Why do figure skaters keep performing the same routines? It’s not because they’re not creative

With the 2018 Winter Olympics in full swing, you’ve probably been watching sports you don’t normally see on TV at any other time — including figure skating. And chances are, you’ve got a few questions, like this one: Why do figure skaters keep performing the same routines? If you’ve noticed that a few different Olympians have repeated their routines over the last week, you’re not alone — but there is a reason behind it.

The answer to this one is kind of complicated, but first it’s important to remember that there are four different events when it comes to figure skating: team skating, ice dancing, individual skating, and pair skating. Team skating is already over (Canada took the gold on that one) and there’s a good chance that those who participated will use the same routine in their individual skating events.

However, not everybody participates in every event.

Some skaters choose only to go for the team medals, while others prefer to skate as an individual, and there are even skaters who do both.

They are all seriously impressive, considering the amount of dedication it takes to get this figure skating thing down. They are using blades to skate on ice. Think about how ridiculously impossible that sounds for a minute. How could anyone not be impressed?!

Many of these routines aren’t always fresh for the Olympics, either. Some skaters choose to use the same performance throughout the figure skating season, which means that people who are super into the sport might be getting a little bored by now. But hey, it’s not easy to come up with performances that are going to wow the crowd — and it’s pretty time-consuming to practice them enough that performing them could win actual medals. So maybe we should give these skaters a break.

If you’re loving every minute of the skating action, don’t worry — there are plenty more events to come before the Winter Olympics are over.