Seventeen U.S. Athletes To Compete In Two International Events This Week

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 3, 2008) - The 2009 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series continues this week at the NHK Trophy in Nagano, Japan. Thirteen athletes from the United States will compete against skaters from 11 other countries, all vying for points and prize money in this fourth of six events in the series.

The NHK Trophy will take place at Big Hat Arena in Nagano, Japan. Competition will begin Friday, Nov. 6 with the compulsory dance and the pairs, men's and ladies short programs.

Icenetwork.com will provide live and on-demand coverage of the event for "Season Pass" subscribers within the contiguous United States. U.S. Figure Skating, via a joint partnership with MLB Advanced Media, has secured the exclusive U.S. broadband rights for the 2009 ISU Grand Prix Series. Visit icenetwork.com for the complete broadcast schedule.

In addition, NBC Sports and Universal Sports will provide same-day coverage of select events (all times ET).

Event	Broadcast Date	Network	Broadcast Time
NHK Trophy Nagano, Japan	Friday, Nov. 6	Universal Sports	5- 7 p.m./Encore: 8-10 p.m.
	Saturday, Nov. 7	Universal Sports	5-7 p.m./Encore: 8-10 p.m.
	Sunday, Nov. 8	NBC Sports	2-4 p.m.
	Sunday, Nov. 8	Universal Sports	5-7 p.m./Encore: 8-10 p.m.

The Grand Prix Series, now in its 15th season, consists of six international events in a cumulative point-scoring format. Approximately 300 athletes from 30 countries are expected to participate in the series. Each athlete is eligible to score points in two of the six scheduled events. The top six point-earners in each of the disciplines then qualify for the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 3-6. Athletes will be vying for a total of more than $1.35 million in prize money throughout the series.

LADIES

Two-time World Junior bronze medalist Ashley Wagner will vie for her second medal in this year's Grand Prix Series. She captured the silver two weeks ago at the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, Russia. Wagner placed fourth at this event last season. Becky Bereswill will be making her debut in the Grand Prix Series at the NHK Trophy. Bereswill captured the silver at both of her assignments in the 2008 Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, in France and Spain, and went on to win the 2008 Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

MEN'S

Reigning U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott will compete at NHK Trophy for the second time. The 2008 Grand Prix Final champion just missed the medal platform with his fourth-place finish at this event in 2007. Three-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir won silver at this event last season. The 2008 World bronze medalist finished fourth last month at the Rostelecom Cup. This is the second Grand Prix appearance this season for reigning two-time World Junior champion Adam Rippon, who won bronze last month at Trophée Eric Bompard in Paris, France.

PAIRS

This is the third appearance at the NHK trophy for two-time U.S. champions Rena Inoue and John Baldwin, who won silver at this event last season. The team will look to improve on its fourth-place finish at Trophée Eric Bompard last month. Reigning U.S. silver medalists Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett will make their Grand Prix Series debut at this event.

ICE DANCING

Reigning U.S. champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White look to continue their winning streak after taking the top prize at the Nebelhorn Trophy in September and at the Rostelecom Cup last month. The reigning Four Continents champions took fourth at this event in 2006. Davis and White are joined by Jane Summersett and Todd Gilles. The pair took fifth at the Finlandia Trophy earlier this season and won bronze at the 2008 Nebelhorn Trophy.

In addition to the NHK Trophy, the Grand Prix Series consists of the remaining events:

• Cancer.Net Skate America: Lake Placid, N.Y., USA - Nov. 12-15
• Skate Canada: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada - Nov. 19-22
• Grand Prix Final: Tokyo, Japan - Dec. 3-6

U.S. ENTRIES AT NHK TROPHY

 

DISCIPLINE	NAME	HOMETOWN	TRAINING TOWN
Ladies	Becky Bereswill Ashley Wagner	Houston, Texas Alexandria, Va.	Houston, Texas Wilmington, Del.
Men's	Jeremy Abbott Adam Rippon Johnny Weir	Aspen, Colo. Clarks Summit, Pa. Quarryville, Pa.	Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Toronto, Ontario Wayne and Montclair, N.J., and Moscow, Russia
Pairs	Caydee Denney Jeremy Barrett	Wesley Chapel, Fla. Venice, Fla.	Ellenton, Fla.
	Rena Inoue John Baldwin	Chiba, Japan Santa Monica, Calif.	Culver City, Calif.
Ice Dancing	Meryl Davis Charlie White	West Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Dearborn, Mich.	Ann Arbor, Mich.
	Jane Summersett Todd Gilles	Colorado Springs, Colo.	Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Four U.S. skaters will also compete in two disciplines at the 2009 Coupe de Nice in France. The event, which is in its 14th year, will be held at the Patinoire Jean Bouin. Competition begins Wednesday, Nov. 4 with the junior ladies and junior men's short programs.

Representing the United States in the junior ladies competition is 2009 U.S. Collegiate champion Chelsea Morrow (Grand Rapids CC), who will compete alongside Tatyana Khazova (Colorado College). Reigning two-time U.S. Collegiate champion Jason Wong (Emmanuel College Class of 2009) and 2009 U.S. Collegiate silver medalist Michael Solonoski (Drexel University) will compete in the men's event. Solonoski is looking to improve on his 11th-place finish at this event last year.

- U.S. Figure Skating -

U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union. U.S. Figure Skating is comprised of more than 700 member clubs, collegiate clubs, and school-affiliated clubs and over 900 registered Basic Skills skating schools representing approximately 170,000 members. U.S. Figure Skating is charged with the development of the sport on all levels within the United States  including athletes, officials, sanctioning of events and exhibitions, and establishing the rules and guidelines by which the sport is governed.