RATING SKATING

Among judged sports, figure skating uses a unique method of median ranks for determining placement. This system responds positively to increased marks by each judge and follows majority rule when a majority of judges agree on a skater's rank. It is demonstrated that this is the only aggregation system possessing these two properties. Median ranks provide strong safeguards against manipulation by a minority of judges. These positive features do not require the sacrifice of efficiency in controlling measurement error. In a Monte Carlo study, the median rank system consistently outperforms alternatives when judges' marks are significantly skewed toward an upper limit.