or senior competition. Seasons with results at domestic junior competitions only should not be listed here.
• Use the |ref= parameter to add global sources for the full table, usually the skater's results page on Skating Scores. Example: Yuzuru Hanyu.
• Do NOT add inline citations inside table cells! It messes up the coloring and other technical features of the template.
• Use the |sourcex= parameter to link the ISU result page for each listed competition in the "Details" column. Example: 2017 World Championships.

Example

• Historical records scores achieved in the +3/-3 GOE System highlighted in bold and italic
• Small medals for the short program (SP) and free skating (FS) segment are only awarded at ISU Championships.
• Medals at team events are awarded for the team result only. The individual placement at the ISU World Team Trophy is listed in parentheses.

Results in the 2016–17 season 

Date	Event	SP		FS		Total		Details
		P	Score	P	Score	P	Score
Oct 28–30, 2016	2016 Skate Canada International	1	91.44	2	183.92	1	275.36	Details
Nov 25–27, 2016	2016 NHK Trophy	2	95.01	3	188.84	2	283.85	Details
Dec 7–11, 2016	2016–17 Grand Prix Final	1	101.04	5	171.39	4	272.43	Details
Jan 14–22, 2017	U.S. Championships	6	70.12	2	183.92	4	254.04	Details
Mar 29 – Apr 2, 2017	2017 World Championships	3	96.54	1	208.36	2	304.90	Details
Apr 20–23, 2017	2017 World Team Trophy	5	80.91	2	194.30	3 (2)	275.21	Details

Footer templates

Add the following templates if applicable:

1. Wiki sister projects: {{Commons}} or {{Sister project links}}.
2. External links: {{ISU figure skater}}, {{Olympics.com}}, and {{Olympedia}}.
3. Succession boxes: For world record and historical record holders.
4. Navboxes: See general navboxes and champions navboxes.
5. Stub templates: For articles with stub assessment class, see stub templates.

Figure skating competitions

For the correct use of competition-related terms, see Figure skating terminology § Competitions and disciplines.

Competition lead and structure

The lead section is a concise summary of the article body, following the style guidelines of MOS:LEAD. The guidelines presented in this section use the structure of the featured article about the 2018 World Snooker Championship as orientation.

• First sentence: It mentions the competition's official name in boldface, the type of competition like "international figure skating competition", the date or period of hosting, and the venue and location. The official name must not contain any internal links (see MOS:BOLDLINK).
• First paragraph: It is recommended to mention the organizer, the edition of the competition like "43rd edition of the annual World Figure Skating Championships", and the events that were contested like "men's singles" or "team event". If the competition served as an important qualifying event, that should be mentioned here as well.
• Other content: The lead can include the number of participating skaters and nations, the gold medalists in each discipline, notable records and firsts, disqualifications or controversies, and information about sponsors, broadcast, and viewership if notable and supported by reliable sources.

Article structure
For details on the content of each section, click on "show" (prose sections highlighted in grey, list sections in purple).

Background and defending champions

This section puts the competition into a global context, mentioning the type, edition, and frequency of the competition, the respective figure skating season, and the defending champions of the previous edition. If it is an ISU Championship or part of the Grand Prix or Challenger Series, that should be mentioned here as well.

Host city, venue, and organization

This section is a summary of the competition's organization, naming the main governing body and host skating federation as well as the scheduled date or period of the full event. It also mentions when and how the host city was selected, and provides a brief summary on the venue, including its seating capacity for the figure skating competition if known.

Promotion, sponsorship, and ticket sales

This section mentions the main sponsors and notable promotions of the competition. It also provides brief information on ticket prices, distributors, and sales if known.

Qualification and entries

This section mentions the number of participating skaters and nations, and lists all changes to preliminary entries, either in the prose or as a bulleted list. It also mentions the qualification criteria and procedure if applicable, including required minimum technical element scores for ISU Championships.

Format and judging panels

This section is a brief summary of the competition format, including the applied judging system, and important changes in rules or regulations to preceding competitions.

Competition summary

Disqualifications and controversies (if applicable)

Attendance and coverage

Legacy and impact (if applicable)

Records and achievements (if applicable)

See also: Competition tables and templates § World record scores and § Firsts and other records.
This section is a list of record scores, firsts, and other notable achievements in the competition.

Medalists

See also: Competition tables and templates § Medalists.
This section is a list of medalists (and small medalists at ISU Championships) of the competition by discipline.

Detailed results

See also: Competition tables and templates § Detailed results.
This section is a list of detailed results in the competition by discipline, including placements and total segment scores.

Appendices and footers

See also: Competition tables and templates § Footer templates.

