There are a couple of nonqualifying competition series in which skaters may participate. These series culminate in a final competition at the end of each season. They allow skaters to participate in a more competitive environment.
Excel Series
The Excel Series is a popular nonqualifying competition series. Participation in this series requires the skater to register for it through EMS before their first Excel competition or by March 1, whichever comes first. The Series runs from January through June. The season wraps up in July with a national competition and festival and camp.
The Excel Series gives skaters the opportunity to showcase their strengths in competition while continuing to improve their technical skills. It also provides a phased introduction to the International Judging System (IJS) which is used exclusively for qualifying competitions. Many competitions throughout the season offer Excel events.
There are two tracks within the series based on skating level: “Open” singles and “Qualifying” singles.
The Excel Series “Open” singles is for skaters competing in the beginner through intermediate levels. This includes beginner, high beginner, pre-preliminary, preliminary, pre-juvenile, juvenile and intermediate. All skaters in “Open” singles who register for and compete in at least two Excel Series competitions will be invited to the Excel National Festival where they may compete in the Open-Invitation Excel Series Competition.
The Excel Series “Qualifying” singles is for skaters competing in any of the Plus levels, novice, junior or senior. The Plus levels include preliminary plus, pre-juvenile plus, juvenile plus or intermediate plus. The top six skaters in each section of this series will receive an invitation to the Excel National Final and Finalist Camp at the Excel National Festival. The next two highest scored skaters nationwide will also receive an invitation.
For more details, visit U.S. Figure Skating Excel or check out the Excel Competition Series Athlete Handbook in the U.S. Figure Skating Members Only area.
Excel National Festival
The Excel National Festival is the culmination of the Excel Series. It gives the skaters an opportunity to celebrate their successes for the season and compete on a national level. The festival is held in July and is made up of two components: the Excel Series Final and Finalist Camp and the Open-Invitation Excel Series Competition.
The Excel Series Final and Finalist Camp is a competition and camp experience for skaters who competed in any Plus level or novice through senior event. The camp portion offers both on-ice and off-ice classes, a Team USA meet and greet, and both educational and social events for parents and coaches.
The Open-Invitation Excel Series Competition is an open competition for skaters who competed at beginner through intermediate levels.
National Solo Dance Series
The National Solo Dance Series is another nonqualifying competition series in which ice dancers can participate. Solo ice dance enables skaters who do not have a partner to participate in ice dance on their own. There are opportunities for skaters of all ages and ice dance levels – from preliminary to gold and even international – to compete. There are several categories of solo ice dance events:
- Solo pattern dance
- Shadow dance (two skaters skate a pattern dance side by side)
- Combined dance (one solo pattern dance or rhythm dance and one solo free dance)
The Solo Dance Competition Series gives solo ice dancers within each section (Eastern, Midwestern and Pacific Coast) the opportunity to compete within their section and qualify for a national competition. Skaters must register for the series by April 1st of each year.
For more details, see the Solo Dance Series Handbook.
Visit U.S. Figure Skating Solo Dance Rules and Regulations for more information about the Solo Dance Series including the pattern dances and timing charts for this year’s competitions.
The Dallas Figure Skating Club also hosts a three-day Solo Dance Camp every year in February. This camp helps prepare skaters for the upcoming season and provides both on-ice and off-ice classes. Off-ice classes include topics like rule updates, musical expression, conditioning and mental toughness. On-ice events include group classes, private coaching and a one-on-one session with a judge and technical panel member.
National Solo Dance Final
The National Solo Dance Final is held each year at the end of August or early September. Skaters must participate in at least two Solo Dance Series competitions (in the specific event they hope to qualify for) to be eligible to qualify for the National Solo Dance Final.
For solo pattern dance and combined dance, the top six skaters (skaters having the six highest IJS scores) from each section (Eastern, Midwestern, and Pacific Coast) are invited to compete at the National Solo Dance Final. For shadow dance, the top three teams (based on IJS score) are invited.