Skaters who compete under the international judging system (IJS) are required to complete a planned program content sheet (PPC) as part of their entry into competitions.

PPC's are one of the most important steps, so it’s essential to not only do it, but to do it correctly. The PPC form serves the following purposes:

• It helps the technical officials and the judges know what element is coming next so that they don’t miss anything. This is especially helpful if you have elements close together in your program.
• It speeds up the event by making the review process faster – the ATS recalls the type of element coming up, the video cutter ‘cuts’ the elements from beginning to end, the TS calls the element. When the technical panel reviews the elements, they can see them at top speed, without having to fast forward or rewind to find the element.
• It helps the data operator enter the elements quickly and accurately, which also speeds up the review process and allows the technical panel to focus on your skating, not on the computer screen.

How to fill our a PPC

• How to Guide for PPC’s

What are the elements (for singles skaters)?

Solo jumps

A solo jump is any jump done by itself (so not in combination or sequence). When entering a solo jump, be sure to include the type of jump and the rotation. The official IJS Code can be found in Table 1 below. You write your elements in the order in which they will be skated.

Jump combinations and sequences

According to the rules a jump combination can be made up of two jumps (2-Jump Combination) or three jumps (3-Jump Combination). Combinations use the same codes as solo jumps, but the jumps are combined with a ‘+’ sign. For example, if the combination is a triple toe-double toe, you would enter ‘3T+2T’.

For a double loop-double loop-double toe combination, you would enter ‘2Lo+2Lo+2T’. A sequence would be entered in the same manner, except that SEQ would be added at the end.

So a double Axel-double Axel sequence would be entered ‘2A+2A+SEQ’.

For sequences, you only need to enter the main jumps that get points (the ones in the table). Please don’t enter the other steps, and/or hops that make it a sequence.

Solo spins

A solo spin is a spin that doesn’t change position, but it can change feet. For any solo spins in your program, we need to know the basic spin you’re planning to do. You have four choices – sit spin, camel spin, layback spin or upright spin.

Like the six jumps, these four spins each have a code. The codes are the same regardless of whether you are doing a forward spin or a backward spin. See the spins table below for the spin codes.

If you are flying into the spin, you will include that in your program content form as well by adding the letter ‘F’ in front of the basic position of the spin. So your choices are flying camel, flying sit (this would apply for flying front sit, flying back sit, death drop or any other variation of a flying spin that lands in a sit position), flying layback or flying upright. With flying spins, the spin is defined by the landing position.

If you are changing feet during the spin, but you aren’t changing position, this is still considered a solo spin. For this type of spin, again you would indicate the basic position, and then precede the code by a ‘C’. So for a camel change camel spin you would enter ‘camel spin with change of foot’ or ‘CCSp’.

Spin combinations

A spin combination is any spin where you change position. You do not have to change feet in a spin for it to be considered a spin combination, so that means you can have a spin combination with change of position and no change of foot (CoSp) or a spin combination with change of position and change of foot (CCoSp). Spin combinations are the only spins where you don’t need to write the positions. So don’t waste time writing ‘camel, sit, layback/back camel, back sit’ when all you need to write is ‘CCoSp’ (the extra ‘C’ because it changed feet).

If your spin combination is a forward camel into a layback, and you don’t change feet, that would be a situation where you would enter ‘CoSp’. If you begin your spin combination with a flying entry, you would add an ‘F’ to the beginning of the code, so depending on whether the spin combination also changes feet, you would enter ‘FCoSp‘ or ‘FCCoSp‘. Also, the code is the same regardless of whether the spin begins with a forward spin or a backward spin.

Step sequence

Step sequences are denoted by an ‘StSq‘ in the PPC Step sequences can easily get confused with transitions when watching a program for the first time, and you don’t want the technical panel to miss any steps in your sequence because they all count.

Choreographic sequence

For the choreographed sequence, all you need to write is the code ‘ChSq‘. You do not need to write the pattern, spirals or number of positions, edges, whether they are forward or backward, or any other step details.