The changing face of figure skating

LOS ANGELES • Back in his hometown, Evan Lysacek remembered when he dominated American figure skating with speed and style, when he placed a priority on technical elements but didn’t value them so much that his head started spinning.

Three years ago, he won a silver medal at the U.S. Championships and qualified for the Olympics without landing a quad toeloop — a four-rotation jump that’s standard in the programs of today’s elite skaters.

Combine the quad with eight triple jumps in a rigid free skate, and Lysacek isn’t anything like his 2006 form. Then again, he’s built for a 5-year-old judging system in which precision beats pomp, accuracy trumps artistry, execution steamrolls enthusiasm.

Sweeping changes in scoring by the International Skating Union, prompted by a judging scandal at the 2002 Olympics, still are being debated at the world championships, which began Tuesday and run through Saturday at Staples Center.

Proponents argue the difficulty in switching from the 6.0 system to a computer-based system similar to ones in diving and gymnastics is outweighed by the more accurate representation of a skater’s performance and the assurance of honest judges.

Skating purists want the flair to return to their sport. They would rather see lots of grace than a sprint to stage the most technically ambitious move.

“The new system is more demanding,” said American ice dancer Meryl Davis, a contender for the 2010 Vancouver Games with partner Charlie White. “It takes a lot more out of a skater, and it’s showing.”

Broadmoor Skating Club member Jeremy Abbott has worked tirelessly on a quad he botched last month at the Four Continents Championships. His training partner, Brandon Mroz, has concentrated on a triple lutz-triple toe and a straight line step sequence.

“How I skate matters most,” said Mroz, a Cheyenne Mountain High School senior. “It’s just all about the skate. What I put into that skate is what people will take away.”

Canadian Patrick Chan passed on a quad at Four Continents, where he edged Lysacek, a two-time world bronze medalist, for his fourth senior-level international victory.

“If you do the quad clean, you’re going to have huge marks, but only if you do the rest of your program,” Chan said. “People get overwhelmed, and it’s easy to lose focus. It’s not necessary to have a quad.”

Lysacek disagreed with Chan, calling the quad a “high risk and dangerous element. It hurts to fall on it, but it feels really good to land it.”