2025-26 Challenger Events allocated

[gsk8]

7-10 August 2025 - Cranberry Cup International (Men & Women) - Norwood, MA, USA
2-3 September 2025 - John Nicks Pairs Challenge International (Pairs only) - New York, NY, USA
5-7 September 2025 - Kinoshita Group Cup - Osaka, JPN (Includes Pairs)
11-14 September 2025 - Lombardia Trophy - Bergamo, ITA
25-27 September 2025 - Nebelhorn Trophy - Oberstdorf, GER (Includes Pairs)
25-27 September 2025 - 33rd Nepela Memorial - Bratislava, SVK
1-4 October 2025 - Denis Ten Memorial Challenge - Astana, KAZ
8-11 October 2025 - Trialeti Trophy - Tbilisi, GEO (Includes Pairs)
19-23 November 2025 - PGE Warsaw Cup - Warsaw, POL
24-30 November 2025 - Tallinn Trophy - Tallinn, EST
3-6 December 2025 - Golden Spin of Zagreb - Zagreb, CRO (Includes Pairs)

 

[yuumagical]

Is this the first time Japan has had a Challenger Series event? I'm pleased to see Challenger events popping up in new places!

 

[gsk8]

Is this the first time Japan has had a Challenger Series event? I'm pleased to see Challenger events popping up in new places!

Yes For Georgia also!

 

[4everchan]

It is also the first time we didn't get ACI following the American challenger... What happened to alternating years ? Is Skate Canada that broke ?

 

[4everchan]

I'd add that not having a challenger for ice dance in North America is crazy considering where teams are training... but if that means an international field at CQÉ... I'll go to CQÉ

 

[charmblade]

Well I don’t know how many skaters will be ready for an early August challenger but with Cranberry Cup ten minutes from my house I have no reason not to go.

The skating gods have been very good to New England this year. Even Skate America is a reasonable drive from Boston.

 

[Kittosuni]

Well I don’t know how many skaters will be ready for an early August challenger but with Cranberry Cup ten minutes from my house I have no reason not to go.

The skating gods have been very good to New England this year. Even Skate America is a reasonable drive from Boston.

Most likely skaters going to the Olympic Qualification in Beijing will be attending this one to test out their routines.

 

[surimi]

I was ready to rejoice to see a Challenger right in Japan, but then I noticed this nonsense with no North American Challenger other than some August event, yet again. I truly hope this arrangement is not here to stay. It's unfair to everyone participating in summer shows or recovering from surgeries and such over the summer.

So, as far as Japanese federation is concerned, I guess we're not getting back the good old days when skaters would be sent to various countries, and, gasp, actually to more Challengers than 3. Nope, I'm pretty sure this year it's going to be just Kinoshita, Italy and Germany. Which means about 6 JPN singles entries throughout all Challengers. JSF and ISU truly know how to cultivate interest in this sport...

Also, it makes me uncomfortable to see a Challenger bearing the name of one of the biggest sponsors of FS, and of some Japanese skaters. It's hard for me to trust their scoring objectivity, unless any skaters sponsored by Kinoshita are not allowed to enter... or unless the event is renamed.

 

[Jeanie19]

Well I don’t know how many skaters will be ready for an early August challenger but with Cranberry Cup ten minutes from my house I have no reason not to go.

The skating gods have been very good to New England this year. Even Skate America is a reasonable drive from Boston.

I am definitely going for one day. Last year they had juniors, too. And the first day of practices were free.

 

[Marty McFlip]

No more nice métropole côte d'azur trophy ?

 

[saine]

No more nice métropole côte d'azur trophy ?

It was scheduled last season to overlap with Skate America. Now that GPdF is the first Grand Prix, they probably don't want to have a Challenger and Grand Prix scheduled for the same weekend in the same country.

 

[throw_triple_flip]

No more nice métropole côte d'azur trophy ?

It's usually a Senior B event.

 

[throw_triple_flip]

I was ready to rejoice to see a Challenger right in Japan, but then I noticed this nonsense with no North American Challenger other than some August event, yet again. I truly hope this arrangement is not here to stay. It's unfair to everyone participating in summer shows or recovering from surgeries and such over the summer.

So, as far as Japanese federation is concerned, I guess we're not getting back the good old days when skaters would be sent to various countries, and, gasp, actually to more Challengers than 3. Nope, I'm pretty sure this year it's going to be just Kinoshita, Italy and Germany. Which means about 6 JPN singles entries throughout all Challengers. JSF and ISU truly know how to cultivate interest in this sport...

Also, it makes me uncomfortable to see a Challenger bearing the name of one of the biggest sponsors of FS, and of some Japanese skaters. It's hard for me to trust their scoring objectivity, unless any skaters sponsored by Kinoshita are not allowed to enter... or unless the event is renamed.

This is odd. Figure skating events are often sponsored. Last year there was the CS PGE Warsaw Cup. Throwing around unfounded accusations of bias seems a bit of an extreme reaction.

