Skate Canada International

Between 1923 and 1971, the Canadian Figure Skating Association, which changed its name to Skate Canada in 2000, and the U.S. Figure Skating Association co-hosted the North American Figure Skating Championships. At this time, medal contenders at the World Figure Skating Championships and the Winter Olympics came from either Europe or North America. The North American Championships allowed Canadian and American skaters the opportunity to compete at a comparable event to the European Figure Skating Championships. The championships were held every other year, with Canada and the United States alternating as hosts, and only skaters from Canada and the United States were eligible to compete. At a planning meeting held in April 1972, representatives from the Canadian Figure Skating Association announced Canada's plans to withdraw from the North American Championships. With one of the two participating nations out, this effectively marked the end of the championships. The delegation from the U.S. Figure Skating Association was unaware at the time that the Canadian Figure Skating Association was already in the planning stages of launching their own international skating competition. Compulsory figures, which had been a required element of men's and women's single skating since the beginning, were retired after the 1988 competition. Skaters earned points based on their results in their respective competitions and the top skaters or teams in each discipline were then invited to compete at the Champions Series Final. ==Medalists==