• See also (if applicable): Bulleted list of links to Wikipedia articles related to the competition like Figure skating at the Olympic Games or World Figure Skating Championships cumulative medal count.
• Notes and references: List of explanatory footnotes, inline citations, and cited works, using the templates {{NoteFoot}} and {{Reflist}} for example.
• Further reading (if applicable): List of additional high-quality sources about the competition that are not listed in the "notes and references" section.
• External links: Bulleted list of official weblinks related to the competition in this order: Official website (if there is one like helsinki2017.com), ISU calendar entry (like 2017 World Championships overview), and ISU results page (like 2017 World Championships results). Social media accounts must not be listed as per WP:NOSOCIAL. This section also includes links to Wikipedia sister-projects like Wikimedia Commons and other footer templates.

Competition tables and templates

Precast tables and templates will be added here

Figure skating elements and moves

Element lead and structure

The lead section is a concise summary of the article body, following the style guidelines of MOS:LEAD.

• First sentence: It mentions the element's or move's official name in boldface, the official abbreviation in parentheses, and the parent element or skating move if it exists. Otherwise, use "figure skating element" or "figure skating move" instead.
• First paragraph: It gives a concise definition for the element or skating move, names its inventor and first adaption in figure skating, and mentions the disciplines where the element is required or commonly performed.
• Other content: The lead can include information about the most notable innovations and records and most popular variations.

Article structure
(prose sections highlighted in grey, list sections in purple)

Terminology

This section mentions the element's or move's official name(s) followed by the official abbreviation in parentheses, the parent element or move if it exists, and a precise yet accessible definition in accordance with the ISU Technical Panel Handbook. Make sure to limit the amount of technical terms to a minimum and clarify the meaning of terms that may not be known by casual readers. This section also includes commonly used unofficial names as well as important distinctions from other elements of similar name, abbreviation or definition. If the element or move is named after a person like its inventor or a skater who popularized it, this should be included in this section as well.
Make sure to use correct terminology, following the guidelines in the section for #Technical elements.

History

This section is a chronological summary of all notable records, milestones, and other events related to the element or move from its invention until today. It should mention the disciplines, in which this element or move is required or most commonly performed, and name all people who notably contributed to the its adaption in figure skating, development, and popularization, including important records and firsts. If the element or move is borrowed or used in other sports or performing arts, that should be included in this section as well.

Execution

This section is a summary of the element's or move's technical execution, including its physical background, mechanics, and athletic requirements, with focus on the most challenging or unique aspects. If known and supported by reliable sources, the frequency, success rate, and most common execution mistakes among skaters should be mentioned as well.
If available, the section should be supported by appropriate visuals, illustrating the correct execution of the element or skating move.

Competition rules and requirements (if applicable)

This section is a summary of the element's or move's adaption in figure skating competitions. It mentions in which disciplines and competition segments the element or move is required or permitted, and the rules that need to be followed like repetitions, required number of revolutions etc. If there have been notable changes in history (like the abolition of compulsory figures or prohibition of backflips), this should be mentioned here briefly as well.

Variations (if applicable)

This section contains a list of known variations of the element or skating move, ideally supported by an image gallery. The list entries must be supported by reliable sources.

Scoring values (if applicable)

This section contains a list of the element's main base values and factored GOE ranges in accordance with the ISU Scale of Values. If there have been notable changes in history, this should be mentioned here as well.

Records and firsts (if applicable)

This section contains a list of notable records and firsts related to the element or skating move.

Appendices and footers (See also – Notes and references – Further reading – External links)

Ice shows

Ice show lead and structure

The lead section is a concise summary of the article body, following the style guidelines of MOS:LEAD.

• First sentence: It mentions the ice show's official name in boldface, the type of show (like "annual touring ensemble ice show"), the producer and organizer, and the country where it is held. In the case of non-recurring shows, the date or period of hosting and the venues and locations should be mentioned.
• First paragraph: It is recommended to mention the show format (like "skating exhibitions"), cast size and number of performances, duration of a single show, and the number of shows and legs per edition.
• Other content: The lead can include information about notable features of the show, ticket sales and view numbers, broadcast, and sponsors if supported by reliable sources. Since ice shows are very individual in their production, format, grossings, and criticial reception, it is up to the discretion of the editor to compile the most notable information in an appropriate way.

Article structure
(prose sections highlighted in grey, list sections in purple)

Section guidelines will be added here

Appendices and footers (See also – Notes and references – Further reading – External links)

Referencing

Reliable figure skating-specific sources

For the interest of broadness and comprehensiveness of figure skating articles, there are occasions when it is necessary to follow Wikipedia's Ignore all rules policy. This goes especially for articles about figure skating elements, judging systems, and discipline-specific rules and regulations, which require a high degree of accuracy in terminology and attention to detail that secondary sources may not provide. In such cases, it is often unavoidable to resort to self-published official documents by the International Skating Union (ISU) or other organizations that oversee the sport. Some of the best reporting on figure skating is done in-house by the ISU and national federations like U.S. Figure Skating and Skate Canada.

