The most significant international fours competition was the first of its kind, staged in Ottawa in 1913, which could be considered the birthplace of the international figure skating competition. Presented by HRH the Duke of Connaught, Prince Arthur, the son of Queen Victoria, the event pitted a team from the Minto Skating Club in Ottawa against a team from The Skating Club of Boston. Team Canada came away with the inaugural victory, as it did every year until 1941 when Team USA—represented by the Saint Paul Four—won its first title in Philadelphia.
Fours was held at the North American Figure Skating Championships in 1923 and then again from 1933 through 1941. The North American Championships were discontinued after 1971, long after fours had already faded from that event.
There was a brief revival in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Fours was included at Skate Canada International in 1989 and 1990; both years featured one American and two Canadian teams, and a West German team also competed in 1990. Sporadic events were also held in Germany and the Soviet Union.
At the national level, four events were held annually at the Canadian Championships through 1942 and sporadically thereafter until 1984, when it was held annually again until 1997, after which it was discontinued. The U.S. Championships last held fours in 1991.
It's one of those disciplines that was better suited to an earlier era of skating, when club culture was stronger and skaters trained locally with their clubmates for years. The modern elite pairs model—where a Canadian woman might partner with a Russian-born man, training in Montreal under a French-Canadian coaching team—just doesn't create the conditions for fours to emerge organically.
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If Synchro 9s doesn't work out (too many skaters!) we can do 4s. Here's a modern (last year) competition.
