What do the technical specialists do?
Rule- Canada
- Skate Canada
- Figure skating
- Judging
- Technical panel
- Officials
- ISU
- 2026-27
- A technical specialist is 16 or older and identifies the elements and their levels of difficulty in competition. The technical specialist also identifies falls and illegal elements.
- Technical specialists are qualified to act on panels at or below a specified level of competition in one or more of singles, pairs, ice dance or synchronized skating.
- A technical panel has two technical specialists (TS1 and TS2) working as a team with one technical controller.
- TS1 makes the calls as the skater performs each element, so judges have time to register their GOE. TS2 makes the pre-calls from the skater's first movement.
- In a review, TS1 and TS2 each give an opinion on the element. For spins, TS1 marks and counts the revolutions aloud so the whole panel can agree or disagree with the call. After the read-back, both TS1 and TS2 say "Agree" before the technical controller authorizes the elements.
- Where the skater attempts a flying spin and fails, the panel should call it a flying spin rather than just "spin", so the asterisk (no value) is assigned to the right spin.
Sources: Skate Canada, https://info.skatecanada.ca/index.php/en-ca/rules-of-sport/52-marking-of-skate-canada-competitions.html; ISU Technical Panel Handbook, Single Skating 2026-2027, https://isu-d8g8b4b7ece7aphs.a03.azurefd.net/isudamcontainer/CMS/Corporate-Site/Sports-Rules/Figure-Skating-Rules/Handbooks-Single-&-Pair-Skating/TP-HandbookSingles-26-27-15-July-2026-1784641784-3364.pdf
Added 25 Oct 2026