2025-26 USFS International Assignments

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

And just like that - we have the senior CS entries for Warsaw Cup published!

ISU Figure Skating Challenger Series PGE Warsaw Cup 2025

ISU Figure Skating Challenger Series PGE Warsaw Cup 2025

isu-skating.com

Men - Sanchez
Women - Levito
Dance - Bratti/Somerville, Green/Parsons

The Pairs and junior events aren't part of the Challenger series and they haven't been published on the Polish website yet.

Did they put Levito in because they think she’s not going to make the final

 

[kwanfan1818]

They're hedging their bets and can WD her if she makes the Final.

 

[Skaterbob]

When was the last time a skater made the final with a 4th place? I guess they might be a tiebreaker and her score is kinda high.

 

[Karen-W]

When was the last time a skater made the final with a 4th place? I guess they might be a tiebreaker and her score is kinda high.

Theoretically it's possible if she wins SCI this week.

 

[Private Citizen]

Levito was fourth in France and is up against a very tough field at SC; she ain’t making the final without a miracle. I’m not sure what benefit she gets from doing another Challenger, though? She has competed enough this autumn, and she stated her strategy was to do early GPs then break in new boots.

 

[natsulian]

Levito was fourth in France and is up against a very tough field at SC; she ain’t making the final without a miracle. I’m not sure what benefit she gets from doing another Challenger, though? She has competed enough this autumn, and she stated her strategy was to do early GPs then break in new boots.

She will most likely (and should) withdraw and her spot will go to Elyce.

 

[skatfan]

Levito was fourth in France and is up against a very tough field at SC; she ain’t making the final without a miracle. I’m not sure what benefit she gets from doing another Challenger, though? She has competed enough this autumn, and she stated her strategy was to do early GPs then break in new boots.

Perhaps for the points? Just guessing.

 

[Karen-W]

Perhaps for the points? Just guessing.

It will be incremental points at best since she already had competed in 2 Challengers this season - she won Cranberry and finished 4th at Nebelhorn.

 

[Karen-W]

So, the USFS' Int'l Assignments page was updated yesterday with SOME of the Warsaw Cup and Tallinn Trophy entries.

Warsaw Cup -
Men & Women - no entries listed
Pairs - McBeath/Parkman and Williams/Lewer
Dance - Bratti/Somerville, Green/Parsons AND Isabella Flores/Linus Jepsen (it would seem they've chosen to represent the US rather than France)

Tallinn Trophy -
Men - Kapeikis and Naumov
Women & Ice Dance - no entries listed
no junior entries listed

ETA - just looked at the USFS' ISP page and Flores/Jepsen have been added in ice dance.

Added to the ISP in pairs - junior team Giuliana Gariti/Matthew Curtis and senior woman Chloe Levine.

 

[Karen-W]

And the USFS is begging to look foolish as ever by now confirming on the Int'l Assignments page that ShiNagy have been GIFTED the SkAm TBD host spot. What's the point of sending them to IceChallenge this week - apart from trying to get them their Worlds CTES mins at a Sr B since they're incapable of earning it at a Challenger, GP or the official OQE?

 

[Jammers]

And the USFS is begging to look foolish as ever by now confirming on the Int'l Assignments page that ShiNagy have been GIFTED the SkAm TBD host spot. What's the point of sending them to IceChallenge this week - apart from trying to get them their Worlds CTES mins at a Sr B since they're incapable of earning it at a Challenger, GP or the official OQE?

Do ShiNagy have the minimums for the Olympics?

 

[Karen-W]

Do ShiNagy have the minimums for the Olympics?

Yes, but then again, every single US pairs team already have it save Flores/Wang (didn't earn it at John Nicks) and Moss/Galbavy (making their sr debut at IceChallenge provided their luggage makes it to Graz, fingers crossed). It's not as if ShiNagy haven't had plenty of chances to earn the Worlds CTES mins between last season and this season. They've come up short every time.

Worlds CTES mins achieved -
Chan/Howe
Efimova/Mitrofanov
Kam/O'Shea
Liu/Bedard
McBeath/Parkman
Plazas/Fernandez

4CCs/Olympics CTES mins achieved -
Fitzpatrick/Bearinger
Shin/Nagy
Williams/Lewer

Jr Worlds CTES mins achieved -
Flores/Wang
Jarmoc/Witkowski
Kovar/McPike
McDanold/Felberbaum
Moss/Galbavy
Williams/Lewer

FWIW - Meagan Duhamel point blank stated on last week's Anything GOEs CoC recap that ShiNagy were being sent to IceChallenge to get their Worlds CTES mins because they came up .19 short at GPdF.

 

[A.H.Black]

I hope they are successful and skate well.

 

[Karen-W]

I hope they are successful and skate well.

Hope springs eternal. I am realistic about how I expect them to skate.

