Five competitions were held across the country from Sept. 2-11 for the National Qualifying Series, giving skaters opportunities to qualify for the Sectional and U.S. Finals.
The following five competitions took place in the last two weeks:
- 2022 Skate Houston
- The 96th Annual Middle Atlantic Figure Skating Championships
- Greater Chicagoland Fall Invitational
- Skate St. Moritz
- 2022 John Smith Memorial
Highlights from the last two weeks include:
- Alexander Liu displayed wonderful composition and musicality in his program at 2022 Skate Houston. The junior man’s choreography reflected all nuances of the music and displayed performance skills that matched the choreography.
- Junior woman Katie Krafchik competed at the 96th Annual Middle Atlantic Figure Skating Championships, where she placed first with 168.85 total points in the hopes of qualifying for the Singles Sectional Final. Her favorite moment in her free skate is performing her choreographic step sequence.
- At the Greater Chicagoland Invitational, Madison Xaphakdy performed a seamless intermediate program with excellent components. She executed a fabulous double Axel in her program, which was noted for being very fluid with transitions in and out of elements.
- Hitonari Tani won the juvenile boys free skate event with 42.62 points. His program opened with a double Axel and included a Level 3 spin. The 11-year-old started skating after watching Yuzuru Hanyu at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
- The novice and intermediate skaters at the 2022 John Smith Memorial captivated audiences and officials with impressive programs and memorable choreography, most notably Lillianna Fish, Natalie Lennon, Oona Renkonen and Alek Tankovic.
NQS will conclude this month with the final two weeks of competition. Upcoming competitions include:
- 43rd Annual Pasadena Open Championships: Sept. 15-18
- 2022 Austin Autumn Classic: Sept. 22-25
- Challenge Cup: Sept. 22-25
For more information about NQS, visit the resources below:
