Lineups Announced for 2008 ISU Grand Prix

The International Skating Union (ISU) and U.S. Figure Skating announced today the skater selections for the 2008 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, which will begin Oct. 24-26 with Skate America in Everett, Wash. The Grand Prix Series, which enters its 14th season, incorporates six prestigious international figure skating competitions as a unified point-scoring series that awards prize money to eligible skaters.

Skate America
Skate America welcomes 18 top U.S. athletes among its international field. Those competing in Everett include World Junior champion Rachael Flatt, U.S. champion Mirai Nagasu, World bronze medalist Johnny Weir, five-time U.S. champion ice dancers Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto, and U.S. champion pairs team Keauna McLaughlin & Rockne Brubaker. The third U.S. ice dancing team in Everett will be determined following the 2008 Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, July 30-Aug. 2 in Lake Placid, N.Y.

For the complete list of international skaters competing in Everett, please visit http://www.isu.org/.

The U.S. athletes competing in Skate America are as follows:

Skate America - Everett, Wash. - Oct. 24-26
Ladies - Rachael Flatt, Kimmie Meissner, Mirai Nagasu
Men - Evan Lysacek, Adam Rippon, Johnny Weir
Pairs - Rena Inoue & John Baldwin, Keauna McLaughlin & Rockne Brubaker, Caitlin Yankowskas & John Coughlin
Ice Dancing - Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto, Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates, TBA

At the conclusion of the six events, athletes' points are totaled and the top six ladies, men, pairs and ice dancing teams are invited to compete at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. This year the Grand Prix Final will be held Dec. 10-14 in Seoul, South Korea.

The ISU Grand Prix Series consists of the following six events:

Skate America, Everett, Wash., Oct. 26-29
Skate Canada, Ottawa, Canada, Oct. 31-Nov. 2
Cup of China, Beijing, China, Nov. 6-9
Trophée Eric Bompard Paris, France, Nov. 14-16
Cup of Russia, Moscow, Russia, Nov. 20-23
NHK Trophy, Tokyo, Japan, Nov. 27-30

A complete list of skater selections for the Grand Prix Series is available at the ISU web site, http://www.isu.org/. The list of U.S. skater selections for the remaining Grand Prix Series events is below. Skaters are subject to change.

U.S. Skater Selections:

Skate Canada - Ottawa, Canada - Oct. 31-Nov. 2
Ladies - Alissa Czisny, Bebe Liang, Caroline Zhang
Men - Ryan Bradley, Evan Lysacek, Brandon Mroz
Pairs - Keauna McLaughlin & Rockne Brubaker, Jessica Rose Paetsch & Jon Nuss
Ice Dancing - Meryl Davis & Charlie White, Kimberly Navarro & Brent Bommentre, Jennifer Wester & Daniil Barantsev

Cup of China - Beijing, China - Nov. 6-9
Ladies - Katrina Hacker, Ashley Wagner
Men - Jeremy Abbott, Stephen Carriere
Pairs - Brooke Castile & Ben Okolski, Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig
Ice Dancing - Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto

Trophee Eric Bompard - Paris, France - Nov. 14-16
Ladies - Emily Hughes, Bebe Liang, Caroline Zhang
Men - Ryan Bradley, Brandon Mroz
Pairs - Tiffany Vise & Derek Trent
Ice Dancing - Jennifer Wester & Daniil Barantsev

Cup of Russia - Moscow, Russia - Nov. 20-23
Ladies - Rachael Flatt, Kimmie Meissner
Men - Jeremy Abbott, Adam Rippon
Pairs - Brooke Castile & Ben Okolski
Ice Dancing - Meryl Davis & Charlie White

NHK Trophy - Tokyo, Japan - Nov. 27-30
Ladies - Katrina Hacker, Mirai Nagasu, Ashley Wagner
Men - Stephen Carriere, Johnny Weir
Pairs - Rena Inoue & John Baldwin, MeeRan Trombley & Laureano Ibarra
Ice Dancing - Kimberly Navarro & Brent Bommentre, Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates