SHOWDOWN ON THE ICE.

Byline: - Rich Hammond 

More than 160 athletes from across the country are competing in the eight-day U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Staples Center is the primary venue; the Szports Arena is hosting competition early in the week.

The competition is divided into championship, junior and novice categories for each gender, and each skater must complete a short program and a long program. The categories somewhat mirror minor-league baseball, as newcomers tend to start out at novice and work their way up to the higher levels as they gain more experience.

Skaters are judged both on their required elements (technical merit) and the presentation of their program. A skater must not only execute all the requirements, but also put on a good show for the judges at the same time. Choice of music, and the preparation of a program suited for that choice, is particularly important.

The short program lasts two minutes, 40 seconds, and counts for one-third of the total score, while the long program lasts a maximum of four minutes, 30 seconds and counts for two-thirds of the total score.

There are strict requirements for each program. In the short program, the men must complete seven requirements (jumps, spins and step sequences) while the women must complete eight requirements.

In the long program, there are no strict requirements as to particular jumps a skater must complete, and skaters are judged on the difficulty of the performance.

The types of jumps are known as axel, toe loop, flip, lutz, loop and salchow, and the skaters can receive a maximum of 6.0 points per program from the judges. See the diagram below for more information.

While in the air, skaters spin up to four times, land on one foot and glide backward to continue their program. A stumble or fall results in a deduction.

Failure to properly execute a requirement results in a point deduction from 0.1 to 0.5 points per judge, depending on the seriousness of the violation. Complete omission of a requirement is a more serious violation than a failed attempt at the required move.

The presentation marks make the judging very subjective at times. Judges watching the same program often come away with different impressions.

Besides the more popular singles competition, skaters also participate in pairs and ice dancing, with one man and one woman on the ice. Pairs must work in unison on jumps and lifts, while ice dancing is derived from ballroom dancing.

The top three finishers in each championship category are all but guaranteed spots on the U.S. Winter Olympic team, unless they are under 15 years old or a committee decides to instead select an injured skater. That is unlikely to happen this year.

CAPTION(S):

drawing, 4 boxes

Drawing:

(color) The five-time U.S. champion Michelle Kwan looks to defend her title yet again.

Jon Gerung, Gregg Miller/Staff Artists

Box:

(1) SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

(2) GUIDE TO FIGURE SKATING JUMPS

(3) SCORING

(4) THE RINK

Sources: Associated Press; Knight Ridder Tribune; ``Sports: the Complete Visual Reference'' by Francois Fortin