2025 CS John Nicks International Pairs Competition

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.

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 is held in conjunction with the John Nicks Pairs Challenge – the former hosts the men's and women's events, while the latter hosts the pairs event – and the two competitions constitute U.S. Figure Skating's contribution to the Challenger Series.^[6]

The International Skating Union published the preliminary list of entrants on August 5, 2025.^[7]

Couples competing in pair skating first performed a short program on Tuesday, 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 Wednesday, 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 has 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]

All of the technical elements in any figure skating performance – such as jumps and spins – were assigned a predetermined base value and then scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from –5 to 5 based on their quality of execution.^[12] Every Grade of Execution (GOE) from –5 to 5 was assigned a value (a percentage of the element's base value) as shown on the Scale of Values (SOV).^[13] 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.^[14] 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.^[13] At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on three program components – skating skills, presentation, and composition – and assigned a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments.^[15] 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.^[16]

Deductions were applied for certain violations like time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.^[18] The total elements score and total program component score were added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.^[19]

Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps dominated the competition, winning both the short program and free skate to ultimately win the gold medal. During the short program, Stellato-Dudek performed a backflip with an assist from Deschamps.^[21] 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.^[22] Bonaly had performed a backflip at the 1998 Winter Olympics when it was an illegal maneuver, for which she received a point deduction.^[23]

• "Special Regulations & Technical Rules – Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance 2024" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 3, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2025.

• Official website
• 2025 John Nicks Pairs Challenge at Skating Scores