History
The competition is named in honor of John Nicks, [3] a retired figure skater who competed for Great Britain in single skating and later pair skating with his sister Jennifer. [4] They are four-time World Championship medalists (gold in 1953, silver in 1950, and bronze in 1951 and 1952); [5] four-time European Championship medalists (gold in 1953, silver in 1952, and bronze in 1950 and 1951); [6] and six-time British national champions. [7] After the crash of Sabena Flight 548 in 1961, in which most of the U.S. national figure skating team was killed, [8] Nicks chose to emigrate to the United States to work as a coach and help rebuild the American skating program. He had been impressed by the American skaters he watched at the 1948 Winter Olympics, and this helped influence his decision to move to the United States. [4] Nicks was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2000. [3] He coached an estimated 1,200 skaters during a career than spanned over four decades, [4] including Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, [9] JoJo Starbuck and Kenneth Shelley, [4] Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, [10] Sasha Cohen, [11] and Ashley Wagner. [4]
The inaugural edition of the John Nicks Pairs Challenge was held in 2021. Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the United States were the champions. [12] In 2024, the John Nicks Pairs Challenge – now called the John Nicks International Pairs Competition – was the second event of the ISU Challenger Series, [13] a series of international figure skating competitions sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). The objective is to ensure consistent organization and structure within a series of international competitions linked together, providing opportunities for senior-level skaters to compete at the international level and also earn ISU World Standing points. [14] Challenger Series events must be scheduled between 1 August and 15 December. When an event is held as part of the Challenger Series, it must host at least three of the four disciplines (men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance) and representatives from at least twelve different ISU member nations. The minimum number of entrants required for each discipline is: eight skaters each in men's singles and women's singles, five teams in pair skating, and six teams in ice dance. [15] While ISU member nations are limited to sending a maximum of three skaters or teams per discipline to each event, U.S. Figure Skating can enter an unlimited number of entrants in their own event. Additionally, each skater or team is limited to participating in at most three Challenger Series events each season. [16] The John Nicks Pairs Challenge is held in conjunction with the Cranberry Cup International – the former hosts the pairs event, while the latter hosts the men's and women's events – and the two competitions constitute the U.S. Figure Skating's contribution to the Challenger Series. [17]
The most recent iteration of this competition was held in 2025. [18]
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