ATLANTA — Figure skating is one of the biggest and most-watched sports at the Winter Olympics. It's also one of the oldest sports in the Olympic program with its different styles of jumps and twirls, you might start to wonder, how do figure skaters jump?
There are several certainties in sports. In figure skating, falling is one of them.
As figure skaters move forward in their careers, the jumps keep getting bigger and more difficult.
One way that skaters get in practice for their jumps is at the gym with their coaches by their side.
A lot of hours with a harness around their waist and their coach holding them up gives athletes the opportunity to learn without the risk of injury.
The harness allows figure skaters to train their muscles and mind for any competition they might have coming up - especially the biggest stage in the world.
Once figure skaters have mastered the art of the jump they can now move forward to practicing the six different jumps that they perform.
The six jumps include:
- Toe Loop
- Flip
- Lutz
- Salchow
- Loop
- Axel
Figure Skaters must also keep a sharpened skate and remember details such as the music and costumes in their visual routine to get themselves closer to the gold.
This is where you can watch Figure Skating, Team Event Sunday night.