It's good that there is a Challenger Event in east Asia. They have been thin on the ground these past few years. I fail to see how this would be damaging to skating in Japan? I'm sure many skaters from there (and other countries in the region) will be glad that they don't have to travel quite so far to compete at a Challenger event.

And if the Cranberry Cup is too close to the end of show season, etc for some, skaters can still compete at the later Challenger events. Last year some skaters benefited from the early opportunity to gain a season's best, TES minimums and improve their World ranking, e.g Sarah Everhardt (if I remember correctly her score at the Cranberry Cup put her to the top of the Grand Prix subs list).

Challenger Series events are not the Grand Prix, it's not all about the "top" skaters from the previous season. Other skaters with earlier ends to last season (i.e. the ones that didn't make Worlds) may feel ready to compete at "some August event".

 

[ice coverage]

I am definitely going for one day. Last year they had juniors, too. And the first day of practices were free.

Plus last year's Cranberry Cup had advanced novice boys and advanced novice girls, as well as juniors and Challenger seniors.
Hope the same will be true this year.

 

[surimi]

This is odd. Figure skating events are often sponsored. Last year there was the CS PGE Warsaw Cup. Throwing around unfounded accusations of bias seems a bit of an extreme reaction.

I didn't accuse anyone, please don't put words in my mouth. I am talking about how the name makes me feel. Big difference.
If the 'PGE' is a company, do they sponsor many skaters and have their own academy?

It's good that there is a Challenger Event in east Asia. They have been thin on the ground these past few years. I fail to see how this would be damaging to skating in Japan? I'm sure many skaters from there (and other countries in the region) will be glad that they don't have to travel quite so far to compete at a Challenger event.

I am also glad there's a Challenger in East Asia after Asian Open/Trophy. Nowhere did I say the competition itself is damaging to Japanese skaters.
What is damaging to Japanese skaters is JSF's scarce assignments. And with Finlandia and North America out of the picture, and JSF having stopped sending skaters to central Europe like Slovakia and Warsaw, plus JSF not really sending skaters to late Challengers recently (Croatia, Tallinn), my guess is it will be just 3 Challengers again, and therefore few skaters will be assigned. Few international competitions mean few points in the rankings, and few chances at season bests. So much depends on Nationals and how young and prospective their skaters are. I wish they all had as many chances as the European skaters to participate in international events, and place higher in the world standings.
Not saying noone else is assigning as little as JSF, or even less, but it's certainly disappointing. And it decreases the chances of international fans of seeing their favorite Japanese skaters at events in the Challenger/B event ticket price range rather than GP+ price range (the select few who make it to GP), which could be damaging to ticket sales.

So, a meaningful competition on home soil has been gained, but in terms of how many Japanese skaters get the opportunity to compete and earn points and SBs, I guess not much will change compared to last season's opportunities.

Challenger Series events are not the Grand Prix, it's not all about the "top" skaters from the previous season.

I think everyone should get the chance to test their programs before the GP series begins, no matter if they're top skaters or not. That is my opinion. You're free to keep yours.

 

[el henry]

Well I don’t know how many skaters will be ready for an early August challenger but with Cranberry Cup ten minutes from my house I have no reason not to go.

The skating gods have been very good to New England this year. Even Skate America is a reasonable drive from Boston.

I don't know what Americans will/may attend, but I would take an educated guess that Donovan will.

 

[dorispulaski]

Max Naumov will likely be there.

 

[Jammers]

Whatever happened to the Senior B that the US used to have that was in September? Why does the USFS have a event like the Cranberry Cup so early if it's going to be recognized as a potential Challenger? It's to damn early so skaters won't be in great shape and some skaters might just not want to compete in early August. The US needs to put together another event that's at least in September and includes singles that the ISU will recognize as a potential Challenger.

 

[saine]

Whatever happened to the Senior B that the US used to have that was in September? Why does the USFS have a event like the Cranberry Cup so early if it's going to be recognized as a potential Challenger? It's to damn early so skaters won't be in great shape and some skaters might just not want to compete in early August. The US needs to put together another event that's at least in September and includes singles that the ISU will recognize as a potential Challenger.

Looking at the schedule, they have Nebelhorn and Nepela on the same weekend, plus there's the Olympic Qualifying Event in Beijing September 16-21. No Challengers are scheduled for that time. My guess is that September turned into a headache for scheduling and it was easier to have it be Cranberry Cup/John Nicks again.

Cranberry Cup did work well for USFS since it helped Sarah Everhardt, Elyce Lin-Gracey and Lucas Broussard have good SBs early in the season. Same with John Nicks, it really helped Efimova/Mitrofanov and McBeath/Parkman.

 

[rabidline]

Considering Japan opens its ice show this summer to Russian skaters, any possibility of their challenger welcoming entries from Russia before the Olympic qualifying event? Or is it still against the ISU rules to do that?