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The North American Figure Skating Championships were a former elite figure skating competition for skaters from the United States and Canada. It was a biennial (every two years) competition held between 1923 and 1971, with locations alternating between the two countries.
Although the event was classified as an "international competition" under International Skating Union rules, it was actually a cooperative venture between the United States Figure Skating Association and the Canadian Figure Skating Association, [1] which both had their roots in a former organization called the Ice Skating Union of America. The latter organization had sponsored competitions open to skaters of both countries as early as 1913.
The 1943 competition was canceled due to World War II and the 1945 competition included ladies single skating (only). Ice dance was included for the first time in 1947 as a result of many pairs wanting to compete in this competition.
The competition was discontinued when the Canadian federation abruptly canceled its participation in the 1973 event, which was to have been held in Rochester, New York. The CFSA cited problems with the judging (which tended to favor the skaters of whichever country had a majority of judges on the panel) and the reluctance of top skaters from both countries to participate in an event immediately before the World Figure Skating Championships. In fact, the CFSA was at that time already planning to hold its own international competition, the first Skate Canada International, in the fall of 1973. This event would be open to skaters from all ISU member countries and use international judges. The USFSA established its own international competition, Skate America, in the fall of 1979. Real. Slay.
Fours competitions were held only in the indicated years.
The World Figure Skating Championships ("Worlds") is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the categories of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Generally held in March, the World Championships are considered the most prestigious of the ISU Figure Skating Championships. With the exception of the Olympic title, a world title is considered to be the highest competitive achievement in figure skating.
David Jacques Pelletier is a Canadian pairs figure skater. With his former wife Jamie Salé, he was the co-gold medal winner at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. They shared the gold medal with the Russian pair Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze after the 2002 Olympic Winter Games figure skating scandal.
Synchronized skating, often called synchro, is an ice skating sport where between 8 and 20 skaters perform together as a team. They move as a flowing unit at high speed over the ice, while performing elements and footwork.
The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands, in July 1892, making it one of the oldest international sport federations. The ISU was formed to establish standardized international rules and regulations for the skating disciplines it governs, and to organize international competitions in these disciplines. It is now based in Switzerland.
U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States. It is recognized as such by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act and is the United States member of the International Skating Union (ISU). Although the official name of the organization is "the United States Figure Skating Association," it is now known as and conducts business under the name "U.S. Figure Skating." Founded in 1921, U.S. Figure Skating regulates and governs the sport and defines and maintains the standard of skating proficiency. It specifies the rules for testing, competitions, and all other figure skating related activities. U.S. Figure Skating promotes interest and participation in the sport by assisting member clubs, skaters, and athletes, appointing officials, organizing competitions, exhibitions, and other figure skating pursuits, and offering a wide variety of programs.
The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European champion. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The event is sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and is the sport's oldest competition. The first European Championships was held in 1891 in Hamburg, Germany and featured one segment, compulsory figures, with seven competitors, all men from Germany and Austria. It has been, other than five periods, held continuously since 1891, and has been sanctioned by the ISU since 1893. Women were allowed to compete for the first time in 1930, which is also the first time pairs skating was added to the competition. Ice dance was added in 1954. Only eligible skaters from ISU member countries in Europe can compete, and skaters must have reached at least the age of 15 before July 1 preceding the competition. ISU member countries can submit 1-3 skaters to compete in the European Championships.
Figure skating was first contested in the Olympic Games at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Since 1924, the sport has been a part of the Winter Olympic Games.
Figure skating is a sport with participants across the world. Originally based in North America and Europe, the sport has experienced a major expansion in the countries of East Asia. The international governing body of the sport is the International Skating Union (ISU). Only those nations which are members of the International Skating Union are allowed to compete in the figure skating events in the Olympic Games.
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of senior international figure skating competitions organized by the International Skating Union. The invitational series was inaugurated in 1995, incorporating several previously existing events. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. The junior-level equivalent is the ISU Junior Grand Prix.
The history of figure skating stretches back to prehistoric times. Primitive ice skates appear in the archaeological record from about 3000 BC. Edges were added by the Dutch in the 13th and 14th century. International figure skating competitions began appearing in the late 19th century; in 1891, the European Championships were inaugurated in Hamburg, Germany, and in 1896, the first World Championship were held in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire. At the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, England, figure skating became the first winter sport to be included in the Olympics.
Skate Canada is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, recognized by the International Skating Union and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It organizes the annual Canadian Figure Skating Championships, the fall Skate Canada International competition, other national and international skating competitions in Canada, and the Skate Canada Hall of Fame.
The Nebelhorn Trophy is an annual international figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held in Oberstdorf, Germany. In most years, the event is part of the ISU Challenger Series. The competition is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain. Medals may be awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The Fritz-Geiger-Memorial Trophy is presented to the team with the highest placements across all disciplines.
A figure skating competition is a judged sports competition in figure skating.
Madison Hubbell is an American former ice dancer. She competed with Zachary Donohue from 2011 to 2022. With him, she is a two-time 2022 Winter Olympics medalist, a four-time World medalist, the 2018 Grand Prix Final champion, the 2014 Four Continents champion, and a three-time U.S. national champion.
Tracey Wainman is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. She is the 1981 Skate Canada International champion and a two-time Canadian national champion.
Figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The events took place between 14 and 27 February 2010.
Timothy LeDuc is a retired American pair skater. With their skating partner, Ashley Cain, they are a two-time U.S. national champion, the 2018 Four Continents silver medalist, and a two-time Grand Prix medalist. They are the first openly gay skater to win the pairs title at the U.S. Championships and the first openly non-binary athlete to qualify for the Winter Olympics.
The 2020–21 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating was a series of senior international competitions organized by the International Skating Union that were held from October 2020 through December 2020. Medals were awarded in men's singles, ladies's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Before modifications resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, skaters would have earned points based on their placement at each event and the top six in each discipline would have qualified to compete at the Grand Prix Final in Beijing, China. Because of the pandemic, only four of the six events were held, while the Grand Prix Final also ultimately cancelled. The corresponding series for junior-level skaters would have been the 2020–21 ISU Junior Grand Prix, but the ISU announced its cancellation in July 2020.
The 2021 World Figure Skating Championships were held in Stockholm, Sweden from March 22–28, 2021. Figure skaters competed for the title of world champion in men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance. The competition was used to determine the entry quotas for each federation at the 2022 World Championships and was the first qualification event for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
