United States Figure Skating Championships

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The senior ladies podium at the 2008 Nationals. Gold: Mirai Nagasu; Silver: Rachael Flatt; Bronze: Ashley Wagner; Pewter: Caroline Zhang.

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The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition organized by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often referred to informally as "Nationals".

Skaters compete in three levels: Senior, Junior, and Novice. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies singles, Men's singles, Pairs, and Ice dance. Medals are given out in four colors: gold (first), silver (second), bronze (third), and pewter (fourth).

In addition to determining the United States champions, the event is used to determine the U.S. teams for the World Figure Skating Championships, World Junior Figure Skating Championships, the Four Continents Championships, and de-facto for the Winter Olympics.

[edit] Usage note

Unlike in other countries, such as Japan and Russia, where "Junior Nationals" refers to the National Championships on the Junior level, in the United States, Junior-level skaters compete at the National Championships, sometimes referred to as "Big Nationals". Juvenile and Intermediate-level skaters are the skaters who compete at the "Junior Nationals" in the United States. However, it is a common parlance to refer to the Junior-level competition at Nationals as "Junior Nationals" and can cause confusion when Juvenile and Intermediate level skaters receive local media attention.

Another usage note: the "Junior National Champion" is a skater who won Nationals on the Junior level, not a skater who won an event at the Junior National Championships.

The Junior Nationals were previously called the Junior Olympics.

[edit] Qualifying

Qualification for the U.S. Championships begins at one of nine regional competitions. The regions are New England, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Upper Great Lakes, Eastern Great Lakes, Southwestern, Northwest Pacific, Central Pacific, and Southwest Pacific. The top four finishers in each regional advance to one of three sectional competitions (Eastern, Midwestern, and Pacific Coast). Skaters who place in the top four at sectionals advance to the U.S. Championships.

The top five finishers in each discipline from the previous year are given byes to the U.S. Championships, as are any skaters who qualify for the Junior or the Senior Grand Prix Final. Skaters are also given byes through a qualifying competition if they are assigned to an international event during the time that qualifying event is to take place. For example, if a skater is competing at an event at the same time as his or her regional competition, that skater would receive a bye to sectionals. If a skater is competing at an event at the same time as his or her sectional competition, that skater would qualify for the national event without having had to compete at a sectional championship.

[edit] Medalists

[edit] Men

[edit] Ladies

†Although Tonya Harding retains her 1991 title, her 1994 win is no longer officially recognized.

[edit] Pairs

[edit] Ice Dancing

[edit] See also

• List of national championships in figure skating

[edit] References

• Skate Central
• Pairs on Ice: Pairs Results
• 1998 Championships
• 1999 Championships
• 2000 Championships
• 2001 Championships
• 2002 Championships
• 2003 Championships
• 2004 Championships
• 2005 Championships

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

United States Figure Skating Championships

• 2006 Championships
• 2007 Championships

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