2025 John Nicks Pairs Challenge International: General Info and Pregame Chat

[gsk8]

The 2025 John Nicks Pairs Challenge International is the second of 11 events of the 2025-26 Figure Skating Challenger Series and is scheduled to take place in New York, NY, USA, September 2-3, 2025.

The event will only feature the Senior Pairs' discipline and will be conducted in accordance with the ISU Constitution and General Regulations, the ISU Special Regulations for Pair skating, and relevant ISU Communications.

The 2025 John Nicks International Pairs competition for the junior category will be held in conjunction with this event.

Participation is open to all Skaters/Couples of ISU Members with a maximum of 3 entries per category (except for the Host ISU Member), who are eligible for International "Senior" Competitions by age (Rule 108) and by citizenship (109) and entered through the respective ISU Member. There is a limitation for the Skaters/Couples to three (3) participations in the Challenger Series Competitions.

The event will count towards ISU World Standing Points, Minimum Total Technical Score, Challenger Series in Figure Skating Ranking, and Prize Money.

• ISU Event Page
• Announcement
• Schedule
• Entries
• Results
• ISU Event Page (Juniors)
• Announcement (Juniors)
• Entries (Juniors)
• ISU Communication 2683 & ISU Communication 2706 (Challenger Series in Figure Skating for 2025-26)
• ISU Communication 2550 (ISU World Standing and Season World Ranking for Single & Pairs Skating and Ice Dance)

 

[dorispulaski]

X

 

[dorispulaski]

Stub

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

Entries are online

 

[4everchan]

8 teams from the USA
1 team from Russia... i ddin't know they were allowed to compete other than the Olympic qualifier .... did i miss a memo ?

 

[almiranara]

8 teams from the USA
1 team from Russia... i ddin't know they were allowed to compete other than the Olympic qualifier .... did i miss a memo ?

they already switched to Armenia

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

8 teams from the USA
1 team from Russia... i ddin't know they were allowed to compete other than the Olympic qualifier .... did i miss a memo ?

I read on X that they represent Armenia now but that hasn't been updated on the ISU website

 

[paulusfr]

1 team from Russia... i ddin't know they were allowed to compete other than the Olympic qualifier .... did i miss a memo ?

They are allowed to compete for other countries.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Funnily enough, the ISU does place them at the right place in the entry list (ARM comes before AUT, but RUS wouldn't), even though the ISU bio has not been updated.

(Also, is it AkApova or AkOpova? The ISU bio uses AkApova, but Karina herself uses AkOpova.)

And before there is any confusion, this is not a team switching to a country they don't have any connection to. Despite her being born and raised in Russia, Karina is ethnically and culturally Armenian, and her entire family is Armenian (Akopova is also a last name of Armenian origin). Nikita is just along for the ride, but they are engaged, so...

 

[Ziotic]

They are allowed to compete for other countries.

The website just lists them as RUS, so I'm sure it can be confusing since it doesn't state they are representing ARM.

 

[ramurphy2005]

8 teams from the USA

It might actually be 9. The entry list skips from 10 to 12. So, it's got to be Liu/Bedard, too just based off what we know of the senior teams on the ISP.

Clearly, whoever is in charge of updating bios has some work to do.

 

[Jumping_Bean]

It might actually be 9. The entry list skips from 10 to 12. So, it's got to be Liu/Bedard, too just based off what we know of the senior teams on the ISP.

Clearly, whoever is in charge of updating bios has some work to do.

Uh, another reason why I don't like the new entry pages - If the skaters don't have an ISU bio (yet), they don't show up at all.

 

[4everchan]

They are allowed to compete for other countries.

Yes.. but the entries listed them as RUS. Now that others have cleared out that they are indeed representing Armenia, it clarifies everything.

 

[4everchan]

Funnily enough, the ISU does place them at the right place in the entry list (ARM comes before AUT, but RUS wouldn't), even though the ISU bio has not been updated.

(Also, is it AkApova or AkOpova? The ISU bio uses AkApova, but Karina herself uses AkOpova.)

And before there is any confusion, this is not a team switching to a country they don't have any connection to. Despite her being born and raised in Russia, Karina is ethnically and culturally Armenian, and her entire family is Armenian (Akopova is also a last name of Armenian origin). Nikita is just along for the ride, but they are engaged, so...

Thanks. YOu should work for the ISU. Everything would be clearer

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Thanks. YOu should work for the ISU. Everything would be clearer

I'm very flattered, but I don't think one person would be enough to clean up what is going on over there.

 

[TontoK]

Wait! Max and Deanna are on this entry list? How did I not know they'd be here.

This looks like a Team USA audition for Chinese Nebelhorn. They've got the whole family in the comp.

@4everchan who was the third Canadian pair at Worlds? I've forgotten and I wish they were here. They were the most underscored team at that event, IMO.

 

[4everchan]

Wait! Max and Deanna are on this entry list? How did I not know they'd be here.

This looks like a Team USA audition for Chinese Nebelhorn. They've got the whole family in the comp.

@4everchan who was the third Canadian pair at Worlds? I've forgotten and I wish they were here. They were the most underscored team at that event, IMO.

Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier, and yes, they are often underscored.

 

[elektra blue]

i thought i was allucinating, but it was the usual group of boomers managing the ISU website

 

[paulusfr]

Liu/Bedard have been added. Akapova fixed (nationality, not the name).

 

[Jumping_Bean]

Wait, am I seeing this right? Liu/Bedard AND Shin/Nagy have chosen "Two Men in Love" for their Free Skates? Love the Hozier pick for the SP though.

(Also, what is it with figure skating and that song this season? Of course, it's been used before, but I think there are 5 or so programs using it that have been announced so far.)

And Akopova/Rakhmanin's country has only been fixed in the entry list, their bio still lists them as representing Russia.