As, they said, the GP series are 6 events, and each skater can take part in up to two events. Points will be awarded in each event according to the final placements: the winner gets 15 points, the second place gets 13, third place gets 11 and so on (9th place and downwards get 0 points). *note: pairs and ice dance get different placement points*.  

So a skater can qualify to the GPF with up to 30 points, and the 6 skaters who have the highest amount of points qualify for the Grand Prix Final. So far so good with the triplets explanation. 

Who gets to participate in these events? Well, it’s a mix between the placements at last year’s World Championships, ISU rankings, host picks, etc. I have never found someone who can tell me with confidence how the skaters are selected into each event, but there are a few basic rules/things you will expect. For example, the medalists at the World Championships can’t be at the same events. So, in the case of the men, Javier, Yuzuru and Boyang each get their own two assignments and can’t overlap. But the Federations also have host picks which they can use to make sure their best skaters compete at home. Going back to the men, it was basically a given that Yuzuru would compete in the NHK Trophy in Japan, while Boyang would certainly be at Cup of China.

Now, the places they listed in the Grand Prix Circuit are actually the cities that will host/hosted the Grand Prix events this season. The only thing different from the real deal is the order in which they will take place.

Skate America took place in Chicago. Oct. 21-23

Skate Canada will be in Mississauga this weekend Oct. 28-30

Rostelecom Cup will be the 3rd event, in Moscow. Nov. 4-6

The fourth event will be Trophée de France, in Paris. Nov. 11-13

(Sorry, couldn’t find the real logo. Up until last season, it was called “Trophée Éric Bompard”, but it was changed to “Trophée de France” for this one.)

The fifth event will be the Audi Cup of China. It will take place in Beijing, Nov. 18-20

And last, but not least, we have the NHK Trophy in Sapporo. Nov. 25-27

This year’s Grand Prix Final will take place in Marseille, France. Dec. 8-11. The Grand Prix Series has a Junior (which took place a couple of months ago) and a Senior category, but both Junior and Senior Finals take place at the same time.

The skaters in this drawing are actually the 6 men who made the Grand Prix Final last season. From left to right: Boyang Jin (China, 5th place), Patrick Chan (Canada, 4th place), Javier Fernandez (Spain, 2nd place), Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan, 1st place), Shoma Uno (Japan, 3rd place), and Daisuke Murakami (Japan 6th place).

So far, only Skate America is finished, with Shoma taking the gold, Jason Brown (USA) the silver, and Adam Rippon (USA) the bronze. That gives them the lead atm, but the men’s field is so wild and inconsistent, that basically any skater with two assignments can end up going to the Final. We’ll see after the last event :)