Rules

2019-20 GOE Guidelines Explained

When the new rules for the upcoming synchronized skating season are published each year, many of us gravitate towards the technical documents. But trying out a “GOE first” mindset could be what really sets your team apart this season.

There are always many new technical details to understand, and determining which difficulty levels will be appropriate for your team is of course a crucial part of program construction. But year after year, I see many teams focus only on technical aspects, and treat GOE as an afterthought.

Teams prioritize getting their levels called, without realizing that attention to GOE can actually help improve their technical scores. Having good shape, unison, speed and flow goes a long way towards the successful execution of all Elements — and especially those like Intersections, weaving Circles, and Moves Elements where there’s little room for error when skaters are in close proximity.

With that in mind, here are the important things to note about GOE in ISU Communication 2246.

(more…)

2019-20 GOE and PCS Guidelines

When I posted about the new technical requirements communication earlier, I missed seeing that the 2019-20 GOE and PCS Guidelines have also been published. This communication replaces 2190 from last season.

As with the technical requirements, I’ll post a summary in the next few weeks. The most important changes to note for now are:

  • Three (3) Key Aspects instead of five (5).
  • New criteria for achieving +4 or +5.

 

2019-20 Technical Requirements

The ISU has published Communication 2247, which outlines the new technical requirements for 2019-20. This replaces Communication 2182.

In the coming weeks, I’ll post a longer summary of what’s new. At a glance, here are some of the more significant changes:

  • Four (4) difficulty levels instead of three (3) for the Intersection, Move Element, and Synchronized Spin.
  • Fewer feature options for Artistic Elements.
  • Some very interesting new features for Traveling Circles.
  • Extra features to add difficulty to death spirals.

Happy reading!

What do you want to learn from 32blades?

Do you have questions about synchronized skating rules or officiating? Fill out this short survey to ask. Your answers will help create content that is relevant and meaningful to the synchro community.

Your survey responses will be anonymous. Thanks for taking a few minutes of your time to help improve 32blades!