To deal with some of the uncertainties facing judges, Yang suggested Chinese skaters try to wow the judges by showing them something new.

"Some young skaters have started dominating the competitions of women's and men's singles, so the judges may also need some new faces in the pairs," Yang said. "The two Chinese veteran pairs have to impress the judging panel with something new in their appearances and routines."

New faces

After the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, a group of veteran skaters - including gold-medal pair Tatiana Totmianina/Maxim Marinin, men's singles winner Evgeni Plushenko, and women's singles winner Shizuka Arakawa - retired from competition, opening the door for some new talent.

ISU judges, meanwhile, seem to be impressed with the new breed of skaters: 17-year-old Kim Yu-na is the newly crowned women's Grand Prix Finals winner and 22-year-old Stephane Lambiel is the men's champion. There were also new faces among the pairs finalists.

Yang said Chinese skaters, old and new, have adapted well to the new scoring rules, but stressed that they still have a lot to learn.

"In my opinion, the figure skating nowadays requires difficulty, stability, beauty and new impression," he said. "The Chinese pairs do well in the first three categories, but still have to find something new to impress the judges. This season is not linking to the Olympic year and we will take time to adjust to the new system, as well as learn more about our rivals."

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