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GREENSBORO — Even those who count scores will tell you it's complicated.

But we'll attempt to demystify how tenths of points work in final scores and determine U.S. figure skating champions.

All individual skaters, pairs and dancers participate in two programs: a short program and a free skate or dance.

The short program is first, followed by the free skate, and each event has two scores.

Put simply, one score covers technical moves such as jumps, spins and lifts. That is the element score.

The second figure measuring the art of the piece is called the component score.

ELEMENT SCORE: A large part of element scores are set by technical committees, the people who give value to the required elements in a skater's routine.

With the help of Denise Williamson, a technical judge from Davidson working at the championship, we'll look at the scoring process for a triple Axel.

The base score for a successful triple Axel jump is 8.5 points. The technical committee has one person watching the skater at all times, and another who logs moves and notes. After the skate, with slow-motion video, the committee determines whether a skater performed a triple Axel. If so, they receive the full 8.5 points. A third member, the technical controller, casts the final vote if specialists disagree.

Meanwhile, judges watching the jump add or subtract points from that base score with a plus-minus of three points. A skater could receive from 5.5 to 11.5 points for that triple Axel.

More complex technical moves vary in base points, and the adjustments from judges can waver by tenths of a point.

COMPONENT SCORE: Now, on to the art of things — the component score. That score is determined only by judges.

"The second mark grades if it's artfully done and strong," said Kate McSwain, a skating choreographer who composed an exhibition for 2010 U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott.

Expectations, though defined, use words like glide, originality, style, unison (for pairs) and balance, to name a few.

If the audience can feel emotion, McSwain said, there's a good chance the judges will, and that mood counts.

"They're like audience members," she said.

She tells skaters to connect with the audience, find focal points and feel the emotion of the music.

"Some have it, and some don't," she said.

The two scores combined, per event, across both sessions determine champions.

Contact Gerald Witt at 373-7008 or gerald.witt@news-record.com