 

[Capt. DeSoto]

Santa Claus Cup 2025 entries are online, has US skaters...

https://skatesantaclauscup.hu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/List_of_entries_okt30.pdf

 

[Karen-W]

Santa Claus Cup 2025 entries are online, has US skaters...

https://skatesantaclauscup.hu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/List_of_entries_okt30.pdf

Senior Women - Kendall Erne, Erica Machida, Ava Marie Ziegler
Senior Ice Dance - Emily Bratti/Ian Somerville, Isabella Flores/Linus Colmor Jepsen, Elliana Peal/Ethan Peal
Junior Men - Ryan William Azadpour, Nicholas Brooks, Caleb Farrington
Junior Women - Annika Chao, Jessica Jurka, Angela Shao
Junior Ice Dance - Jane Calhoun/Mark Zheltyshev
Advanced Novice Men - Daniel Koppel
Advanced Novice Women - Tera Gropp, Deborah Liu, Grace Zhang
Advanced Novice Ice Dance - Natalie Leitan/Nathan Leitan, Rylen Lukanin/Patrick O'Brien

 

[Rukia]

Love to see Erica Machida going. She's one of my faves.

 

[Jammers]

Yes, but then again, every single US pairs team already have it save Flores/Wang (didn't earn it at John Nicks) and Moss/Galbavy (making their sr debut at IceChallenge provided their luggage makes it to Graz, fingers crossed). It's not as if ShiNagy hasn't had plenty of chances to earn the Worlds CTES mins between last season and this season. They've come up short every time.

Worlds CTES mins achieved -
Chan/Howe
Efimova/Mitrofanov
Kam/O'Shea
Liu/Bedard
McBeath/Parkman
Plazas/Fernandez

4CCs/Olympics CTES mins achieved -
Fitzpatrick/Bearinger
Shin/Nagy
Williams/Lewer

Jr Worlds CTES mins achieved -
Flores/Wang
Jarmoc/Witkowski
Kovar/McPike
McDanold/Felberbaum
Moss/Galbavy
Williams/Lewer

FWIW - Meagan Duhamel point blank stated on last week's Anything GOEs CoC recap that ShiNagy were being sent to IceChallenge to get their Worlds CTES mins because they came up .19 short at GPdF.

The minimums for the Olympics and Worlds are different?

 

[skatingguy]

The minimums for the Olympics and Worlds are different?

Olympic minimums are the same as Europeans/Four Continents.

 

[Capt. DeSoto]

I swear, half of trying to follow this sport is parsing technical notifications...

Looking at the 2026 Bye/Advancement criteria document, I first got the impression that Patrick Blackwell could get a retroactive bye to nationals (if such a thing could even apply retroactively). So, let assume he goes to Eastern Sectionals and places in the top 4 (not hard to assume).

Furthermore, Patrick is unofficially scheduled to compete in Tallinn at the end of November. That will be his 3rd international which theoretically earns him a bye. I think he's pas the point of paying his own way to competitions, so let's just assume that this is a funded competition for him. If so, would that mean the 5th place Eastern finisher now gets to go to Jr. Nats because a bye winner can't preclude a lower finisher if they compete in the NQS Final?

Ok, but now here is the big question. Would Patrick even qualify for a bye, because the list of approved competitions for a bye is under the header of "Challenger Series/International Competitions", and we all know that a CS event is senior only. So now we're left to parse "International Competitions". I had previously assumed that meant any international competition, but lately I've learned that this generic-looking term might not be so generic. In the ISU parlance, there are "IC"/"International Competitions" and "JIC"/"Junior International Competitions".

Confusing the issue further, they document goes on to specifically exclude the Junior Cranberry Cup event. So, now I'm confused again, if "International Competitions" doesn't automatically imply senior-level events then this explicit exclusion is unnecessary. So then, does Tallinn earn Patrick a bye (after-the-fact)?

Please help a guy out. Any opinions? Are only lawyers allowed to follow this sport?

 

[marshallpond]

Tallinn

Unfortunately for juniors, Talinn is a self-funded competition. It is listed in the Team USA Non-Funded Participation Opportunities email sent earlier in the season. I doubt USFS will be magnanimous enough to change non-funded to funded opportunity (but hey, miracles can happen LOL)

I've tracked junior-level skaters who completed 2 JGPs and a self-funded international competition, yet still had to participate in sectionals. The third international assignment must be USFS-funded.

 

[Vagabond]

Skaters should not be able to buy a bye.

 

[Capt. DeSoto]

Skaters should not be able to buy a bye.

They can't, self-funded international assignments are excluded from consideration for byes.

 

[doritos]

Yes, but then again, every single US pairs team already have it save Flores/Wang (didn't earn it at John Nicks) and Moss/Galbavy (making their sr debut at IceChallenge provided their luggage makes it to Graz, fingers crossed). It's not as if ShiNagy haven't had plenty of chances to earn the Worlds CTES mins between last season and this season. They've come up short every time.

Worlds CTES mins achieved -
Chan/Howe
Efimova/Mitrofanov
Kam/O'Shea
Liu/Bedard
McBeath/Parkman
Plazas/Fernandez

4CCs/Olympics CTES mins achieved -
Fitzpatrick/Bearinger
Shin/Nagy
Williams/Lewer

Jr Worlds CTES mins achieved -
Flores/Wang
Jarmoc/Witkowski
Kovar/McPike
McDanold/Felberbaum
Moss/Galbavy
Williams/Lewer

FWIW - Meagan Duhamel point blank stated on last week's Anything GOEs CoC recap that ShiNagy were being sent to IceChallenge to get their Worlds CTES mins because they came up .19 short at GPdF.

Moss/Galbavy missed the CTES for 4CC by 1.38 (ended up with 73.62). Lost a bunch of levels in the short and some costly errors in both programs, especially the two throws in the free program.

Shin/Nagy did a good job of fighting in the free program and made the CTES by 2.59