The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series 2014/15 will start in less than a week on October24, 2014 in Chicago (USA). The World's top figure skaters including reigning Olympic Champions, World and European Champions and medalists will compete in the Series. Prize money of US $ 180,000 per individual event of the Grand Prix series is available.
140 skaters/couples (42 Ladies, 44 Men, 26 Pairs, 28 Ice Dance couples) from 25 ISU Members have been invited. The number of entries for each event is twelve Ladies, ten Men, eight Pairs and eight Ice Dance couples. The top six qualifiers in each discipline will proceed to the Final in Barcelona, Spain, December 11 to 14, 2014. Spain will host the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final for the first time.
The Grand Prix series 2014/15 will feature Olympic Champions Adelina Sotnikova (RUS) and Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) as well as Ice Dance World Champions Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte (ITA) plus European Champions, Four Continents Champions, current Olympic and World medalists and World Junior Champions.
The series skates off with Skate America in Chicago (USA), October 24 to 26. The event features World silver medalist Tatsuki Machida (JPN), Olympic bronze medalist Denis Ten (KAZ) and reigning World Junior Champion Elena Radionova (RUS). Two-time World bronze medalists Yuko Kavaguti/Alexander Smirnov (RUS) make a comeback after sitting out the past season due to injury.
Skate Canada in Kewlona (CAN), October 31 to November 2, is headlined by World silver medalists Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje (CAN), European Champion Javier Fernandez, Four Continents Champions Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue (USA) and World bronze medalists Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford (CAN).
The Lexus Cup of China is the third event and will return to Shanghai November 7 to 9. Olympic Champion Hanyu, World Ice Dance Champions Cappellini/Lanotte and World silver medalist Julia Lipnitskaia (RUS) are among the top contenders. Olympic bronze medalist Elena Ilinykh will compete with new partner Ruslan Zhiganshin in the Ice Dance event.
The series continues with the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow (RUS) November 14- 16 with Olympic Champion Sotnikova, Fernandez and Olympic silver medalists Ksenia Stolbova/ Fedor Klimov (RUS). Olympic bronze medalist Nikita Katsalapov and his new partner Victoria Sinitsina (RUS) are up against their former partners Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Zhiganshin.
Trophée Bompard in Bordeaux (FRA), November 21 to 23 is the next stop. Machida will face Ten again like at Skate America, Stolbova/Klimov will meet Four Continents Champions Wenjing Sui/Cong Han (CHN) and Lipnitskaia is up against Radionova.
The last spots for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final will be decided in Osaka at NHK Trophy November 28 to 30. Top contenders include Sotnikova, Hanyu, US Champion Gracie Gold, US Champion Jeremy Abbott, 2013 Four Continents Champion Kevin Reynolds (CAN) and Duhamel/Radford.
The skaters are seeded and invited to the six Grand Prix of Figure Skating events based on the results of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2014. In case of retirements or splits, the next highest ranked skaters/couples move up. Skaters/couples who have placed 1 to 6 in each of the four categories are seeded and assigned to two events. Skaters/ couples who have placed 7-12 at the ISU World Championships 2014 are selected for two ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events, and skaters with a top 24 high seasons best score as well as those placed in the top 24 of the World Standings can also be invited. Medalists from the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships and the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final gold medalists are guaranteed one spot.
In order for a skater/couple to be eligible to compete at a Grand Prix event, a minimum total score or minimum technical score must have been achieved in the previous or current season in an ISU event (Grand Prix, Junior Grand Prix, Championships, World Team Trophy or U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, Nebelhorn Trophy, Ondrej Nepala Trophy, Finlandia Trophy, Coupe de Nice). Exceptions apply to host country skaters, previously ranked skaters or split ranked couples who return with new partners. The minimum score for the 2014/15 season is as follows:
Ladies 130.02 points Men 169.56 points Pairs 134.94 points
Ice Dance 105.27 points
The minimum technical score to be achieved in short and free programs is as follows:
Short Free
Ladies 25.68 40.32
Men 31.68 59.97
Pairs 26.20 43.08
Ice Dance 20.25 31.23
Competitors collect points in their Grand Prix events towards the qualification for the Grand Prix Final. The prize money is awarded to winners and placed skaters/couples as follows:
1st place US $ 18,000
2nd place US $ 13,000
3rd place US $ 9,000
4th place US $ 3,000
5th place US $ 2,000
The points are awarded as follows:
1st place 15 points
2nd place 13 points
3rd place 11 points
4th place 9 points
5th place 7 points
6th place 5 points
7th place 4 points
8th place 3 points
Pairs and Ice Dancers collect points up to 6th place. The global prize money for the Grand Prix Final is US $ 272,000.