The U.S. Figure Skating Championships will take place Jan. 22-28 in Columbus

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy are still more than two years away, but next week, central Ohioans can get an early preview of some of the talent that could take the ice at the next Games.

From Jan. 22-28, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships will take place at Nationwide Arena. Winners are eligible to be among those chosen for the team representing the United States at the 2024 World Figure Skating Championships in March in Montreal. And those who compete at such a high level could well be in line to be future Olympians.

So, central Ohioans who attend the U.S. championships next week at Nationwide may well be watching the next Tara Lipinski, Johnny Weir or Meryl Davis and Charlie White (past champions one and all).

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is in and of itself a major occasion in winter sports. Judges will pick the best of the best, but everyone on the ice is sure to display the artistic elegance and athletic agility with which the sport is associated.

To give those considering attending a better idea of what to expect, The Dispatch recently spoke with officials of U.S. Figure Skating, the sport’s governing body headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

What are the categories of figure skating?

The championships will encompass all disciplines of figure skating, including solo skating for men and women, known as “singles.”

“Men and women are obviously one person on the ice, and they are executing the jumps, the spins, the step sequences and the choreographic elements within their program,” said Kyleigh Gaff, the director of high performance operations at U.S. Figure Skating.

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What about pairs and ice dancing?

Two disciplines in figure skating feature a pair of people performing together, one male and one female: pairs skating and ice dancing.

“Pairs is similar to men and women (singles), due to the fact that the pairs have the jump elements and the spin elements,” Gaff said.

Ice dancing features spins but no jumps; the discipline is also known for emphasizing fluidity and bringing out its practitioners’ personalities.

“They are stepping out there and they are turning into a character,” Gaff said. “It’s a storytelling capacity (with) the ice dance couple.”

How many times does each skater skate?

As the championships unfold, skaters across disciplines perform twice: the singles and pairs skaters each perform a short program and free skate, while ice dancers perform a rhythm dance and free dance.

What levels of skating will be represented?

All levels of skating will be represented: senior skaters, those most experienced and advanced, as well as younger junior and novice skaters.

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What’s it like watching figure skating live?

Many winter sports fans will have seen figure skating competitions broadcast on television, but seeing the championships live is an altogether richer experience, officials say.

“If I were to watch it on a television broadcast, you miss the in-arena kind of feel, you miss the nuances that happen outside of what you’re seeing on the ice,” Gaff said. “The fans in the stands have the utmost bird’s-eye view of what’s going to be happening next.”

Plus, television cannot capture the excitement within the arena itself.

“You can really feel that kind of pressure and the anticipation,” said Kara Raney, the director of media and digital strategy at U.S. Figure Skating. “From a fan’s perspective, just being there to witness that kind of athleticism and grace and beauty in person — and then experiencing that electric atmosphere — is something that is one-of-a-kind.”

What events are ‘must-see’?

Naturally, U.S. Figure Skating officials are reluctant to point to any one must-see event during the weeklong championships.

“That’s a tough call,” Raney said. “We think that the whole of figure skating is incredible.”

That being said, Raney said that senior-level events offer a great deal of excitement; many of those events are on tap toward the end of the week, including the women’s short program (7:15 p.m. Jan. 25), the men’s short program (3:15 p.m. Jan. 26), the women’s free skate (7:45 p.m. Jan. 26) and the men’s free skate (2:45 p.m. Jan. 28).

“I think we have a really good field this year, particularly, for me, in the women’s division,” Raney said. “That is where we’re going to see a lot of really close competition with (skaters) like Isabeau Levito, who’s the defending U.S. champion (and) Amber Glenn. But then we also have some of the up-and-comers who are making their way, (including) Ava Ziegler and Lindsay Thorngren.”

Even so, attendees may consider checking out the novice and junior events — after all, future stars may emerge there.

“There’s that newcomer-to-the-scene: she’s been there, or he’s been there, or they’ve been there, and all of a sudden, they have the skate of their life,” Gaff said.

Is there etiquette for those who attend?

Central Ohio sports lovers know what to do at a Buckeye or Blue Jackets game, but what about the more refined sport of figure skating?

Applause is encouraged at the beginning and throughout performances, Gaff said.

“The one thing I will say, if no one has ever experienced figure skating, is that one of the most fun things about it is that people will bring small stuffed animals or items that they can throw onto the ice,” she said. “If they loved a performance, they can throw what we call ‘tossies’ onto the ice (afterwards). That’s something very unique to our sport.”

Who decides the winners?

Regardless of the discipline (men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs or ice dancing), a three-member “technical panel” makes note of each element in a given skater’s performance.

Then, during the performance, between seven and nine judges make an assessment of the execution of those elements.

“If there’s a fall, there are certain deductions that the judge does have to make,” Gaff said. “The judges look for the nuances.”

In addition to evaluating each skater through technical scores, the judges also assign “program component” scores for things such as presentation, composition and skating skill — all of which reflect a given skater’s artistry and musicality.

What about other events?

In addition to what’s happening on the ice, at select times on Jan. 26, 27 and 28, renowned singles skater Brian Boitano will host “Boitano’s Lounge” at the arena’s Lexus Lounge. In addition to food and cocktails curated by Boitano, attendees can hobnob with famous skaters, including Boitano, Gracie Gold and Nancy Kerrigan. For this event, a weekend pass costs $725; Jan. 26 tickets cost $300; Jan. 27, $300; and Jan. 28, $200.

In addition, the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Main Library, 96 S. Grant Ave., will be hosting Gold and Kerrigan, both of whom are also authors. Gold will discuss her upcoming memoir, “Outofshapeworthlessloser,” at 1 p.m. Jan. 26; and Kerrigan will read from her children’s book, “Stronger Than She Thinks,” at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 27. Tickets are free, but those who wish to attend must register at: https://www.columbussports.org/skate/visiting-columbus/thingstodo/read-and-skate/.

The Main Library also has on display numerous figure skating-related memorabilia, including the dress worn by Carol Heiss during the 1960 Winter Olympics.

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At a glance

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships will take place from Jan. 22-28 at Nationwide Arena, 200 W. Nationwide Blvd. For a full schedule, single session tickets and weekend packages, visit https://www.columbussports.org/skate/tickets/.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Brian Boitano, Nancy Kerrigan among attendees at U.S. Figure Skating