| 2025 Skate America | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type: | Grand Prix |
| Date: | November 14 – 16 |
| Season: | 2025–26 |
| Location: | Lake Placid, New York, United States |
| Host: | U.S. Figure Skating |
| Venue: | Herb Brooks Arena |
| Champions | |
Men's singles: Kévin Aymoz | |
Women's singles: Alysa Liu | |
Pairs: Riku MiuraandRyuichi Kihara | |
| Ice dance:Madison Chock andEvan Bates | |
Navigation | |
| Previous: 2024 Skate America | |
| Next: 2026 Skate America | |
| Previous Grand Prix: 2025 NHK Trophy | |
| Next Grand Prix: 2025 Finlandia Trophy | |
The2025 Skate America is afigure skating competition sanctioned by theInternational Skating Union (ISU). Organized and hosted byU.S. Figure Skating, it was the fifth event of the2025–26 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held from November 14 to 16 at theHerb Brooks Arena inLake Placid, New York, in the United States.[1] Medals were awarded inmen's singles, women's singles,pair skating, andice dance. Skaters earned points based on their results, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline at the end of the season will be invited to then compete at the2025 Grand Prix Final inNagoya, Japan.Kévin Aymoz of France won the men's event,Alysa Liu of the United States won the women's event,Riku Miura andRyuichi Kihara of Japan won the pairs event, andMadison Chock andEvan Bates of the United States won the ice dance event.
TheISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of seven events sanctioned by theInternational Skating Union (ISU) and held during the autumn: six qualifying events and theGrand Prix of Figure Skating Final. This allows skaters to perfect their programs earlier in the season, as well as compete against the skaters whom they would later encounter at the World Championships. Skaters earn points based on their results in their respective competitions and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are invited to compete at the Grand Prix Final.[2] The first iteration ofSkate America – then called the Norton Skate – was held in 1979 inLake Placid, New York, and was the test event for the1980 Winter Olympics.[3] When the ISU launched the Grand Prix series in 1995, Skate America was one of the five qualifying events.[4] It has been a Grand Prix event every year since.
TheInternational Skating Union published the initial list of entrants on June 6, 2025.[5]
| Discipline | Withdrew | Added | Notes | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Skater(s) | Date | Skater(s) | |||
| Women | — | July 14 | Host picks | [6] | ||
| Pairs | September 2 | September 15 | — | [7][8] | ||
| Men | — | Host picks | [9] | |||
| Pairs | ||||||
| Ice dance | ||||||
| October 28 | November 3 | Injury (Lafornara) | [10][11][12] | |||
| Pairs | November 7 | November 10 | — | [13][14] | ||
| November 9 | November 9 | [15] | ||||
Men competing insingle skating performed theirshort programs on Friday, November 14, while women performed theirs on Saturday, November 15.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[16] the short program had to include the following elements:
For men: onedouble or triple Axel; onetriple or quadruple jump; onejump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, two triple jumps, or a quadruple jump and a double jump or triple jump; oneflying spin; onecamel spin orsit spin with a change of foot; onespin combination with a change of foot; and astep sequence using the full ice surface.[17]
For women: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; onelayback spin,sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.[17]
Men performed theirfree skates on Saturday, November 15, while women performed theirs on Sunday, November 16.[1] The free skate performance for both men and women could last no more than 4 minutes,[16] and had to include the following: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one had to be a flying spin, and one had to be a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and achoreographic sequence.[18]
Couples competing inpair skating performed theirshort programs on Friday, November 14.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[16] the short program had to include the following elements: onepair lift, onedouble or triple twist lift, onedouble or triple throw jump, onedouble or triple solo jump, onesolo spin combination with a change of foot, onedeath spiral, and a step sequence using the full ice surface.[19]
Couples performed theirfree skates on Saturday, November 15.[1] The free skate performance could last no more than 4 minutes,[16] and had to include the following: three pair lifts, of which one has to be a twist lift; two different throw jumps; one solo jump; one jump combination or sequence; onepair spin combination; one death spiral; and a choreographic sequence.[20]