International Skating Union and national federations

• ISU Communications: Publications and announcements of changes in figure skating rules and regulations; published by the International Skating Union in Lausanne, Switzerland.
• ISU Special Regulations & Technical Rules: Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance, published by the ISU in September 2022.
• ISU Technical Panel Handbooks, last updated by the ISU in July 2023 for singles and pairs, and August 2023 for ice dance.
• ISU Scale of Values, last updated by the ISU in 2022 for singles and pairs, and in 2023 for ice dance.
• ISU Figure Skater Biographies: Profiles, competition results, and personal bests; published by the ISU.
• ISU Figure Skating Results: Detailed results pages for international competitions; published by the ISU.
• ISU Figure Skating Statistics: Highest scores, personal bests and season's bests, published by the ISU.
• Skate Canada Info Centre: Glossary of figure skating terms; published by Skate Canada in Ottawa, Canada.
• U.S. Figure Skating: Rules and regulations, terminology and style guidelines, results and more; published by in Colorado Springs, United States.

Figure skating websites

• Golden Skate: News, events, and results; published in Cary, United States.
• Olympics: Figure Skating: News, history, and statistics; published by the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland.
• Skate Guard: Figure skating history before the IJS era (until 2003); published by Ryan Stevens in Halifax, Canada.
  Note: Skate Guard was featured on the official website of U.S. Figure Skating in 2021.
• Skating Scores: Scoring statistics for skaters and competitions in the ISU Judging System (since 2023); published in the United States.
  Note: Skating Scores was cited by The Washington Post in 2022.
• U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone: News, events, results, and skater biographies; published by U.S. Figure Skating in Colorado Springs, United States.

Figure skating magazines

• Figure Skate Life (フィギュアスケートLife), published multiple months per year by Fusosha in Tokyo, Japan (in Japanese).
• International Figure Skating (IFS), published every two months until 2023 by Susan D. Russell^† in Denville Township, United States.
• Kiss & Cry, published multiple months per year by Tokyo News in Tokyo, Japan (in Japanese).
• Pirouette, published ten months per year by Stefan Schulze in Creglingen, Germany (in German).
• Skating Magazine, published eight months per year by Troy Schwindt, U.S. Figure Skating, in Colorado Springs, United States.
• World Figure Skating (ワールド·フィギュアスケート, WFS), published multiple months per year by Shinshokan in Tokyo, Japan (in Japanese).
• Other irregular or discontinued Japanese figure skating magazines:
  • Figure Skate Days
  • Figure Skating Cultural Book
  • Figure Skating Magazine
  • Quadruple Axel

Books about figure skating history and techniques

• Hines, James R. (February 20, 2006). Figure Skating: A History. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0252072864.
• Hines, James R. (April 22, 2011). Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0810868595.
• Hines, James R. (March 20, 2015). Figure Skating in the Formative Years: Singles, Pairs, and the Expanding Role of Women. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0252039065.
• Kestnbaum, Ellyn (May 21, 2003). Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 978-0819566423.
• Petkevich, John Misha (March 1, 1989). "Figure Skating: Championship Techniques". Sports Illustrated. New York City: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0452262096.
• Stevens, Ryan (November 4, 2022). The Almanac Of Canadian Figure Skating. Halifax, Nova Scotia: self-published. ISBN 979-8361974481.
• Stevens, Ryan (January 18, 2023). Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps. Halifax, Nova Scotia: self-published. ISBN 979-8374044348.

Archiving sources

The International Skating Union often overwrites existing versions of a website or PDF document instead of creating a new page. Common expamples are figure skater biographies and various statistics pages. To make sure that the cited information does not get lost, archive a screenshot of the page at the Wayback Machine or archive.today.

To search the archive history of a specific web page for existing screenshots, enter the URL-address in the search bar of the Wayback Machine.
This example shows all screenshots of Javier Fernández' ISU biography page that were archived in 2017.

As per WP:PLRT, make sure to add the parameters |archive-date= and |archive-url= to the citation templates of all online sources used in an article. When all online sources have been successfully archived, add the template {{Archived reflist}} at the top of the article's talk page:

See also

Manual of Style

• Wikipedia:Core content policies
• Wikipedia:Manual of Style
• Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Figure skating terminology
• Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility/Data tables tutorial

WikiProject Figure Skating

• Wikipedia:WikiProject Figure Skating
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Figure Skating/Assessment
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Figure Skating/Templates

External links

• International Skating Union (official website)
• U.S. Figure Skating (official website)
• Skate Canada Info Centre (official website)