What You're Actually Watching When Olympic Skaters Spin
The Olympics are on. The spins look incredible. The commentator says "Level 4." Now here's what that actually means — and what to watch for during the rest of the Games.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are underway, and if you're watching the figure skating — which, as an adult skater, you absolutely are — you've probably already heard the commentators casually drop phrases like "Level 4 combination spin" and "difficult variation" and "change of edge feature." Everyone nods along. Nobody asks questions. Until now.
🥇 Team USA Takes Gold — Again
Team USA just won its second consecutive Olympic gold in the figure skating team event, with Ilia Malinin delivering five quad jumps and a 200.03 score in the decisive men's free skate. Japan took silver, Italy the bronze. The individual events — men's, women's, pairs, and ice dance — run through February 19. That's a lot more spins coming your way.
So let's make sure you know what you're looking at.
How Olympic Spin Scoring Works
Under the ISU Judging System — the same scoring system used at every Olympic figure skating event since 2004 — every spin is evaluated in two parts:
Level of difficulty, from Base (no level) up through Level 1, 2, 3, and 4. This sets the base value — how many points the spin starts at. At the Olympic level, skaters are almost always aiming for Level 4 on every spin. Anything below that is leaving points on the table.
Grade of Execution (GOE), a quality score from -5 to +5. This is where the judges weigh in on speed, centering, position quality, and overall "wow." A beautifully executed Level 4 spin can earn significant bonus points through positive GOE.
When you hear the commentator say something like "that'll be a Level 4" — they're predicting how many level features the technical panel will count in that spin. More on those features in a moment.
The Three Positions You'll See Over and Over
Every spin at the Olympics comes back to three basic positions recognized by the ISU:
Camel — Free leg extends backward with the knee higher than hip level. The elegant T-shape. At the Olympic level, you'll see this with all kinds of wild variations — catch-foot positions, doughnut spins, haircutters.
Sit — The skating leg bends until the upper thigh is at least parallel to the ice. It's a one-legged squat at high speed. Your quads hurt just watching it.
Upright — Skating leg extended or slightly bent, not in camel position. This includes the layback, the Biellmann, scratch spins, and sideways leaning spins.
Anything outside these three is a non-basic position, which can still earn level credit but follows slightly different rules.
What to Watch For
During combination spins (labeled CCoSp or FCCoSp on the protocols), Olympic skaters will cycle through multiple positions. Watch how they transition between camel, sit, and upright — each change of position can be a scoring opportunity.
The 14 Features That Build a Level 4 Spin
A spin earns its level by stacking level features. The formula: 1 feature = 1 level. Level 4 requires at least 4 valid features. Here are all 14 features the ISU recognizes for the 2025/26 season (the rules in effect at Milano Cortina):
What to Watch For
At the Olympic level, every spin is carefully choreographed to hit exactly 4 features. Watch for the moment a skater enters with an unusual move (difficult entrance), snaps into a dramatic position (difficult variation), holds it seemingly forever (8 revolutions), then changes edge or speeds up. That's level features stacking in real time.
Why Even Olympic Skaters Don't Always Get Level 4
- Each difficult variation category counts only once per program. A skater can't reuse the same category of position across different spins for level credit.
- Only two difficult variations count per spin. Three gorgeous positions? Two get credit. Them's the rules.
- On change-of-foot spins, max two features per foot. Features must be distributed across both feet.
- Features 2–9 and 11–14 count once per program (first attempt only). Feature 10 (8 revs) also once only.
- Difficult entrance and exit must be in different spins and of different nature.
- Fewer than 3 revolutions = not a spin. It's just a "skating movement" — no value.
- Change-of-foot spins need 3 revolutions per foot. Miss this and it's either No Value (Short Program) or a reduced base value with a "V" (Free Skate).
This is why you'll sometimes see a skater nail what looks like a perfect spin and then the score comes up CCoSp3 instead of 4. Maybe a position was too similar to one in an earlier spin. Maybe a feature didn't get held for enough revolutions. At this level, the margins are razor thin — which is exactly why it matters.
Decoding the Score Sheet
If you're following along on protocols (the score sheets posted after each skater's performance), here's what the spin abbreviations mean:
| Code | Spin Type |
|---|---|
CCoSp |
Change-foot Combination Spin |
FCCoSp |
Flying Change-foot Combination Spin |
SSp |
Sit Spin |
FSSp |
Flying Sit Spin |
CSp |
Camel Spin |
FCSp |
Flying Camel Spin |
USp |
Upright Spin |
CUSp |
Change-foot Upright Spin |
LSp |
Layback Spin |
The number after the code is the level (1–4 or B for base). A "V" means a requirement wasn't met.
Example you'll see this week: FCCoSp4 = Flying Change-foot Combination Spin, Level 4. That's the standard every Olympic skater is aiming for.
CCoSp3V = Change-foot Combination Spin, Level 3, with a missing requirement. Even at the Olympics, it happens.
What This Means for Your Skating
Watching the Olympics isn't just entertainment — it's research. Here's how to steal from the best and apply it to your own programs:
Olympic skaters plan their spin strategy for the entire program. Notice how they don't use the same difficult variation category twice. That planning applies at every level — including yours.
At the Olympic level, the entrance and exit are choreographed for level credit. Even at the adult competitive level, a well-planned difficult entrance or exit is an achievable way to pick up a level.
Try counting revolutions during an Olympic spin. You'll see that Level 4 spins are long — skaters hold positions and stay centered for what feels like forever. That patience and control is what separates levels.
It's subtle, but watch for the moment a skater's blade shifts from inside to outside edge mid-spin. That's a level feature, and it's one adult skaters can absolutely work into their own spins.
Even at the Olympics, a wobbly Level 4 scores worse than a beautifully centered Level 3 with great GOE. For adult skaters, this lesson is worth its weight in gold (medal).
Enjoy the Rest of the Games
The individual events at Milano Cortina run through February 19 — ice dance, men's singles, pairs, and women's singles still to come. That's hours and hours of spins to watch with fresh eyes.
So the next time the commentator says "that's a Level 4 combination spin," you won't just nod along. You'll know which features they hit, which categories they burned, and whether that change of edge was clean enough to count. You might even catch something the commentator missed.
Now go watch the Olympics. And then go practice your own spins, because they're not going to level themselves.
Because figure skating isn't just for kids — or just for Olympians.
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