2020-21 US Championship Series & National Qualifying Structure
SYWTW FS
Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, qualification for the 2021 US National Championships is slightly different from previous seasons. Skaters can qualify through placement at last season’s Nationals, the ISP Points Challenge virtual competition, or the US Championship Series virtual competition. This post will explain the USFSA national qualifying structure and provide links and information that will be updated throughout the season.
Reference: 2021 Athlete Bye and Advancement Criteria
QUALIFYING STRUCTURE
Senior skaters can qualify for the 2021 National Championships if they fulfill the following criteria:
Senior Men & Ladies:
Skaters who placed in the top 5 at the 2020 US Figure Skating Championships.
The top 4 scores from the virtual ISP Points Challenge, excluding byes from the previous Nationals.
*New: The top 9 scores from the virtual US Championship Series, excluding byes and ISP Points Challenge.
Senior Pairs:
Teams who placed in the top 5 at the 2020 US Figure Skating Championships.
The top 4 scores from the virtual ISP Points Challenge, excluding byes from the previous Nationals.
*New: The top 5 scores from the virtual US Championship Series, excluding byes and ISP Points Challenge.
Senior Ice Dance:
Teams who placed in the top 5 at the 2020 US Figure Skating Championships.
The top 4 scores from the virtual ISP Points Challenge, excluding byes from the previous Nationals.
Skaters who earned a bye by placing top 5 at the 2020 National Championships include:
Ladies: Alysa Liu, Mariah Bell, Bradie Tennell, Karen Chen, Amber Glenn
Men: Nathan Chen, Jason Brown, Tomoki Hiwatashi, Vincent Zhou, Andrew Torgashev
Pairs: Calalang/Johnson, Kayne/O’Shea, Cain-Gribble/LeDuc (teams 1 & 5 have split)
Ice Dance: Chock/Bates, Hubbell/Donohue, Hawayek/Baker, Carreira/Ponomarenko, Green/Parsons
See the 2021 Athlete Bye and Advancement Criteria for junior qualification criteria and other information.
ISP POINTS CHALLENGE
The International Selection Pool (ISP) Points Challenge consisted of two virtual competitions where skaters could compete to qualify for the national championships. Skaters recorded videos of their programs at specific times; they were not allowed to start over if they made an error in their run-through. Skaters had two opportunities to submit videos. They could participate in one or both opportunities. The highest score a skater earned out of the two opportunities was used to determine ranking. The top 4 scorers in each discipline (excluding byes) earned spots at Nationals.
How to watch: Results and videos of the ISP Points Challenge can be viewed here.
The following skaters qualified for Nationals through the ISP Points Challenge:
Ladies: Audrey Shin, Starr Andrews, Pooja Kalyan, Lindsay Thorngren
Men: Alex Krasnozhon, Camden Pulkinen, Jimmy Ma, Joseph Kang
Pairs: Knierim/Frazier, Lu/Mitrofanov, Serafini/Tran, McBeath/Bartholomay
Ice Dance: Cesanek/Yehorov, McNamara/Spiridonov, Pate/Bye
US CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
11/11/20 UPDATE: The US Championship Series was originally planned as a series of 8 in-person competitions, but was cancelled in early November and will be held as a virtual competition instead. Similar to the ISP Points Challenge, skaters must submit their videos to be judged remotely and results will be available the week of December 21.
For seniors, the top 9 men, top 9 ladies, and top 5 pairs in the US Championship Series will qualify for Nationals (excluding skaters who have already qualified through byes or the ISP Points Challenge). There is no event for senior ice dance.
12/22/20 UPDATE: The results of the virtual US Championship Series can be viewed here. Videos are available for subscribers to Peacock Premium. Entries to the 2021 US National Championships are available here.