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

[yuki@thelake]

Yes. But they will be different competitions. And in the first message you linked the John Nicks Pairs Challenge with the NQS, not the Middle Atlantic Championships.

I am very much aware that John Nicks and the NQS are two different competitions.

I thought everyone knew that The 99th Annual Middle Atlantic Figure Skating Championships is an NQS, and I'd rather type NQS than the full name of the competition https://www.usfigureskating.org/2025-26-national-qualifying-series-competition-central

I linked the NQS and John Nicks because I was providing the person who asked about the John Nicks schedule with the actual times the John Nicks competition will take place. And yes, in between the junior and senior John Nicks, they will do the NQS pairs event (NQS being the 99th Annual Middle Atlantic Figure Skating Championships). This is how John Nicks and the pair events of the NQS have always been conducted: the NQS junior and senior pairs are held on the same day as John Nicks.

This is the schedule of John Nicks, and as you can see, the schedule has both the NQS (aka 99th Annual Middle Atlantic Figure Skating Championships) and John Nicks on the same day.

Hope this is all clear. I've been to several John Nicks as well as kids who competed at the Middle Atlantic NQS to know the difference between the two.

 

[elbkup]

There's a lady who coaches at the rink that records the competitions and uploads in her YouTube channel. Watch her channel though she uploads them quite fast https://www.youtube.com/@MikichkaFigureSkater

YES!! Many thanks Now you mention it, I remember her from last year..

 

[FlossieH]

Does anyone know anything about the Armenian pair? I am assuming they are a transfer from Russia, but I can't find any results written in English.

 

[paulusfr]

Does anyone know anything about the Armenian pair? I am assuming they are a transfer from Russia, but I can't find any results written in English.

Skating Scores: Latest Figure Skating Results, Scores, Rankings & Statistics

The best resource for Figure Skating scores and stats on the web.

skatingscores.com

 

[FlossieH]

Skating Scores: Latest Figure Skating Results, Scores, Rankings & Statistics

The best resource for Figure Skating scores and stats on the web.

skatingscores.com

Thanks. I couldn't find their Russian profile on there. Normally if you go to the profile the skater has for their new country and click on their name you can get to a page with their old countries and partnerships. For some reason clicking on their names wasn't taking me anywhere.

 

[ice coverage]

... This is the schedule of John Nicks, and as you can see, the schedule has both the NQS (aka 99th Annual Middle Atlantic Figure Skating Championships) and John Nicks on the same day. ...

Thanks for your information.
( Your shorthand was easily understandable to me from the very beginning. )

FWIW, results page for 2025 Mid-Atlantics NQS is showing the times below for its pair categories:

Tue Sep 2​

1:05 PM 101-106_Novice Pairs Combined / Short Program​

1:18 PM 102-107_Junior Pairs Combined / Short Program​

2:15 PM 104-109_Senior Pairs Combined / Short Program​

revised time as of Mon night: 2:50 PM 104-109_Senior Pairs Combined / Short Program​

Wed Sep 3​

10:40 AM 101-106_Novice Pairs Combined / Free Skate​

10:45 AM 102-107_Junior Pairs Combined / Free Skate​

12:20 PM 104-109_Senior Pairs Combined / Free Skate​

3:00 PM 111_Intermediate Pairs FS / Free Skate​

revised time as of Mon night: 3:50 PM 111_Intermediate Pairs FS / Free Skate​

 

[gsk8]

Just a note that this also has its own thread here:
99th Annual Middle Atlantic Championships

 

[Alwaysoniceinmyheart]

Thanks for your information.
( Your shorthand was easily understandable to me from the very beginning. )

FWIW, results page for 2025 Mid-Atlantics NQS is showing the times below for its pair categories:

Tue Sep 2​

1:05 PM 101-106_Novice Pairs Combined / Short Program​

1:18 PM 102-107_Junior Pairs Combined / Short Program​

2:15 PM 104-109_Senior Pairs Combined / Short Program​

​

Wed Sep 3​

10:40 AM 101-106_Novice Pairs Combined / Free Skate​

10:45 AM 102-107_Junior Pairs Combined / Free Skate​

12:20 PM 104-109_Senior Pairs Combined / Free Skate​

3:00 PM 111_Intermediate Pairs FS / Free Skate​

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Perhaps the music rights are not hard to obtain. OTOH, both Shin/Nagy and newly formed Liu/ Bedard picking the same fp music does not seem like a coincidence. May the best team excel. Psst: Rah-Rah, Chels & Ryan


The Golden West clip of Liu/Bedard, posted in U.S. pairs thread, did not have good sound, but I thought their sp was to music by Hozier.

