Looking Back at 2020: A Year Like No Other in Figure Skating History

As 2020 comes to a close, it's hard to argue that it was not one of the most unique years in history, and the sport of figure skating was not immune to its effects. The year began with the U.S. Championships in front of full crowds and ended with 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America in front of cardboard cutouts, but one thing remained the same: U.S. figure skaters can provide show-stopping moments whether there is a crowd or not.
 
Read on for a look back at the year, and don't forget to tune in for the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships from Jan. 14-17 live on NBC and NBCSN.
 
Chen's Four-peat Highlights 2020 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships
 
The 2020 Toyota Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, kicked off the year with a bang.
 
Making the most noise was Nathan Chen, who became the first man since Brian Boitano in 1995-98 to win four consecutive U.S. titles.
 
"It's a huge deal for me to be able to take the next step to not necessarily becoming one of these legends, but sort of trying to follow in their footsteps," Chen said at the time. "These guys have done amazing things, well beyond what I've already accomplished, and it's amazing to have that inspiration in front of you, and have something to look forward to."
 
In the ladies' event, Alysa Liu won her second consecutive U.S. title, landing a quad Lutz, although under-rotated, in her free skate, for the first quad ever attempted by a lady at the U.S. Championships.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates won their second ice dance title -- and first since 2015 -- while Alexa Knierim and Chris Knierim won their third pairs title, which would ultimately be their last, as Chris retired from the sport in February. Both teams also won in Greensboro in 2015.

"We're just fighting for our dreams, like anybody else," Alexa said. "Nobody sees what happens behind the scenes, and that's why we react the way we do. And that's why all the kids out there react to a great performance the way they do, because we put so much into it that is unseen. And you live for these moments, and I'm very excited to reclaim our title. Three's a charm."
 
Chock and Bates Lead Team USA at Four Continents
 
In February, the International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2020 were held in Seoul, and Chock and Bates headed a U.S. contingent that won four medals.
 
Chock and Bates won their second consecutive Four Continents title in ice dance, edging out Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, who took bronze.
 
"We are so happy to be back here in Korea at Four Continents," Chock said in February. "It was a bit of a fight today in parts, but overall we still really enjoyed ourselves and had a good time performing our free dance. This program brings us so much joy and it's a pleasure for us to perform every time."
 
Bradie Tennell took bronze in the ladies competition, while Jason Brown took silver in men's.
 
"Overall I'm really happy with my performance," Brown said. "There was a little blip which I would have loved to have tackled. I would have loved to skate completely clean. But I'm overall happy with my overall performances this entire week."
 
Nguyen and Kolesnik Win World Junior Title, Liu Takes Bronze
 
Little did anybody know, the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2020, held on March 2-8, would ultimately be the last in-person competition for nearly eight months.
 
Fresh off of her second consecutive U.S. title, Liu headed to Tallinn, Estonia, with high hopes and big expectations, and earned bronze at her first major international championship. She rallied from her fourth-place short program to place third in the free skate and overall.
 
"I was really happy with all my achievements this season," Liu reflected in May. "Although my programs in each competition were not perfect, I was really glad to place in every competition."
 
In ice dance, Avonley Nguyen and Vadym Kolesnik took the title, improving from third place after the rhythm dance, after narrowly missing the podium last season.
 
On March 11, just five days before it was set to begin, the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the sport and the athletes alike to adapt in ways they never expected.
 
Competition Goes Virtual with the Peggy Fleming Trophy and International Selection Pool (ISP) Points Challenge
 
Unprecedented circumstances called for unprecedented solutions.
 
In July, the third annual Peggy Fleming Trophy marked the first virtual competition in the sport's history. Each competitor skated a 3:30-minute program at their own rink, recording it and submitting it to event organizers to be judged remotely. Skaters could record their programs as many times as they wanted, but had to submit one unedited performance.
 
Brown won the event for a second consecutive year.
 
"With everything going on and so much uncertainty, it was nice to still be able to do something, even if it was virtual, so I like the way they adapted it and made it work," Brown said in July. "It's new and it's different, and I don't think anyone knew how it was going to unfold or how submissions would work, but I think they did a great job with trying to be creative. I think the skaters enjoyed working toward a goal and being able to perform again."
 
The ISP Points Challenge, held September-October, featured both junior and senior competition in each discipline. Each performance was proctored and submitted by video. Athletes had two opportunities to compete and were ranked by their best total score in each discipline.
 
Bell and Chen were victorious in ladies' and men's, respectively, while Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson won in pairs and Hubbell and Donohue took the top spot in ice dance.
 
"It was definitely exciting," Bell said at the time. "These were great opportunities for us, and we were so fortunate to have them. In a normal year, we would have had Champs Camp, where it would be behind closed doors and no one would see; it would be your opportunity to get your program out. This year we were given these opportunities, which is awesome. I felt like it's a Champs Camp that was shared."
 
2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America in Las Vegas Heralds the Return of the Grand Prix Series
 
In October, the figure skating world returned to some semblance of normalcy with 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America, the first stop of the ISU Grand Prix. While skaters performed in front of cardboard cutouts, with piped-in crowd noise and with a primarily domestic slate of competitors, it was the first in-person competition since March.
 
In winning the men's event, Chen remains undefeated since the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, and at Grand Prix events since 2017. In the ladies' competition, Bell followed up her incredible 2019-20 season with the first Grand Prix gold medal of her career. Hubbell and Donohue won their third consecutive Skate America® title in ice dance, while Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier won the pairs title  in their debut event as a team.
 
"This competition had its positives, had its negatives, and now I have a platform or a sort of base on which I can keep improving," Chen said at the time. "I think any competition that we get is a great opportunity, so I'm looking forward to U.S. Championships and then whatever the rest of the season brings."
 
2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championship Series Presented by Toyota Ushers U.S. Championships into Virtual Era
 
Announced in August as an alternative to U.S. Figure Skating's traditional qualifying season, the 2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championship Series presented by Toyota was a virtually-held opportunity for junior- and senior-level skaters looking to qualify for the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
 
Entrants submitted one proctored performance of their free skate/free dance to be judged by a panel of national officials, and when all was said and done, 146 athletes qualified for the U.S. Championships.

Additionally, U.S. Figure Skating announced in late fall that the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships would relocate from San Jose, California, to Las Vegas due to COVID-19 considerations. San Jose meanwhile was awarded the 2023 U.S. Championships, marking the fourth time that the city will host the U.S. Championships.