MUSIC THE MISSING ELEMENT Morry Stillwell (Former President US Figure Skating Association) The 2000 - 2001 Qualifying Competition season is almost upon us. Entries have closed and some 3000 skaters will have started up the path leading to the United State Figure Skating Championships. Several hundred skaters will finally qualify through their Regional and Sectional Championships to the National Championships. To reach this point in a skaters career it has taken a lot of hard work by the skater and, as you parents know, a large financial commitment to support your child’s dream of excellence. I am sure that every Parent tries to provide the best support system for a skater to help that skater improve and do well at any competition. Parents search for the proper coach, the right skates, a proper conditioning/ballet program and spend more than I care to think about for a costume that will present their child in the best possible light. Question: Why, after the hard work, financial commitment, and sometimes-family sacrifices to support a Competitive Skater, does a skater come to an event with a music tape that does not work? Music Quality I will not get into the selection and appropriateness of skating music because that is a subject all its own. The purpose of this article is to address the technical and quality aspects of music tapes that accompany a skater to a competition. At every competition at which I have judged or refereed this summer there have been music tapes that should have been put in the trash can. Some music tapes were so poorly recorded that, even with considerable tone equalization and noise reduction by the music technician, the result could not be considered proper music. In at least one case the tape was recorded from music out of a "Boom-box" speaker using a microphone attachment to a Walkman. Such poorly recorded music makes it very difficult for a judge to evaluate a skater's ability to skate to that music. Remember that a skater’s performance in relationship to their music is an important element in determining the second mark, Presentation. Poor music is distracting for a judge and interferes with that judge’s ability to evaluate the program. There are the other horror stories that are common with music tapes. Tapes do not work very well when the cassette has been placed on the dashboard of the car or on the back window shelf. The hot sun literally melts the tape, case and all. After such treatment, if a tape plays at all, the tape will have stretched and the timing will be off along with tonal distortion. A spilled cup of coffee or a diet coke does not add to music quality when that spill soaks the cassette. Music Time I am sure that everyone is aware that there are USFSA competition rules that specify the time requirements for every skating program. Yet, at each competition some programs will be over the allowable time. Perhaps the penalties for a program exceeding are not well known. ISU and USFSA rules specify that when a program exceed the maximum allowable time, a whistle is to be blown; the judges are to stop judging, regardless of how long the skater continues to perform after the whistle. In addition, a 0.1 deduction is to be taken for each 10 seconds overtime up to 30 seconds, at which time the skater is disqualified. It may help you to know that timing of the program starts when the skater begins to perform and ceases when the skater comes to a finish. A skater may not always start with the music or they may not finish with the music. (Not finishing with the music can reduce marks given by the judges) There is no excuse for a program running over time. The result of such a planning, timing, or coaching mistake can have a disastrous effect on a skater. Tape recording and tape playback machines can and do operate at different speeds. The only way to insure that a program will not run over time is to use a stopwatch and time the program. My advice is to buy a cheap electronic stopwatch and check the time yourself. This can only be done when the music is being played on the specific equipment that will be used during the competition. It is also wise to mark the actual music run time desired on each cassette, so that the music technician will be alerted if there is a problem. USFSA music equipment used for all qualifying competitions is the best and most accurate equipment available. The USFSA equipment can be adjusted to either speed or slow a tape, insuring a program will be within competition time limits. Remember, a tape that is within the time limit using your or your coach’s equipment may not be within specification on the equipment used for competition. Music is as important to a skater’s success as are properly sharpened skate blades. Don’t let a mistake or an oversight cast a shadow over a year of hard work.