With the 2019 World Synchronized Skating Championships barely a week behind us, it’s already time to start planning for next season. The Well Balanced Program Content for 2019-20 has been released, and programs will look quite different from what we saw this year. Here are the changes.

Junior

Short Program

• One less element next season (5 instead of 6).
• The whole team must execute the same fm in the Move Element. No particular fm is specified. Previously, at least half the team had to execute an unsupported spiral.
• Traveling Wheel is required. There was no traveling element in last season’s short programs.
• Required: No Hold, Twizzle, and Intersection Element (Whip).
• Not required: Pivoting Block and Synchronized Spin. These were required last season.

Free Program

• Still 8 elements, but 7 are required — last season, only 4 were required, and teams could choose the remaining 4 from a few options.
• Two Intersection Elements instead of just one. (They must be different.)
• No Hold Element is required. The No Hold Element was not required or optional in last season’s free programs.
• Move Element is required. Teams may do up to 4 different fms, unlike in the short.
• Pivoting Block and Synchronized Spin are required free program elements. Last season they were required short program elements.
• Traveling Circle is required. Last season, a Traveling Wheel was required in the free.
• Only one Artistic Element is required, and it must be a Line or Wheel. Last season, programs had two different Artistic Elements and they could be any of the Block, Circle, Line, or Wheel.
• No Creative Element.

 

Senior

Short Program

• One less element next season (5 instead of 6).
• The whole team must execute the same fm in the Move Element. No particular fm is specified. Previously, at least half the team had to execute an unsupported spiral.
• Pivoting Block is still required but must be executed in 3 lines. Last season, Senior teams had to pivot in 4 lines.
• Required: No Hold and Intersection Element (Angled).
• Traveling Circle is required. Last season, a Traveling Wheel was required.
• Not required: Twizzle Element.

Free Program

• One less element (9 instead of 10). 8 elements are required instead of 6.
• Required: Creative Element (Lift), Group Lift, two different Intersections, Move Element, and Twizzle Element.
• No Hold Element is required. Last season, it was not required or optional in the free.
• Pair Element is required. Last season, teams could choose from the Pair Element or Synchronized Spin in the free.
• Only one Artistic Element is required and it must be a Circle or a Wheel. Last season, teams had to do three different Artistic Elements and could choose from Circle, Wheel, Line, or Block.

The Technical Requirements communication will outline the difficulty levels for each element. While the difficulty levels for many elements have become fairly standardized over the years, it will be interesting to see if there are changes to newer elements like the Twizzle and Artistic Elements.

Watch here and at isu.org for further updates to next season’s rules and requirements.