NEWARK, Del. - Team USA continues to see success in the figure skating events at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Philip Dulebohn, who now coaches the sport in Delaware, competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and has seen how the sport and the way it is judged has evolved over the last 20 years. Â
"From the time I was 5 or 6 years old I always dreamed of being a famous ice skater," Dulebohn says. "I would skate around the public session and think that I was going to represent my country at the Olympics."
Dulebohn competed in Pairs Figure Skating with partner Tiffany Scott.
"My most memorable moment is actually stepping on the practice ice in the Olympics for the first time and seeing the Olympic emblem," he says.
Their names are now immortalized on a wall at the University of Delaware Fred Rust Ice Arena.
Dulebohn saw the figure skating judging system start to evolve during his career.
"There's been some publicity around the judging scandal at the 2002 Olympics and actually in my event," he says.
The International Judging System (IJS) was introduced in 2004. Under it, skaters are ranked by how difficult an element is and how well they execute it.
"It really helps the skaters benchmark their performances through the year and it gives them something to aim for rather than a 5.9 or 6.0," Dulebohn says.
As skaters worked to better their score, the elements they perform have evolved over the years.
"The level of skating seems to keep getting better each year and that's the best thing about it right now," Dulebohn says. "These skaters are performing and doing things no one else has ever done in the past."
Dulebohn says anyone who needs help understanding the judging system or different elements should pay attention to commentators Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinksi, who also both trained in Delaware during their figure skating careers.