What happens if a skater stops during an artistic roller skating program?
A · Advanced · The sport and scoring · 2 of 2An injured or ill skater has 10 minutes to recover and finish, or scores zero. After a fault that is not theirs, such as music or skate failure, the skater restarts: from the beginning within the first minute, from the point of the stop after that. A skater who stops for their own reason before half-way scores zero.
How it works
- Injury or illness: confirmed by a doctor; up to 10 minutes' rest.
- Not able to go on: a mark of zero.
- Outside causes: music failure, costume failure, interference, official error.
- Mechanical failure: time allowed for repairs.
- Restart in the first minute: from the beginning.
- Restart after the first minute: from the point of the stop.
- Judging: resumes from the point of interruption.
- Own reason, before half-way: zero and no placing.
The glossary has the interruption of skating, the costume rules (artistic), the music rules (artistic), the judges panel (artistic), the free skating (artistic) and the placement (artistic).
Tricky cases
A skater stops after half-way for no outside reason. Zero?
No. Time penalties apply and the artistic marks must be low.
On the restart a skater skips hard elements. Allowed?
No. If the referee thinks the program is being changed or rested, the mark is zero.
The warm-up is stopped for floor repairs. What then?
It resumes with the time left, or starts again, at the referee's choice.
A figure skater stops on a figure by their own fault. Penalty?
1.0; if they cannot continue, zero.
Why the rule exists
Restarting for outside faults protects skaters from bad luck. Zero marks for walking off stop skaters abandoning a weak program.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| First minute | Restart from the beginning | AG 3.6 |
| After the first minute | Restart from the stop | AG 3.6 |
| Figures | 1.0 for a stop or fall | AG 3.6 |
From the rule book
World Skate, General Rules for Artistic Skating (2026), section 3.6. Checked 14 October 2026. Official documents: the World Skate artistic technical rules 2026.