2025 CS John Nicks International Pairs Competition

2025 CS John Nicks International Pairs Competition
Logo of the John Nicks Pairs Challenge
Type:ISU Challenger Series
Date:September 2 – 3
Season:2025–26
Location:New York City, New York,
United States
Host:U.S. Figure Skating
Venue:Skating Club of New York
Champions
Pairs:
Canada Deanna Stellato-Dudek
and Maxime Deschamps
Previous:
2024 CS John Nicks International Pairs Competition
Previous CS:
2025 CS Cranberry Cup International
Next CS:
2025 CS Kinoshita Group Cup

The 2025 John Nicks International Pairs Competition was a figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by U.S. Figure Skating, and the second event of the 2025–26 ISU Challenger Series. It was held at the Skating Club of New York in New York City, New York, in the United States, from September 2 to 3, 2025. Medals were awarded in pair skating only, and skaters earned ISU World Standing points based on their results. Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canda won the event, while Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov of the United States finished in second place, and Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman of the United States finished in third. With the assist of Deschamps, Stellato-Dudek became the first woman to perform a backflip since the maneuver was legalized in 2024.

Background

The inaugural John Nicks Pairs Challenge was held in 2021 at the Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers in New York City, New York, in the United States.[1] The competition is named in honor of John Nicks,[2] a retired British figure skater who worked as a figure skating coach in the United States for nearly four decades.[3] The 2025 John Nicks International Pairs Competition was held from September 2 to 3.[1]

The ISU Challenger Series was introduced in 2014. It is a series of international figure skating competitions sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and organized by ISU member nations. The objective was to ensure consistent organization and structure within a series of international competitions linked together, providing opportunities for senior-level skaters to compete at the international level and also earn ISU World Standing points.[4] The 2025–26 Challenger Series consisted of eleven events, of which the John Nicks International Pairs Competition was the second.[5] The Cranberry Cup International was held in conjunction with the John Nicks Pairs Challenge – the former hosted the men's and women's events, while the latter hosted the pairs event – and the two competitions constituted U.S. Figure Skating's contribution to the Challenger Series.[6]

Changes to preliminary assignments

The International Skating Union published the preliminary list of entrants on August 5, 2025.[7] Ellie Kam and Daniel O'Shea withdrew from the competition on August 18.[8]

Required performance elements

Couples competing in pair skating first performed a short program on September 2.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[9] the short program had to include the following elements: one pair lift, one double or triple twist lift, one double or triple throw jump, one double or triple solo jump, one solo spin combination with a change of foot, one death spiral, and a step sequence using the full ice surface.[10]

Skaters performed their free skates on September 3.[1] The free skate could last no more than 4 minutes,[9] and had to include the following: three pair lifts, of which one had to be a twist lift; two different throw jumps; one solo jump; one jump combination or sequence; one pair spin combination; one death spiral; and a choreographic sequence.[11]

Judging

Skaters were judged according to the required technical elements of their program (such as jumps and spins), as well as the overall presentation of their program, based on three program components (skating skills, presentation, and composition). Each technical element in a figure skating performance was assigned a predetermined base point value and scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from −5 to +5 based on the quality of its execution.[12] Each Grade of Execution (GOE) from –5 to +5 was assigned a value as indicated on the Scale of Values.[13][14] For example, a triple Axel was worth a base value of 8.00 points, and a GOE of +3 was worth 2.40 points, so a triple Axel with a GOE of +3 earned 10.40 points.[13] The judging panel's GOE for each element was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores). The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a Total Elements Score.[15] At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on the five aforementioned program components and assigned each a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments.[16] The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the chart below; the results were added together to generate a total Program Component Score.[17]

Program component factoring[18]
Discipline Short program Free skate
Pairs 1.33 2.67

Deductions were applied for certain violations, such as time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.[19] The Total Elements Score and Program Component Score were then added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.[20]

