The very first Basic Skills Competition.

[FSWer]

Say,do we have a history on when the very first Basic Skills Competition was? Who started it,and what it was like? Thanks.

[Isk8NYC]

I found a "Credits" page in the back of my Basic Skills Instructor Manual.  Interesting that I know at least five people who are credited with helping to design and implement the program.

Here's the history of Basic Skills:

. 1968 - Robert S. Ogilvie (former USFSA President) wrote a brochure on "Ice Skating Basic Skills Program." 
. 1983 - John Simon wrote the first "Basics" test structure and chaired the fledgling Basic Skills Committee. 

Sandy Lamb (huge advocate for the Handicapped in both ISI and USFSA) worked with Carole Shulman (who wrote the book called "The Complete Book of Figure Skating") to develop the Record Books.  (I love the record books!)

. 1987 - Cindy Geltz developed the Snowplow Sam curriculum and chaired the committee until 1992.

Beth Payne was the first HQ coordinator for Basic Skills.
. 1996 - Joyce Herron became committee chair and  wrote the "Compete with U.S. Manual"
. 1998 - The "Basic 8" curriculum was written by a group of Area Representatives.
. 2000 - Huge rollout conducted by the Basic Skills Committee and Area Representatives.

So, to answer your question, I would say the first Basic Skills competition took place sometime in the late 1980's-mid 1990's.  I suspect it was prior to the manual being developed in 1996.  They probably used the ISI rules with the USFSA test structures.