The ISU has published the 2018-19 Scale of Values in Communication 2170. This replaces Communication 2116 from last season. Most interestingly, it gives us our first look at the -5 to +5 GOE points scale. More specific details about the new GOE criteria will be released this summer, but in the meantime, this scale can be used to help decide which difficulty levels to attempt by comparing base values.

For instance, take a look at Intersection Level 5 on page 3. All of these combinations will have the exact same base value (5.50 points):

• Back-to-back two-line, L, or combined intersection with backward continuous 720 degree or more rotation (I1+pi3)
• Back-to-back box or triangle intersection with backward continuous 360 or more rotation (I2+pi2)
• Back-to-back whip or angled intersection with forward continuous 360 or more rotation (I3+pi1)

Similarly, a Level 2 Pivoting Block with +3 GOEs and Level 4 Pivoting Block with -2 GOEs will both be worth 5.20 points. And one will leave a much better impression on the program as a whole than the other.

Knowing this can help coaches and choreographers make smart choices when designing your programs. The top teams in the world will almost always attempt the highest difficulty levels, but those team that are still developing need to be more strategic about the difficulty levels they will attempt. If it’s your team’s first year trying a back-to-back angled intersection, you can get a better score (and build the team’s confidence) by doing a pi1 and getting positive GOEs, than if you try pi3 and get very poor GOEs (and also risk major errors like falls).

Use the Scale of Values to your advantage. Spending a bit of time crunching numbers now can have a big pay-off later.