Competing in Figure Skating

First competitions - You can compete in figure skating a lot sooner than you think. Clubs and rinks all over the country hold beginner competitions for skaters still in learn-to-skate classes. In U.S. Figure Skating's Learn to Skate USA program these are called Compete USA competitions (see beginner competitions). Skaters are grouped by level, and by age when there are enough entries. At the lowest levels the groups are small, so just about everyone goes home with a ribbon or medal.

Organization - In the United States most competitions are run under either U.S. Figure Skating (USFS) or the Ice Sports Industry (ISI, formerly the Ice Skating Institute). Which one depends on who is holding the event: USFS member clubs hold USFS-sanctioned competitions, and ISI member rinks hold ISI competitions. Nearly all advanced competition in the U.S. is under USFS, and the road to the U.S. Championships and the U.S. Olympic team runs through USFS.

International competitions are governed by the International Skating Union (ISU).

Qualifying vs. non-qualifying - Most USFS competitions are non-qualifying: anyone with the right tests can enter, and the results stand on their own. Qualifying competitions are the ones that lead to a national championship. For singles, pairs and ice dance that is the National Qualifying Series (NQS), the sectional singles finals, the U.S. Pairs Final and U.S. Ice Dance Final, and the U.S. Championships. Synchronized and adult skating have their own sectional and national championships.

Scoring - All qualifying competitions, and the short programs and free skates from Juvenile up at non-qualifying competitions, are scored with the ISU Judging System (IJS), which gives every element a base value and a grade of execution. Pre-Juvenile and lower events, Compete USA events and some adult, high school and collegiate events may use U.S. Figure Skating's simpler Component Judging System (CJS) instead. The old 6.0 system is no longer used. It pays for skaters and coaches to understand IJS, because the program layout decides how many points are available.

The U.S. qualifying season at a glance

1. National Qualifying Series (mid-July to early October). NQS events are regular competitions that also count for qualifying. A skater posts a score at one or more of them, and is ranked by their best score.
2. Sectional finals (November). The top singles skaters from each region and section go to the Eastern, Midwestern or Pacific Coast Sectional Singles Final. Pairs go to the U.S. Pairs Final and dance teams to the U.S. Ice Dance Final.
3. National championships (January). Junior and Senior skaters go on to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. From 2027, Juvenile, Intermediate and Novice skaters finish at the new U.S. Figure Skating Development Team Championships, held alongside it.

Regional championships, which used to start the season each October, are no longer held: the NQS replaced them. The details are on the qualifying competitions page.

International events - The best senior skaters go on to the ISU Grand Prix series, the Four Continents or European Championships, the World Championships and the Winter Olympics.

Sources

The U.S. structure here comes from the U.S. Figure Skating 2026-27 Rulebook and the 2026-27 NQS Participant Handbook. The rules change every season, so check with your coach or club before you enter.