Slideboard testing has yielded higher VO2 in competitive skaters than a treadmill protocol but an on-ice protocol is more appealing to skaters and their coaches. PURPOSE To evaluate the effectiveness of a short duration, on-ice testing protocol to elicit a VO2 maximum in competitive figure skaters. METHODS To investigate this issue, 14 novice through senior level skaters performed maximal slideboard and on-ice testing protocols using a lightweight, portable oxygen consumption device. Heart rate (HR), volume of oxygen consumption (VO2), minute ventilation (Ve), and RER were assessed for each stage of the slideboard and on-ice testing protocols. There were four stages for both protocols. The slideboard protocol consisted of two minute stages at 50, 60, 70 and 80 slides per minute (spm). The on-ice test consisted of one-minute stages at 70, 80, 90 spm with a final stage of an all-out pace. A one 1-way repeated measure MANOVA assessed differences between each of the stages for both the slideboard and on-ice testing protocols. In addition, repeated measures MANOVA was also used to measure differences in the cardiopulmonary responses between the two protocols. RESULTS The table below summarizes the results. Values are expressed as means and standard deviations.Table: No Caption AvailableCONCLUSION These results indicate that the short-duration, on-ice protocol is effective in eliciting a VO2 maximum in competitive figure skaters.