Most of us have seen figure skating. It’s not what it was once upon a time… Remember when there were compulsory figures that had to be skated? Remember how Americans were notoriously bad at this until Scott Hamilton skated it perfectly?

Well, the figures of figure skating are no more. We’re left with the short program and the long program (or free skating) and a new scoring system.

In the Olympics there are four Figure Skating events: ladies singles, men’s singles, pairs, and ice dancing. I’ve already covered ice dancing separately, so we’ll just concentrate on the other disciplines.

The short program consists of eight prescribed elements such as jump combinations and spins. In the long program, skaters perform an original arrangement of techniques to music of their choice.

Pairs also perform a short program and free skate. The couple works as one unit, demonstrating overhead lifts, throw-jumps with the man launching his partner, and other maneuvers.

Now, let’s talk about this new scoring system. Don’t expect to see any 6.0 scores in the 2006 Turin Olympics. You can expect, instead, to see scores like 189. And you won’t be able to curse the French or Russian judges, either, because the scores are posted anonymously. There’s a little less suspense in the “kiss and cry” area, since the score is posted as one total, instead of the slow unveiling of each of the scores separately.

There are points for jumps, spins, footwork and artistic elements. Complete a triple? You get a certain number of points. Fall down? There’s a mandatory deduction.

There are now 12 judges. 9 of the judges’ scores count. Which 9 is chosen at random. The highest and lowest scores for each element are dropped, and the rest are averaged. The averaged marks for each of the elements are then added together to give the total score.

Points fall into two areas: technical and program components. Technical points are awarded for jumps, spins and footwork. Program component points are awarded for skating skills, transitions, performance and execution, choreography and interpretation. And, yes, there is now instant replay in skating.

The technical score adds the score from different elements. There is a limit to how many of each element an athlete can perform. For singles, the short program has three jump elements, three spin elements and two footwork elements (or a spiral sequence for women). A men’s long program can have eight jump elements. Women can have seven. Men and women may perform four spins and two step sequences.

Each element has a point value based on level of difficulty. An execution scored, based on how well the element is performed, is then added or subtracted from the base value.

For example, a triple axel has a base value of 7.5 points. To that point value, the judges may add or subtract up to 3 points, depending on how the jump is performed. A fall earns a mandatory minus 3.

The five program component scores range from 0.25 to 10.0 to reflect very poor to outstanding. These scores evaluate overall skating quality; difficulty and quality of steps linking the elements; style and originality.

Short program and free skate points are added together for a final total.