2026 CS Cranberry Cup International

The inaugural edition of the Cranberry Cup International was held in 2021 at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, in the United States.^[1] The 2026 Cranberry Cup is held from August 8 to 9.^[2]

The ISU Challenger Series was introduced in 2014. It is a series of international figure skating competitions sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and organized by ISU member nations. The objective was to ensure consistent organization and structure within a series of international competitions linked together, providing opportunities for senior-level skaters to compete at the international level and also earn ISU World Standing points.^[3] The 2026–27 Challenger Series consists of thirteen events, of which the Cranberry Cup International was the first.^[4] The Cranberry Cup International is held in conjunction with the John Nicks Pairs Challenge – the former hosts the men's and women's events, while the latter hosts the pairs event – and the two competitions constitute U.S. Figure Skating's contribution to the Challenger Series.^[5]

The International Skating Union published the preliminary list of entrants on July 28, 2026. ^[6]

More information Date, Discipline ...

Date	Discipline	Withdrew	Added	Ref.
July 31	Men	Tamir Kuperman	Ryan Azadpour	[7][8]
		—N/a	Will Annis
	Women	Cathryn Limketkai	—N/a
		Sophie Joline von Felten
August 6		Maxine Bautista		[9]
August 8		Nargiz Suleymanova		[10]

Close

Men and women competing in single skating first perform a short program on August 8.^[2] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,^[11] the short program has to include the following elements:

For men: one double or triple Axel; one triple or quadruple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, two triple jumps, or a quadruple jump and a double jump or triple jump; one flying spin; one camel spin or sit spin with a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.^[12]

For women: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.^[12]

Skaters perform their free skates on August 9.^[2] The free skate can last no more than 4 minutes,^[11] and has to include the following: six jump elements, of which one has to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one has to be a spin combination, one a flying spin, and one a choreographic spin; one step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.^[13]

Skaters are judged according to the required technical elements of their program (such as jumps and spins), as well as the overall presentation of their program, based on three program components (skating skills, presentation, and composition). Each technical element in a figure skating performance is assigned a predetermined base point value and scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from −5 to +5 based on the quality of its execution.^[14] Each Grade of Execution (GOE) from –5 to +5 is assigned a value as indicated on the Scale of Values.^[15] For example, a triple Axel is worth a base value of 8.00 points, and a GOE of +3 is worth 2.40 points, so a triple Axel with a GOE of +3 earns 10.40 points.^[15] The judging panel's GOE for each element is determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores). The panel's scores for all elements are added together to generate a Total Elements Score.^[16] At the same time, the judges evaluate each performance based on the five aforementioned program components and assign each a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments. The judging panel's final score for each program component is also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores are then multiplied by the factor shown on the chart below; the results are added together to generate a total Program Component Score.^[17]

Deductions are applied for certain violations, such as time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.^[18] The Total Elements Score and Program Component Score are then added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.^[19]