Figure Skating: 10 Skaters to Watch for the Upcoming Season

Jan 23, 2015; Greensboro, NC, USA; Nathan Chen in the men

We look at the performances of the up and coming figure skaters from last year and list out who to watch for the 2016-2017 season.

In two weeks time, the figure skating fall season will kick into gear with the opening event of the Junior Grand Prix. Already two lesser, international competitions which could be considered part of the season have come and gone.

For those who don’t follow skating throughout the year, the first JGP kicks off a marathon. We have in succession the seven Junior Grand Prix events, followed by the six of the senior Grand Prix. This culminates in the Grand Prix Finale at both levels, held together in December. Six of the ten events of the lower-level Challenger Series also are scheduled, with the other four to happen in the spring.

A moment in December and January might be taken to catch one’s breath, but not for the Japanese, Russian, Canadian, or American skaters. During those two months, they will face fiercely competitive national championships to see which of them will go to the European Championships in January, the Four Continents Championships in February, and/or World Junior Championships and World Championships in March. (We won’t necessarily cover every last one of these events on Culturess, but we’ll cover a lot of them)

Right now, it is the pre-Olympic season, during which skaters will try to establish themselves as candidates for their country’s Olympic team, and/or as contenders for the podium at the Olympics. Many of the top names we’ll see and hear in Pyeongchang are skaters who have ascended to the top already. But plenty of time remains for rising stars and new contenders to make themselves known.

Here are ten such skaters, ones recently broken through or potentially ready to break through, to keep an eye on this season.

Next: Nathan Chen (USA), Men