The World Figure Sport Society (WFSS) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the revival of Figures and Fancy Skating and not just compulsory figures (or school figures), which were formerly a segment of figure skating and gave the sport its name.[1][2] Figures are the "circular patterns which skaters trace on the ice to demonstrate skill in placing clean turns evenly on round circles".[2] For approximately the first 50 years of figure skating as a sport, until 1947, compulsory figures made up 60 percent of the total score at most competitions around the world.[3] These figures continued to dominate the sport, although they steadily declined in importance, until the International Skating Union (ISU) voted to discontinue them as a part of competitions in 1990.[4][5]
The WFSS, dedicated to the revival of figures and fancy skating, was created in 2015 by 1994 Olympian and figures expert, Karen Courtland Kelly.[6][7] Its operations are based in Lake Placid, New York.[8] Also in 2015, WFSS' Skating Hall of Fame was formed and the first World Figure Championship on black ice was held [1][6] and renamed the World Figure and Fancy Skating Championships, or WFFSC, after the literary skating masterpiece that was written in 1895 by George A. Meagher, (The Champion Figure Skater of the World starting in 1891).[1]
In 2015, Olympic champion and commentator Dick Button attended and he was the first inducted into World Figure Sport's Skating Hall of Fame and also commentated for the World Figure Championship's live stream. Simultaneously WFSS hosted the Figure Festival (on the same world championship's black ice), an event that allowed skaters to practice figures and learn the art of skating from experts.[9][1] According to the WFSS, the festival was open for all ages and skating levels; coaches from all disciplines conducted workshops for participants, both on and off the ice.[10] In 2023, the festival was free of charge, open to the public, and included art and historical exhibits, performances, and workshops and tutoring sessions for all ages, skating levels, and disabilities.[1]
Kelly, who was the first female Olympian to teach figures and fancy skating and who conducted online workshops about figures, organized and commentated live-streamed broadcasts of the world championships.[11][6][7] As of 2019, Kelly was the president of WFSS.[12] By 2023, nine WFFSC on black ice had been held.[6]
^ abcd"Olympic Authority Announces World Figure and Fancy Skating Championships Return to Lake Placid October 4–8". The Adirondack Almanack. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^ ab"Special Regulations for Figures" (PDF). U.S. Figure Skating Association. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^Hines, p. 35
^Hines, p. 197
^"No More Figures in Figure Skating". The New York Times. Associated Press. 9 June 1988. p. D00025. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^ abcdSchwindt, Troy (27 January 2024). "Figures and Fancy Skating". U.S. Figure Skating. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^ abSausa, Christie (21 May 2020). "World Figure Skating Enthusiasts take Figures Online". Lake Placid News. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^La Franca, Joey (2 January 2021). "Cool as Ice: World Figure & Fancy Skating Championships Thrive in Plattsburgh". Press-Republican. Plattsburgh, New York. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^Sausa, Christie (1 September 2015). "Figures Revival". Lake Placid News. Lake Placid, New York. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^"World Figure Championship & Figure Festival Coming to Lake Placid, NY" (Press release). Lake Placid, New York: World Figure Sport Society. 24 April 2015. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^La Franca, Joey (2 January 2021). "Competitors Carve out Their Talents at Skating Championships". Press-Republican. Plattsburgh, New York. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^Radnofsky, Louise (20 December 2019). "Who Needs Triple Axels and Toe Loops—Give Us 'Compulsory Figures'". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
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