2021-22 US Championship Series & National Qualifying Structure
SYWTW FS
Due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, US Figure Skating has opted to hold the Championship Series again as the method to qualify to the 2022 US National Championships, replacing the traditional multistage qualification structure. Skaters can qualify through placement at last season’s Nationals, byes through international competition, or the US Championship Series competition. This post explains the USFSA national qualifying structure and provides links and information that will be updated throughout the season.
Reference: 2022 Byes and Advancement Criteria, US Championship Series on USFSA Fanzone
See also: 2021-22 Nationals tag
QUALIFYING STRUCTURE
Senior skaters can qualify for the 2022 National Championships either by fulfilling the criteria to be assigned a “bye” to advance directly to Nationals or by competing in the US Championship Series.
Senior Men and Women:
Placing top 5 in a senior event at the previous US National Championships
Winning a individual medal at the most recent Winter Olympics
Being named to the US team at the 2021 World Championships (not including alternates)
Qualifying for the current season’s Grand Prix Final or Junior Grand Prix Final
Competing in three international assignments on the current season’s Grand Prix series, Junior Grand Prix series and/or Challenger series
Top 2 total scores from each section (Eastern/Midwestern/Pacific Coast) in the U.S. Figure Skating Championship Series
Next best 3 scores from the nation in the U.S. Figure Skating Championship Series
Senior Pairs:
Placing top 5 in a senior event at the previous US National Championships
Winning a individual medal at the most recent Winter Olympics
Being named to the US team at the 2021 World Championships (not including alternates)
Qualifying for the current season’s Grand Prix Final or Junior Grand Prix Final
Competing in three international assignments on the current season’s Grand Prix series, Junior Grand Prix series and/or Challenger series
Top 4 total scores from the Championships Series
Senior Ice Dance
Placing top 5 in a senior event at the previous US National Championships
Winning a individual medal at the most recent Winter Olympics
Being named to the US team at the 2021 World Championships (not including alternates)
Qualifying for the current season’s Grand Prix Final or Junior Grand Prix Final
Competing in three international assignments on the current season’s Grand Prix series, Junior Grand Prix series and/or Challenger series
Top 5 total scores from the Championships Series
SENIOR QUALIFICATION OVERVIEW
If not all of the “bye” spots are filled, those places will be given to the next highest total scores from the Championship Series.
If there are more skaters/teams with 3 international assignments than the maximum number of byes allotted for that discipline (4 for men/women, 3 for pairs, 5 for ice dance), spots will be given out until they are gone using the criteria below and the remaining skaters will need to compete on the Championships series to qualify to US Nationals.
1. Best total score at a Grand Prix event going from highest to lowest
2. Best total score at a Junior Grand Prix event going from highest to lowest
3. Best total score at a Challenger Series event going from highest to lowest
US CHAMPIONSHIPS SERIES
The US Championship Series is a series of 8 competitions where skaters at the senior and junior level may compete for a chance to qualify to the 2022 US National Championships. Novice, intermediate and juvenile-level skaters also have an opportunity to compete to qualify for the National High Performance Development Team, which replaced the national championships at the lower levels of skating in the 2020-21 skating season.
Skaters may compete at up to 2 events of their choosing, with the higher of the two scores/placements counting towards their qualification to the national championships. Singles skaters may choose to enter any of the 8 competitions. Because of the limited number of teams, pairs and ice dance events are only offered at 2 competitions.
Skaters who have directly qualified for Nationals may still compete at Championship Series events if they want to, but they will not count towards the advancement quota.
COMPETITIONS
Live and on-demand videos of the junior and senior events are available to subscribers on Peacock. Lower levels will be livestreamed for free on the US Figure Skating Fanzone.
Blaine, Minnesota
Henderson, Nevada
Allen, Texas
Leesburg, Virginia
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Norwood, Massachusetts
Alpharetta, Georgia
Spokane, Washington