Newton's Third Law

One of the most well known scientific laws is Newton's third law, and without it a figure skater wouldn't even be able to move or do any of their spins, jumps and tricks. Newton's third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, the skater applies a force down and back against the ice and because of that the ground applies a force forward which allows the skater to move.

Friction

First, let's start with explaining exactly what friction is. It's a force that resists when two objects slide against each other, dissipating their energy of motion. Friction arises because the molecules on both surfaces bond with each other, and resist when the surfaces try to move away and break the bonds. The less jagged it is, the less friction it has, and the more jagged it is, the more friction it has. How this plays a role is that when they are skating, since it has relatively low friction, they are able to glide for longer and glide smoothly as well. So friction plays a very important role because it is needed, or else they wouldn't be able to go or stop, but you don't want too much friction or else they wouldn't be able to glide smoothly and for longer periods of time.

Randall. Figure Skates on Ice. Physics World, 25 Aug. 2017