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eviltracey April 2 2016, 17:00:15 UTC
(From the perspective of a figure skating fan who has just dabbled in actually doing the sport....)

1) While some people do skate school figures - is that what you're asking about?- they aren't skated in competitions. There are a set of skills that are taught and tested that are to replicate the skill set acquired by learning and skating figures. (In Canada, they're called "skating skills;" I believe that they're called "Moves in the Field" in the US.)

2) For most people, skating 2/3 times a week will allow them to be a very accomplished recreational skater. Competitive skaters train much, much more. The two most expensive things for skaters in training are ice time and coaching. (When I was dabbling in skating, other skaters would share information on where to get cheap ice time.)

The ISU has biography pages on the skaters in international competitions; they actually say how much (how many hours per week) the skater trains in both the competitive season and the off season.

3) If you can get your hands on a skating federation's handbook, it would provide a list of the different elements needed to skate - and compete - at each level.

4) On music: most skaters' music is a number of cuts (i.e., a medley), as a well-constructed program should consist of music at different tempos.

My favourite basic reference books for skating are John Misha Petkevitch's "Figure Skating", and also Kristi Yamaguchi's "Figure Skating for Dummies." Both summarize the different jumps and spins well.

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chatiel April 2 2016, 17:46:46 UTC
Thanks a lot for answering so fast !

I actually wasn't talking about school figures (sorry, I don't really understand what that is ?). Just figures a 15/16 y-o would be able to do.
I wanted to make that character a competitive skater so I'll make him train much more, thanks for telling me about it ! I didn't know that. Money is not an issue here ^^
I'll try to get my hands on a federation handbook !
For the music, can it be from different style (such as a mix between classical and pop music ? because I've heard medley but always of the same kind, for example I've seen someone skate with several cuts from the same movie OST, or some cuts from different Chopin tracks, but not different kind of music) ?

Thanks for the ref !

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eviltracey April 2 2016, 19:02:37 UTC
School figures = skating edges to form circles, e.g. figure eights. They were a part of competitive skating up to 1990. ]

If you know someone who skates, they might have a copy of their federation's handbook (AFAIK, they're only available to members, at least in Canada).

When you're editing your music, you would want it to flow - i.e., you wouldn't want the change in styles to be too jarring on people's ears. Christopher Dean described that kind of program music as being "bitty."

Example: Kurt Browning used Indian music, as well as a selection of Eastern European wind music from the "Amadeus" soundtrack, for his 1991 - 1992 short program. It fit together well, aurally.

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chatiel April 4 2016, 13:15:08 UTC
Thanks for all the informations !

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kuiskata April 3 2016, 09:21:37 UTC
I actually wasn't talking about school figures (sorry, I don't really understand what that is ?). Just figures a 15/16 y-o would be able to do.

More on compulsory figures/school figures.

That said, when you say figures in this post, do you actually mean elements (i.e. jumps, spins, etc.)? If you're got a 15-16 year old who skates competitively, you might want to look into Junior level competitions (e.g. World Junior Figure Skating Championships, as these skaters are right in that age group (13-19). You'll get a sense of the skill level (keeping in mind that there are some skaters who are 15-16 skating at the senior level - the minimum age for senior level competitons is 15; however, it is 16 for the Olympics, so you do get cases of young skaters getting gold at Nationals but not being able to compete at the Olympics because of their age).

Also, it looks like you can look at some of the ISU judging handbooks.

Re: music - remember that music with vocals was only permitted as of 2014 (vocals were only permitted in ice dance prior to that). So your music choices will also depend on the year your story is set.

And, yeah, if you're skating competitively, you train a lot.

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chatiel April 4 2016, 13:18:03 UTC
Hi, thank you for replying.

Yes, I guess I meant elements (English is not my mother tongue, that's why I'm not familiar with all the exact terms). Thanks for the links !

I'd heard about the music with lyrics, I'll have this in mind :)

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