Medal summary

Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps at the 2025 World Championships
Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov at the 2025 World Championships
Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman at the 2026 U.S. Championships
From left to right: The 2025 John Nicks International Pairs Competition medalists: Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada (gold); Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov of the United States (silver); and Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman of the United States (bronze)
Medalists[21]
Discipline Gold Silver Bronze
Pairs
  • Canada

Results

Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada dominated the competition, winning both the short program and free skate to ultimately win the gold medal, while Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov of the United States finished in second place, and Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman, also of the United States, finished in third. During the short program, Stellato-Dudek performed a backflip with an assist from Deschamps.[22] Stellato-Dudek, who cited Surya Bonaly of France as an inspiration, became the first woman to perform the backflip since it became a legal element in figure skating in 2024.[23] Bonaly was the first skater to perform a backflip – in her case, solo – since it was declared an illegal maneuver in 1977. Knowing she was not going to win a medal, Bonaly chose to execute a backflip, landing on one skate, in lieu of two triple jumps at the end of her free skate during the 1998 Winter Olympics, knowing she would receive a point deduction.[24]

Pairs results[21]
Rank Team Nation Total points SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Canada 199.43 1 70.66 1 128.66
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  United States 193.54 2 66.85 2 126.69
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  United States 187.89 3 65.62 3 122.27
4  United States 183.22 4 65.58 4 117.64
5  Armenia 174.84 5 65.20 5 109.64
6
 United States 168.27 6 59.88 6 108.39
7  United States 165.76 7 59.64 7 106.12
8  Austria 165.00 8 59.59 8 105.41
9  Austria 153.37 9 53.59 9 99.78
10  United States 148.14 10 53.22 10 94.92
11
  • Linzy Fitzpatrick
  • Keyton Bearinger
  United States 125.91 12 43.17 11 82.74
12  United States 122.66 11 45.01 12 77.65

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "2025 John Nicks Pairs International Challenger Series – Announcement" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 29, 2025. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  2. ↑ "The John Nicks International Pairs Challenge at the 97th Middle Atlantic Figure Skating Championships". The Skating Club of New York. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  3. ↑ Rosewater, Amy (January 14, 2013). "A life in skating: An interview with John Nicks". Ice Network. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Challenger Series". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 29, 2025. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Communication No. 2706" (PDF). International Skating Union. May 8, 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 4, 2025. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Challenger Series in Figure Skating 2025/26 – Announcement" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 14, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  7. ↑ "ISU CS John Nicks Pairs Challenge International 2025". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 8, 2025. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  8. ↑ @AnythingGOE (August 20, 2025). "🇺🇸 Ellie Kam/Danny O'Shea have withdrawn from John Nicks Pairs Challenge" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  9. 1 2 S&P/ID 2024, p. 82.
  10. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, p. 119.
  11. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, p. 122.
  12. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, pp. 32, 83–84.
  13. 1 2 "Communication No. 2707" (PDF). International Skating Union. July 1, 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Communication No. 2705" (PDF). International Skating Union. May 7, 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 13, 2025. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  15. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, pp. 15–16.
  16. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, pp. 84–85.
  17. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, pp. 16–17.
  18. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, p. 17.
  19. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, pp. 18–19.
  20. ↑ S&P/ID 2024, p. 20.
  21. 1 2 "2025 John Nicks Pairs Challenge CS". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on January 2, 2026. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps Win Gold at the John Nicks Pairs Challenge International". Skate Canada. September 3, 2025. Archived from the original on December 18, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  23. ↑ Smirnova, Lena (October 17, 2025). "Quadragenarian Deanna Stellato-Dudek out to prove "girls can play the backflip game" – but partner Maxime Deschamps needs some convincing". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2025. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  24. ↑ Walker, Rhiannon (February 18, 2022). "Forgotten Fridays: In her last Olympic competition, Surya Bonaly pulled something special out of her back pocket". The Athletic. Archived from the original on December 8, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2025.

Works cited

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