At the 2022 Governing Council, delegates approved changes to the test structure which went into effect July 1, 2023. All members received communication about the changes via email and updates on the U.S. Figure Skating website. The most substantial change is that the term, “Moves in the Field” has changed to “Skating Skills,” and pre-juvenile through senior will reflect a bronze-silver-gold path.
Tests is the largest “program” in U.S. Figure Skating, with nearly 60,000 tests taken in a given calendar year. The test structure separates figure skating from other sports by providing a self-driven path for each athlete to excel in their own way and earn important accolades.
Striving to become a “Gold Medalist” is a long-honored tradition that our athletes should be encouraged to work towards and that both clubs and U.S. Figure Skating should support and recognize as a worthy goal. In addition, while tests have historically driven the levels that athletes compete in, the disparity that we see between the skill level in tests and its parallel level in competition has grown significantly over time. This can be frustrating and confusing for skaters and parents.
The goals of the change were to modernize and refresh the language of our test structure, as well as distinguish it from the competitive structure, in order to provide more clarity and importance for skaters are parents as they move into identifying as a figure skater.
Moves in the Field vs. Skating Skills
The term “Moves in the Field” was adopted approximately 30 years ago when U.S. Figure Skating moved from figure tests being the base of skating to a series of skills done “in the field” vs., on a small patch of ice, replacing it. While this reference made sense for those transitioning from figure skating moves in the field, it has become outdated. Moves in the Field are essentially core skating skills, and re-naming the track to more accurately reflect what should be learned is cleaner and more understandable.
With the adoption of IJS, skating skills have become an even more impactful term. Skaters receive a mark specifically for skating skills as one of three marks in their Program Components Score, emphasizing that it is important for skaters to work on this area as a foundation for skating. This is across all disciplines, just as skating skills is a prerequisite for all other tests.
Finally, the term Moves in the Field is unique not only to figure skating, but figure skating in the U.S. The term is not found in any other federation, including our closest neighbor, Skate Canada, which also uses Skating Skills as a test discipline.
Free Skate vs. Singles
While the term “free skate” was used to title tests in the singles discipline, in other parts of the sport, “free skate” is a competition segment. I.e., singles short program or free skate, pairs short program or free skate, synchronized short program or free skate. “Singles” is consistent with “Pairs” and distinguishes the test as being in that discipline of figure skating.
Bronze-Silver-Gold Pathway
While it has been a time-honored tradition to become a “gold medalist,” U.S. Figure Skating awards gold test medals, has gold test jackets and clubs honor their members through gold medal honor-rolls, this is unofficial, with the exception of pattern dance and adult tests. Skaters, for years, have followed the pattern of juvenile-intermediate-novice-junior-senior; while calling the final test their “gold test,” and celebrating appropriately! In order to provide skaters with a clearer and more exciting journey to earn that gold test, all tests have been renamed to illustrate this progressive path.
| Skating skills | Singles | Pairs | Free Dance (Solo and Partnered) | Pattern Dance (Lead and Follow; Solo and Partnered) |
| Pre-Preliminary | Pre-Preliminary | |||
| Preliminary | Preliminary | Preliminary | ||
| Pre-Bronze | Pre-Bronze | Pre-Bronze | ||
| Bronze | Bronze | Bronze | Bronze | Bronze |
| Pre-Silver | Pre-Silver | Pre-Silver | Pre-Silver | Pre-Silver |
| Silver | Silver | Silver | Silver | Silver |
| Pre-Gold | Pre-Gold | Pre-Gold | Pre-Gold | Pre-Gold |
| Gold | Gold | Gold | Gold | Gold |
| International | ||||
Click HERE for a more extensive illustration.
Supporting our athletes
Once a month, U.S. Figure Skating will send out individualized emails to all athletes who pass a test (or complete a pattern dance level) recognizing their accomplishments. The email will include a graphic of where the athlete is on their journey to the gold test, as well as a graphic they can display on social media platforms. The bronze-silver-gold pathway will be more clear to those outside of the sport, where terms like “pre-juvenile” and “novice,” which have other meanings may not appropriately describe the accomplishment.
Test patches will be refreshed for the first time in twenty years, and U.S. Figure Skating is in the process of adding a product line to the online store, including jackets for both Gold Medalists, and for test skaters of all levels to display their patches.
Eligibility changes
The final adjustment to encourage athletes to achieve within the test program is that singles athletes are now allowed to test higher than their competitive level in both the Excel program and the well-balanced program / NQS track. As the skills expected in competition have significantly surpassed technical requirements for parallel test level, it was important to recognize that many athletes were being “held back,” in their tests. This will allow singles athletes to compete at an appropriate level for their skill while still having the opportunity to earn their gold singles test in a time frame that works for them. This has always been allowed in the skating skills track (i.e., you were allowed to have gold moves in the field test and juvenile free skate), as well as in competitive requirements for synchronized skating, ice dance and pairs.
Singles tests will remain a baseline prerequisite for competition, and athletes will not be allowed to “move down or backwards” in competition. For example, if you enter the National Qualifying Series in the intermediate women’s event, you must have passed at least the pre-silver singles test, but you are welcome to accelerate and test higher. You may not, however, enter juvenile girls next season. Click HERE for the competition eligibility chart.