US Junior Championships

Welcome! If all the numbers and rules look confusing, start here.

1. What is this Competition?

Think of this as the "Final Tryouts". The Top 5 Women and Top 5 Men will make the team and travel to Inzell, Germany to represent the USA at the World Junior Championships.

2. Who Wins? (The Golf Rule)

The goal is to have the lowest score possible. Just like in Golf, a low score is good!

3. "Math Class" (How Points Work)

We convert every race time into 500m points to make them equal.

Skates 500m? → Divide time by 1
Skates 1000m? → Divide time by 2
Skates 1500m? → Divide time by 3
Skates 3000m? → Divide time by 6
Skates 5000m? → Divide time by 10

Example: A 1:20.00 in the 1000m (80 seconds) is worth 40.000 points (80 ÷ 2).

4. The Secret to Winning

Consistency! You can't just be fast in one race. To win the "All-Around" title, a skater must be strong in both sprints (short races) and endurance (long races). One bad race can ruin the score!

5. What races do they skate?

Everyone skates four distances: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, and Long Distance (3000m for women, 5000m for men). It's a test of who is the best "All-Around" skater.

US Junior Championships Info

Competition Format

This event serves as the qualification for the World Junior Team and is held with AmCup #2. It is a 3-day single distance competition.

Schedule

Day	Women	Men
1	500m & 1500m	500m & 1500m
2	1000m & 3000m	1000m & 5000m
3	Mass Start (2x10 Laps)	Mass Start (2x10 Laps) & 3000m*

*The Day 3 3000m is available for Junior Men who make the World Team but lack a qualifying time.

Eligibility & Ranking

Classification Distances (Samalog)

Women (Jr A, B, C): 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m
Men (Jr A, B, C): 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m

Age Categories (Ages as of July 1, 2025)

Junior A: 17 - 18 years
Junior B: 15 - 16 years
Junior C: 13 - 14 years

Skaters must be under 19 before July 1, 2025. Qualification requires any USS D2 time standard achieved after July 1st, 2024.

World Junior Championships Selection

A) Entries & Quota Spots

Entries and available spots are determined by ISU rules.

1) Time Trial Races (Priority)

Skaters qualify in the following order:

a) Senior World Cup / Olympic Team Members: Athletes on these teams get automatic spots in all distances they compete in at Jr. Worlds.
b) Remaining Spots: Awarded based on the 4-Race Total Points Classification (Samalog) from this competition.

2) Team Pursuit & Sprint

Selected from World Junior Team members at the discretion of USS Coaches.

3) Mixed Gender Relay (MGR)

Composition determined by USS staff present at the competition.

4) Mass Start

Selected from the Mass Start ranking at this competition + Jr. World Team members (via Total Points).

B) USS Funded Qualification

To receive funding, skaters must meet specific criteria:

1) Time Standards

Must be achieved between July 1st, 2024 and the end of Jr. Worlds.

Distance	Women		Men
	SLC / Calgary	Other Tracks	SLC / Calgary	Other Tracks
500m	40.64	41.45	36.42	37.14
1000m	1:20.37	1:21.97	1:11.33	1:12.75
1500m	2:04.66	2:07.15	1:49.35	1:51.53
3000m / 5000m	4:21.78	4:27.01	6:47.37	6:55.52
Team Pursuit	3:08.08	3:11.84	3:52.67	3:57.32

👵 Grandma's Guide

1. What is this Competition?

2. Who Wins? (The Golf Rule)

3. "Math Class" (How Points Work)

4. The Secret to Winning

Select a Skater to Analyze

Gap Analysis (Static Start Handicap)

👵 Grandma's Guide

1. What is this Competition?

2. Who Wins? (The Golf Rule)

3. "Math Class" (How Points Work)

4. The Secret to Winning

Select a Skater to Analyze

Gap Analysis (Static Start Handicap)

👵 Grandma's Guide

1. What is this Competition?

2. Who Wins? (The Golf Rule)

3. "Math Class" (How Points Work)

4. The Secret to Winning

5. What races do they skate?

Information & Rules

US Junior Championships Info

Competition Format

Schedule

Eligibility & Ranking

Classification Distances (Samalog)

Age Categories (Ages as of July 1, 2025)

World Junior Championships Selection

A) Entries & Quota Spots

1) Time Trial Races (Priority)

2) Team Pursuit & Sprint

3) Mixed Gender Relay (MGR)

4) Mass Start

B) USS Funded Qualification

1) Time Standards

🛡️ Trophy Case Legend

SKATER NAME