Couples competing inice dance performed theirrhythm dances on Saturday, November 15.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds,[16] the theme of the rhythm dance this season was "music, dance styles, and feeling of the 1990s". Examples of applicable dance styles and music included, but were not limited to:pop,Latin,house,techno,hip-hop, andgrunge.[21] The rhythm dance had to include the following elements: onepattern dance step sequence, onechoreographic rhythm sequence, onedance lift, one set ofsequential twizzles, and onestep sequence.[21]
Couples then performed theirfree dances on Sunday, November 16.[1] The free dance performance could last no longer than 4 minutes,[16] and had to include the following: three dance lifts, onedance spin, one set ofsynchronized twizzles, one step sequence in hold, one step sequence while on one skate and not touching, and threechoreographic elements.[21]
For the 2025–26 season, all of the technical elements in any figure skating performance – such asjumps andspins – were assigned a predetermined base point value and were then scored by a panel of seven or nine judges on a scale from -5 to 5 based on their quality of execution.[22] The judging panel's Grade of Execution (GOE) was determined by calculating thetrimmed mean (that is, an average after deleting the highest and lowest scores), and this GOE was added to the base value to come up with the final score for each element. The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a total element score.[23] At the same time, judges evaluated each performance based on three program components – skating skills, presentation, and composition – and assigned a score from .25 to 10 in .25 point increments.[24] 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 following chart; the results were added together to generate a total program component score.[25]
| Discipline | Short progam orRhythm dance | Free skate orFree dance |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 1.67 | 3.33 |
| Women | 1.33 | 2.67 |
| Pairs | 1.33 | 2.67 |
| Ice dance | 1.33 | 2.00 |
Deductions were applied for certain violations like time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.[27] The total element score and total program component score were added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.[28]
| Discipline | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Kévin Aymoz |  Mikhail Shaidorov | Kazuki Tomono |
| Women | Alysa Liu | Rinka Watanabe |  Anastasiia Gubanova |
| Pairs | |||
| Ice dance |
Kévin Aymoz of France won the gold medal – the firstGrand Prix championships of his career – in an emotional end to the men's event. Aymoz had been nursing an injury all weekend, but powered through hisBolérofree skate that featured twoquadruple jumps, five triple jumps, and the highest quality spins andstep sequence.[30] He began crying when the final scores were announced,[30] asKazuki Tomono of Japan, who had been in the lead after theshort program, finished in third place after repeatedly falling during his free skate.[31] Aymoz had earlier finished in tenth place at the2025 Skate Canada International after suffering his injury. "I feel like I went to hell and I'm just dreaming right now," Aymoz stated.[32]Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan finished in second place. "It was a difficult day," Shaidorov stated afterward, "but I think I got a lot of experience from this competition."[30]
Jason Brown of the United States, who had made his Grand Prix debut twelve years earlier at the2013 Skate America, resurrected hisRiverdance performance from that season for his short program. "To be back twelve years later and getting to perform this program, I feel so proud and honored," Brown stated. "It speaks to that longevity and my love of the sport, being able to share this moment with the crowd."[33] Brown'sRiverdance performancewent viral after the2014 Winter Olympics, so he chose to rework it for this season as his "way of saying 'thank you,'" to the fans while striving to make the U.S. team to the2026 Winter Olympics.[34] Brown ultimately finished in fourth place after the free skate.[30]
| Rank | Skater | Nation | Total points | SP | FS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Kévin Aymoz | France | 253.53 | 2 | 93.56 | 2 | 159.97 |
 | Mikhail Shaidorov | Kazakhstan | 251.09 | 3 | 89.67 | 1 | 161.42 |
 | Kazuki Tomono | Japan | 245.57 | 1 | 95.77 | 8 | 149.80 |
| 4 | Jason Brown |  United States | 239.59 | 5 | 82.69 | 3 | 156.90 |
| 5 | Daniel Grassl |  Italy | 236.44 | 4 | 83.68 | 6 | 152.76 |
| 6 | Vladimir Litvintsev |  Azerbaijan | 231.84 | 7 | 75.87 | 4 | 155.97 |
| 7 | Nikolaj Memola | Italy | 231.02 | 8 | 75.61 | 5 | 155.41 |
