An Easy Beginner's Guide To Figure Skating, As Explained By ENHYPEN's Sunghoon

It’s no secret that ENHYPEN‘s Sunghoon was a competitive figure skater before he decided to pursue the life of a K-Pop idol.

Knowing his background in the sport, Weverse Magazine approached him to hear his thoughts on it. Check out a concise and comprehensive beginner’s guide to figure skating below, as explained by Sunghoon!

Figure Skating Is A Fusion Of Technique And Art

First, Sunghoon described what he finds so appealing about the sport—the fact that it incorporates both art and athletics. The scoring system is its sports aspect, while the ice rink is its artistic aspect.

What I think makes figure skating so appealing is that it’s a sport that feels like a combination of two different disciplines: art and athletics. The whiteness of the rink makes it seem like a stage, and even a graceful, flashy art form, depending on how you look at it. But it’s also a sport, and they score you while watching your technique, like your jumps and spins, so it’s full of things to watch for.

— Sunghoon

Good Things To Know About Figure Skating

Sunghoon went on to explain that there are three major events in figure skating: singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Each event requires different skills, so watching them all is an opportunity to learn new techniques.

The major events are divided up as singles, pair skating, and ice dance, and each category has a different skill set, so it’s fun to watch for the differences between the techniques and highlights.

— Sunghoon

According to Sunghoon, another interesting part of figure skating is how it has two programs—a short one and a long one. The scores are combined to determine the outcome of the event, and even one small difference can change who the winner is.

And I think another fun part is how the outcome can change from tiny differences in the scores, like if someone wins the free skate but loses the short program, since the final score is the total of the points for the short program and free skate together. Not to mention the athletes’ nerves or any issues they have with the rink can have a subtle effect even if they practiced to perfection to iron out any mistakes.

— Sunghoon

Finally, Sunghoon is hoping that more people will never stop their support for figure skaters. He is aware that making a mistake on the rink may cause deep regret, but he wants skaters to know that it can always be corrected in the future.

So I hope people keep rooting till the very end, even if someone makes a mistake. They might feel like it’s a big deal if they fall or something in the middle of the program, but it can be made up for later, so it’s nothing to get all worked up about.

— Sunghoon