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Competitive Figure Skating FAQ: References

Sender: sandra@dartfrog.localdomain Newsgroups: rec.sport.skating.ice.figure Subject: Competitive Figure Skating FAQ: References Reply-To: sandra@frogsonice.com Summary: This article is part of the FAQ list for (amateur) competitive figure skating. This section contains references to other sources of information about the sport. From: Sandra Loosemore <sandra@frogsonice.com> Message-ID: <m3zn96p5gq.fsf@dartfrog.localdomain> User-Agent: Gnus/5.09 (Gnus v5.9.0) Emacs/21.2 Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 00:03:09 GMT Archive-name: sports/skating/ice/figure/references Last-modified: 20 Apr 2004 COMPETITIVE FIGURE SKATING FAQ: =============================== REFERENCES ========== This article is part of the FAQ list for (amateur) competitive figure skating. This section contains references to other sources of information about the sport. This FAQ list is posted monthly to rec.sport.skating.ice.figure. Send corrections and suggestions to sandra@frogsonice.com. This file is available in both plain-text and HTML/Web versions. You can get to the HTML version from SkateWeb Figure Skating Page at URL: http://www.frogsonice.com/skateweb/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents * [1] Are there any good books about figure skating? * [2] What about magazines? * [3] Are there any other figure skating resources on the net? * [4] Who wrote this FAQ list? * [5] Can I redistribute this FAQ list? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Are there any good books about figure skating? A recommended book about the technical aspects of figure skating is John Misha Petkevich's "Figure Skating: Championship Techniques" (ISBN 0-452-26209-7), published by Sports Illustrated and available in many bookstores. It's a trade-sized paperback, and features photos of Brian Boitano. "Figure Skating for Dummies", by Kristi Yamaguchi and Christy Ness with Jody Meacham (http://www.dummies.com/, ISBN 0-7645-5084-5), focuses more on competitive skating than on the details of technique. It covers much the same ground as this FAQ. One caveat: do not confuse the "cheat sheet" for scoring with the actual rules used by judges. For that, you'll need a current copy of the official rulebook. The US Figure Skating rulebook includes complete competition and eligibility rules, diagrams of compulsory figures and dances, and a directory of participating clubs. It comes in a loose-leaf binder and costs about $10. It's updated yearly, in the fall. You can order a copy directly from US Figure Skating, at: 20 First Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80906 (719)-635-5200 http://www.usfigureskating.org/ usfigureskating@usfigureskating.org You might also be able to buy a copy through your local skating club or pro shop. Beverly Smith's book "Figure Skating: A Celebration" (McClelland & Stewart, ISBN 0-7710-2819-9) is an excellent source of information about the history of the sport. It's a large hardcover book, featuring many photographs of famous skaters. There's now a trade paperback edition available. The "Skater's Edge Sourcebook" is also a useful reference. It's primarily a directory of skating rinks, equipment manufacturers and dealers, skating associations, etc. but also contains addresses for fan mail/agents, lists of medalists from past competitions, and information about books and videos. Now in an updated (1998) edition. The cost is $39.95 plus $8 shipping; order from: Skater's Edge Sourcebook, Box 500, Dept SM, Kensington MD 20895 http://skatersedgemag.com (301)-946-1971 One book you should definitely avoid is called "The Encyclopedia of Figure Skating". It's full of errors and is not a reliable source of information. There is an extensive bibliography of books on all forms of skating maintained by George Robbins, available at URL http://www1.netaxs.com:8080/people/grr/Roller/index.html [2] What about magazines? Here is a list of the more popular periodicals which deal with skating. (Disclaimer: this isn't intended as a commercial endorsement of any of these publications. Also, you might want to double-check the subscription rates, since they may have changed since this information was collected.) A more complete list of skating publications, including foreign-language publications and fan newsletters, is available on the web at http://www.jbmittan.com/pubs.htm. SKATING 20 First Street Colorado Springs, CO 80906-3697 719-635-5200 http://www.usfigureskating.org/Magazine.asp 10 issues/year $25/US, $35/Canada, $45/other countries Official magazine of the United States Figure Skating Association. Profiles of skaters, competition and tour reports, articles about participant skating at all levels. Focus on US eligible skaters. The feature articles are often simplistic and excessively "politically correct", but it's useful as a source of USFSA information and for archival competition results. Most photos are tiny. BLADES ON ICE 7040 N. Mona Lisa Road Tuscson, AZ 85741 Phone: 602-575-1747 Fax: 602-575-1484 http://BladesOnIce.com/mag/ 6 issues/year $29/US This magazine is available on newsstands as well as by subscription. Magazine with news, interviews, competition reports; coverage of both professional and eligible skaters. Many large, glossy color photographs. Recommended. INTERNATIONAL FIGURE SKATING Subscription Department 55 Ideal Road Worcester, MA 01604 IFSMAG@aol.com http://www.ifsmagazine.com/ 6 issues/year US: $19, Canada: $28(USD), international: $39(USD) This magazine is available on newsstands as well as by subscription. Includes a mix of news and profiles, plus coverage of the business aspects of the sport. More European skating news than other North American publications. Caveat: subscribers have complained about poor customer service. PATINAGE MAGAZINE 39 Bld de la Marne F-76000 Rouen France 5 issues/year $30/US, $38(Canadian)/Canada Published in French w/ English translations. The writing and/or translations leave a lot to be desired. Initially made its reputation for having fabulous photography, but reports are that it has gone downhill. Also notorious for pro-French editorial bias. SPOTLIGHT ON SKATING 208 Mohawk Rd. Ancaster, ON, L9G 2W9 Canada http://spotlightonskating.com/ 4 issues/year $28.75/US, $32.20(Canadian)/Canada Canadian/international focus; skater profiles, competition and show reports. SKATER'S EDGE, AMERICAN SKATING WORLD and TRACINGS are no longer being published. [3] Are there any other figure skating resources on the net? The best place to start is the SkateWeb page at http://www.frogsonice.com/skateweb/. This web site includes an archive of skating pictures, the hypertext version of this FAQ list, a collection of reviews, articles, cartoons and humor, and an extensive collection of links to official skater web sites and fan pages, skating webzines, the official web sites of various skating federations and clubs, competition and tour web sites, skating-related businesses, and archival competition results and other reference material. The Skatefans mailing list is for spectator-oriented discussion of figure skating. For subscription information, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SkateFans. Note that this is a fairly busy mailing list, and if you can't handle getting a hundred or more messages per day in your mailbox you may want to subscribe only in digest mode, or read the messages from the web archive instead. You can also find links to quite a few specialized mailing lists at SkateWeb, such as those devoted to discussion of particular skaters, and to participant skating. [4] Who wrote this FAQ list? My name is Sandra Loosemore. I've followed the sport for many years, although I've never been more than a recreational skater myself. In "real life" I have a PhD in computer science, and I work as a software engineer. I also have some professional experience as a technical writer. Some of the information in the post is taken from the USFSA rulebook. I also incorporated suggestions from Helena Robinson, Fred Chapman, Ann Schmidt, Mary Kolencik, Stephen Kawalko, Louis Epstein, and many others. Janet Pooley sent me the list of European champions, and Fiona McQuarrie supplied the list of Canadian champions. The list of World Junior champions was sent to me by Jay Miller of "Skating" magazine. The information about magazines was provided by Deborah Reed-Margetan, with updates from Barry Mittan. George Robbins, Trudi Marrapodi, and others contributed to the netiquette section. Ellyn Kestnbaum and Janet Swan Hill provided information about judging. [5] Can I redistribute this FAQ list? Yes, provided that you do not charge money for it, and that you acknowledge the source and authorship.