Figure skaters can perform their best elements with an excellent grade of execution, but if the skating music editing did not work, the result is not receiving the ultimate reaction: “Awe! That program was awesome.” Only those whose music was edited with due care for elements’ timing and other inside tricks, get that. This may mean the difference between winning the championship and not making it up the pedestal, or just missing the opportunity to show the athlete’s big potential.
The goal of sport is to be competitive. The figure skating music goal is to help the skating competitors achieve their best performance. Yet so many times, while watching the competitions of any level, we observe and hear that the music was not well-suited for a particular competitor. Other times, we note that the music was not edited with due professionalism and understanding of the figure skating program structure.
Many enthusiasts edit music for skaters making glaring mistakes like chopping off phrases, or breaking the rhythm, or a more nuanced error slips their untrained ears. Those mistakes adversely impact the overall artistic impression and may result in downgrade of the second mark.
On other occasions, we notice that everything about the skaters’ image worked, but something was not right. The elaborate costumes were designed well and appropriately bejeweled. The skating elements were delivered well. So, what was wrong? The skater or skaters were just not into their music. This usually means that their music was chosen not to focus the athlete’s connection to music, but to mechanically perform the program. They missed artistry and emotion.
Figure skating music should actually help the skaters reveal both their technical and artistic skill to the fullest of the skaters’ current ability, when properly edited. Best music selection and editing plan for potential growth over the next season of two.
