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Or, why Adam Rippon lost to Russian Elvis. The only predictable thing about figure skating is that the sport is unpredictable. Every time a skater steps onto the ice, there’s always a sense that something could go splendidly right or disastrously wrong — and we, as viewers, never know what we’re going to get. The scoring system that’s currently used for all competitive figure skating — including at the Olympics — isn’t easy to crack.

A skater’s final marks can somehow add up to a seemingly random number like 150. Understanding how the figure skating scoring system works can help explain how that outcome unfolded — so we’ve put together a brief guide to its most confusing aspects. It may not change your mind about any given skater’s results, but it will give you a better idea of how those results came to be. Those of us old enough to remember names like Kristi Yamaguchi and Brian Boitano probably remember the old 6.

GOE, for each element, as well as a component score that takes into account the artistic merit of a skater’s program. Skaters are also expected to meet a specific set of criteria. The requirements in the women’s short program include a double axel or triple axel, a triple jump, a combination jumping pass, a flying spin, a combination spin, a layback or sideways-leaning spin, and a step sequence. Jumps: There is a maximum of eight jump elements for men and seven jump elements for ladies.

One must be an Axel-type jump. Only two triple or quad jumps can be repeated and they must be a part of a jump combination or jump sequence. There may be up to three jump combinations or sequences. Jump combinations may not contain more than two jumps, however one jump combination may consist of three jumps. Spins: A maximum of three spins of a different nature – one must be a spin combination, one a flying spin and one spin with only one position. Steps: One step sequence and one choreographic sequence, which must occur after the step sequence. 3 to -3, which is added to or subtracted from an element’s base value.