The New Judging System
CPC in Canada
The Basics of CPC
Well-Balanced Program Criteria
More Information
The New Judging System
The new judging system, commonly referred to as CPC (Cumulative Points
Calculation) or CoP (Code of Points) was used for synchronized skating for the first time at the 2005 Canadian Championships.
Though a trial version of the system was used at an International synchro event in 2004, the Canadian Nationals marked the
first use for the official version of the system. CPC was subsequently used for synchro at the 2005 ISU World Junior
Challenge Cup and 2005 ISU World Championships. In April 2005, many of the rules and regulations of CPC were revisited and
refined, improving the system further for the 2005-2006 season. Minor changes continue to be made
each season as skaters, officials, and coaches gain experience with the system, and CPC is now the standard marking
system used at International events.
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CPC in Canada
At the 2005 Canadian Championships, only the High Performance (Competitive) events were marked under CPC. Festival teams
were marked under CPC for the first time at the 2006 Canadian Championships in Hamilton, ON. For some Festival
events, Festival teams still receive marks based on the old 6.0 scale, but are nevertheless evaluated based on
CPC requirements. All of the Regional Qualifying Festival events now use CPC, and Skate Canada is working hard
to equip each Section with the tools to run all invitational events using CPC as well.
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The Basics of CPC
Under CPC, every element, step, and maneuver has a specific numerical
value. Different configurations and types of the basic elements (circle, block, intersection, wheel, line, moves in
isolation) are classified into Groups according to difficulty level. Each Group of difficulty is assigned a point value.
To increase the point value of a Group, a team must incorporate Features such as step sequences or changes of hold.
Different combinations of Groups and Features result in the Level and corresponding Base Mark that may be awarded for the
element. ISU Communications outline the Base Marks for each Level.
Prior to the competition, each coach must submit a Program Content form detailing the exact time in the program at which each element
occurs. This assists the Technical Panel
(made up of the Technical Specialist, Assistant Technical Specialist, and Technical Controler), which “calls” or identifies
the difficulty Level of
each element performed during the competition.
Each judge on the panel then awards a Grade of Execution, ranging from Minus Three to Plus Three, based on the quality of
the element. This GOE is applied to the Base Mark to determine the value of the element. Only the Technical
Panel must be able to
identify the difficulty Level of the element—the primary responsibility of the judge is to evaluate quality. The overall
mark awarded for these technical elements is known as the Total Element Score, or TES.
Judges also award marks on a scale of 1-10 for Program Components (PC). This portion of the score is analogous to the
old Presentation Mark. The Program Components score is comprised of five aspects: Skating Skills, Transitions,
Performance/Execution, Choreography/Composition, and Interpretation.
The Total Segment Score (TSS) is reached by adding the TES and PC together. Ultimately, the higher a team’s TSS, the
higher their placement—and the team with the highest TSS wins.
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Well-Balanced Program Requirements for Festival Teams
Festival teams must adhere to the following program requirements for the 2007-2008 season (Courtesy of Skate Canada):
(1) Festival Pre-Juvenile Well-Balanced Program: A Festival Pre-Juvenile well-balanced program must contain
a maximum of the following five (5) elements:
a) One (1) Block Element
b) One (1) Circle Element
c) One (1) Intersection Element
d) One (1) Line Element
e) One (1) Wheel Element
(2) Festival Juvenile/Pre-Novice Well-Balanced Program: A Festival Juvenile/Pre-Novice well-balanced program
must contain a maximum of the following (6) elements:
a) One (1) Block Element
b) One (1) Circle Element
c) One (1) Intersection Element
d) One (1) Line Element
e) One (1) Wheel Element
f) One (1) Movement in Isolation (MI)
(3) Festival Novice/Adult/Masters Well-Balanced Program: A Festival Novice/Adult/Masters well-balanced
program must contain a maximum of the following seven (7) elements:
a) One (1) Block Element
b) One (1) Circle Element
c) Two (2) Intersection Elements
d) One (1) Line Element
e) One (1) Wheel Element
f) One (1) Movement in Isolation (MI)
g) One (1) Additional Element (Block, circle, line)
(4) Festival Junior Well-Balanced Program: A Festival Junior well-balanced program must contain a maximum of
the following nine (9) elements:
a) One (1) Block Element
b) One (1) Circle Element
c) Two (2) Intersection Elements
d) One (1) Line Element
e) One (1) Wheel Element
f) One (1) Movement in Isolation (MI)
g) One (1) No Hold Step Sequence (NHSS)
h) One (1) Spin or Moves in the Field (MIF) Element
i) One (1) Additional Element (Block, circle, line, wheel)
(5) Festival Open Well-Balanced Program: A Festival Open well-balanced program must follow the
well-balanced program criteria for the Competitive Junior event.
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More Information
For more detailed information on CPC/CoP, please visit
the ISU website.
ISU Communications
ISU Synchro Page
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All material on this page is written by Chelsey Schaffel and copyright by Calalta Synchro. Please
do not reproduce any of the preceding text without permission from the author.
