Qualifying
Qualification for the U.S. Championships begins at one of nine regional competitions. The regions are New England, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Upper Great Lakes, Eastern Great Lakes, Southwestern, Northwest Pacific, Central Pacific, and Southwest Pacific. The top four finishers in each regional advance to one of three sectional competitions (Eastern, Midwestern, and Pacific Coast). Skaters who place in the top four at sectionals advance to the U.S. Championships.
The top five finishers in each discipline from the previous year are given byes to the U.S. Championships, as are any skaters who qualify for the Junior or the Senior Grand Prix Final. Skaters are also given byes through a qualifying competition if they are assigned to an international event during the time that qualifying event is to take place. For example, if a skater is competing at an event at the same time as his or her regional competition, that skater would receive a bye to sectionals. If a skater is competing at an event at the same time as his or her sectional competition, that skater would qualify for the national event without having had to compete at a sectional championship.
Read more about this topic: 2008 United States Figure Skating Championships