Figure Skating Competitions - Qualifying Competitions in Canada

Qualifying Competitions in Canada

Skate Canada organizes the annual Canadian Figure Skating Championships and the competitions leading up to them. The competition levels in Canada, from highest to lowest, are:

• Senior
• Junior
• Novice
• Pre-novice
• Juvenile

Canada's figure skating organization is divided into 13 sections which generally correspond to provincial boundaries, except for Ontario which has 4 sections. Sectional championships for singles, pair skating, and ice dancing are generally held in November. The top four finishers at each level advance to the next event.

Senior skaters qualify directly from sectionals to the Canadian Figure Skating Championships. As in the United States, top finishers from the previous year and skaters with conflicting international assignments receive byes to the national championships.

The top junior, novice, and pre-novice skaters from each sectional championship qualify to skate at either the Eastern or Western Challenge competitions. From the Challenge events, junior skaters qualify to skate at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships, while novice and pre-novice skaters qualify to skate at the Junior National Skating Championships, held separately from the national championship for juniors and seniors. Juveniles qualify directly from their sectional championships to the Junior National event.

Skate Canada runs two separate tracks for synchronized skating competitions. The "festival" or recreational track allows for smaller teams, no test requirements, and more lenient age groupings, to encourage as many clubs as possible to field teams. The elite competitive track comprises competition at the novice, junior, senior, and adult levels. The top 4 teams from each section qualify to compete at the Skate Canada Synchronized Nationals.