How is geometry used in figure skating?

Answer 1

Geometry used to be a major factor in creating and judging compulsory, or school figures, the first phase of figure skating competitions until 1991. School figures are still the building blocks of skating technique, skill and discipline, although they are no longer a formal part of competitions. They were a series of figure 8's and other designs skaters had to trace on the ice. Once they were done, the judges walked out onto the ice and measured for circles that were perfectly round and all the same size. They checked to see that all the circles in a figure lined up with themselves and on a central axis. Some excellent videos may be found on YouTube, including one about the 1976 Ladies' Olympic school figures, which shows how the figures are executed and how they are judged.