No passport required: Olympic-level figure skating is coming to St. Louis this January, offering most local fans their closest taste yet of the Winter Games ahead of Milan.

“Unless you are headed to Italy in early February, this is as close to the Olympics as you’re going to get,” said St. Louis native Marc Schreiber, 51, president of the St. Louis Sports Commission.

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the final event before the Olympics, will run Jan. 5 to 11 and bring thousands of visitors to St. Louis. According to Schreiber, the competition will “excite and entertain” while putting St. Louis “in the national spotlight for all the right reasons.”

Schreiber, a member of the Jewish Community Center board of directors and of Congregation Shaare Emeth, described the championships as a “truly regional event.” Between the junior and novice competitions on Jan. 5 and 6 at the Centene Community Ice Center and the championship rounds Jan. 7 to 11 at the Enterprise Center, Schreiber estimates that roughly 5,000 people will come to St. Louis—drawn by the high stakes and selection of the U.S. Olympic team.

Figure skating includes four disciplines: men’s, women’s, pairs and ice dance. Currently, the United States has the defending champions in three of those areas, and some of these skaters’ stories are sure to glide right into your heart.

ADVERTISEMENT

Alysa Liu became the youngest U.S. champion in 2019 at age 13. After earning bronze at the 2022 Beijing Games, she briefly retired before returning to win the 2025 world title.

Then there is men’s skater Ilia Malinin, who is pushing the limits of the sport. He’s the only skater to land a quad axel (4½ rotations). Earlier this year, he landed seven in one program at the 2025 Grand Prix Final. Go figure: his nickname is “The Quad God.”

Ice dancing phenoms couple Madison Chock and Evan Bates are coming into St. Louis hoping to win their record-setting seventh U.S. championship. Another athlete to watch is veteran skater, fan favorite and fellow Jew Jason Brown, who Schreiber said is sure to be a “sentimental favorite.”

While figure skating and Judaism may seem worlds apart, the Musial Awards—created by Schreiber and named for Hall of Famer Stan Musial—connect them through a shared emphasis on sportsmanship. “The values of Judaism very much correspond to the virtues of sportsmanship, of treating people with kindness,” he said.

Outside of work, Schreiber enjoys eating at various St. Louis restaurants, family walks with his dogs and weekend runs at the J. Right now, he’s focused on the skating championships—not yet looking ahead to March, when St. Louis hosts the NCAA men’s basketball tournament’s first two rounds.

“The figure skating championship tickets make for a great Hanukkah gift,” he said. “If you need a great gift, I don’t think there is anything better.

2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

• What: The nation’s top figure skaters compete for U.S. titles and spots on the 2026 Olympic team, capped by the official Olympic team announcement show.

• When:

  • Championship events: Tuesday–Sunday, Jan. 6–11, 2026

  • Junior and novice events: Sunday–Tuesday, Jan. 4–6, 2026

• Where:

  • Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis (Championship events)

  • Centene Community Ice Center, 750 Casino Center Dr., Maryland Heights (Junior and novice events)

• How much:

  • Championship single-session tickets: $31–$116

  • Weekend packages: $286–$368 (some sections sold out)

  • All-session passes: $345–$625 (limited availability)

  • Junior/novice day passes: $33 per day

  • Official practice sessions on Sunday, Jan. 4: Free

• Details: Tickets available via Ticketmaster. Prices include all fees. Schedule subject to change.