| 8 | Tatsuya Tsuboi | Japan | 228.03 | 6 | 77.68 | 7 | 150.35 |
| 9 | Liam Kapeikis | United States | 214.29 | 9 | 74.28 | 9 | 140.01 |
| 10 | Luc Economides | France | 201.36 | 10 | 71.98 | 10 | 129.38 |
| 11 | Dai Daiwei |  China | 190.90 | 11 | 64.98 | 12 | 125.92 |
| 12 | Corey Circelli | Italy | 190.55 | 12 | 61.99 | 11 | 128.56 |
Alysa Liu of the United States finished second in theshort program with an emotional performance to "Promise" byLaufey. Her performance received a standing ovation from the audience,[36] and placed her less than one point behindRinka Watanabe of Japan. Liu received a season-bestfree skate score for her program to "MacArthur Park".[37] Liu guaranteed herself a spot at the2025 Grand Prix Final. Watanabe performed a successfultriple Axel-triple toe loop jump combination, but faltered on second triple Axel and struggled with other jumps, finishing three points behind Liu. "I am a bit frustrated with my results," Watanabe said.[38] When speaking of the domestic competition for spots at the2026 Winter Olympics, Watanabe stated, "In Japan, the field is very, very deep... Regardless, I want to do the best that I can."[38]Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia finished in third place, only four-tenths of a point ahead ofLara Naki Gutmann of Italy.[38]
| Rank | Skater | Nation | Total points | SP | FS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alysa Liu | United States | 214.27 | 2 | 73.73 | 1 | 140.54 |
| Rinka Watanabe | Japan | 210.96 | 1 | 74.35 | 3 | 136.61 |
| Anastasiia Gubanova | Georgia | 204.69 | 4 | 68.07 | 2 | 136.62 |
| 4 | Lara Naki Gutmann | Italy | 204.29 | 3 | 69.69 | 4 | 134.60 |
| 5 | Starr Andrews | United States | 195.28 | 6 | 64.38 | 5 | 130.90 |
| 6 | Kim Chae-yeon |  South Korea | 188.22 | 5 | 67.28 | 6 | 120.94 |
| 7 | Léa Serna | France | 175.05 | 9 | 59.25 | 7 | 115.80 |
| 8 | Lee Hae-in | South Korea | 172.99 | 7 | 64.06 | 9 | 108.93 |
| 9 | Hana Yoshida | Japan | 170.92 | 10 | 57.22 | 8 | 113.70 |
| 10 | Ekaterina Kurakova |  Poland | 163.77 | 11 | 56.05 | 10 | 107.72 |
| 11 | Wakaba Higuchi | Japan | 159.40 | 8 | 60.12 | 11 | 99.28 |
| 12 | Josephine Lee | United States | 147.28 | 12 | 54.24 | 12 | 93.04 |
Riku Miura andRyuichi Kihara of Japan rallied back from a second-place finish after theshort program to win the pairs event, guaranteeing their spot at the2025 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.Anastasiia Metelkina andLuka Berulava of Georgia, who had been in the lead after the short program, made a series of errors in theirfree skate – including a fall on their side-by-sidetriple Salchow and completely missing alift – and finished in second place. "We are not sure what happened on the lift," Berulava stated afterward. "The lift is the job of the man... I should lift up my partner and I didn't do that."[40]Kelly Ann Laurin andLoucas Éthier of Canada finished in third place.[41]
| Rank | Team | Nation | Total points | SP | FS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 215.99 | 2 | 74.42 | 1 | 141.57 | |
| Georgia | 195.73 | 1 | 78.83 | 4 | 116.90 | |
|  Canada | 182.87 | 6 | 61.29 | 2 | 121.58 | |
| 4 | United States | 180.02 | 5 | 61.51 | 3 | 118.51 | |
| 5 |  Germany | 176.56 | 3 | 68.26 | 5 | 108.30 | |
| 6 |  Armenia | 170.98 | 4 | 64.74 | 7 | 106.24 | |
| 7 | United States | 163.26 | 7 | 56.85 | 6 | 106.41 | |
| 8 | United States | 161.44 | 8 | 55.83 | 8 | 105.61 | |
Madison Chock andEvan Bates of the United States won their fifthSkate America title, tying the record held byTanith Belbin andBenjamin Agosto, also of the United States. Their victory was by a fifteen-point margin over second-place finishersMarjorie Lajoie andZachary Lagha of Canada, and also secured their spot at the2025 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. "Every opportunity that we have to compete lends us new insights and new ways to look at things," Chock said afterward. "We’re going to take away the good and happy feelings we have coming away from this experience."[43]Evgeniia Lopareva andGeoffrey Brissaud of France finished in third place.[43]
| Rank | Skater | Nation | Total points | RD | FD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 212.58 | 1 | 84.77 | 1 | 127.81 | |
| Canada | 197.16 | 2 | 77.42 | 2 | 119.74 | |
| France | 192.61 | 3 | 76.72 | 3 | 115.89 | |
| 4 | France | 186.69 | 4 | 73.47 | 5 | 113.22 | |
| 5 | United States | 186.03 | 5 | 72.74 | 4 | 113.29 | |
| 6 | United States | 182.11 | 7 | 70.25 | 6 | 111.86 | |
| 7 |  Czech Republic | 176.04 | 6 | 72.73 | 8 | 103.31 | |
| 8 |  Great Britain | 173.16 | 8 | 66.81 | 7 | 106.35 | |
| 9 | Canada | 165.68 | 9 | 65.37 | 9 | 100.31 | |
| 10 | France | 144.54 | 10 | 56.21 | 10 | 88.33 | |
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