The Russian/ Armenian team have great technical basics, as Russian pairs teams typically do. They should receive a lot of points on their 3-twist, and jumps, if landed as well as they can do. Their throws are high, and could also be highly scored if Akapova can consistently handle the power and height. They are a young team, still learning and having a new opportunity to compete internationally, so we'll see. But the judges do enjoy rewarding Russian pairs teams, often overmuch aesthetically when they are not strong in some pcs categories. At least, Akapova/ Rakhmanin are faster, crisp, and more powerful than technically good, but exceedingly slow, stiff, and awkward Geynish/ Chigirev, who rep Uzbekistan (G/C match well and have nice lines, but they are very slow with weak aesthetics).

It will definitely be interesting to see how the U.S. teams shake out, and how Deanna/ Max will look in their new season international outing. The venue rink is awful if it's being held at the same locale as past years. All teams will have to adjust their programs to the small rink size.

 

[TontoK]

I wonder what Max and Deanna are going to show as "an element never seen in competition" during their short program.

Because the SP elements are so rigidly defined, my guess is that it will be a choreographic element, but who knows.

https://x.com/SylviaUnseen/status/1962605122178912540

 

[dorispulaski]

Side by side back flips??

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

Side by side back flips??

I hope not

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

It's taken a bit of hunting, but it looks like the Entries / Results page will be here:

https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2025/36395/index.htm

The page currently just has the title at the top. But, hopefully it will be populated soon. (It had better be - I'm waiting for confirmation of who is there before I make out my predictions!)

Hope this helps

CaroLiza_fan

 

[dorispulaski]

It better get something on it soon! The event is starting in several hours.

 

[gsk8]

It better get something on it soon! The event is starting in several hours.

6:30PM EST

 

[StitchMonkey]

Just an FYI

another site is saying that this has been changed. to EARLIER!

https://old.another site.com/r/FigureSkating/comments/1n6eqmw/john_nicks_pairs_challenge_timing/

Looks like 3:10 is the new start time.

I wanted to try to get this here as soon as I saw it as I hope maybe to save someone from the disappointment of showing up late.

 

[dorispulaski]

That's for Seniors in Nicks. Juniors are earlier. 1:00 or so

 

[StitchMonkey]

It's an assisted back flip actually.

Sylvia @SylviaUnseen has a clip.

Sylvia (@SylviaUnseen)

So, the “element never before seen in [pairs] competition” is … a THROW BACKFLIP by Deanna Stellato-Dudek & Maxime Deschamps - my clip from their SP practice run through at ISU CS John Nicks Pairs Challenge at Sky Rink, Chelsea Piers, New York City on September 2, 2025.

xcancel.com

 

[TontoK]

It's an assisted back flip actually.

Sylvia @SylviaUnseen has a clip.

Sylvia (@SylviaUnseen)

So, the “element never before seen in [pairs] competition” is … a THROW BACKFLIP by Deanna Stellato-Dudek & Maxime Deschamps - my clip from their SP practice run through at ISU CS John Nicks Pairs Challenge at Sky Rink, Chelsea Piers, New York City on September 2, 2025.

xcancel.com

OK, I'm a hater on this. It takes way too long for them to come to a complete stop and set up the move.

 

[StitchMonkey]

OK, I'm a hater on this. It takes way too long for them to come to a complete stop and set up the move.

This is my issue as well. I feel like it is sorta, not soup yet. I hope they are working on getting the entry to flow more and not feel like an interruption. They have the season to work on it and improve, i just hope they plan to.

I will say i appreciate that they do seem to be trying to tie the exit in with the flow of the program.

If you are going to flip, it should still fit/flow with the program.