– Colorado Springs, CO 

Phone: – Fax:

Web site: www.usfigureskating.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact:  Renee Felton, U.S. Figure Skating –

Laura Lee, Production Sports –

Michelle Wilmot, Office of the Mayor –

 

Signed Proclamation

KENT MAYOR SUZETTE COOKE PROCLAIMS OCTOBER 2012 “SKATE AMERICA MONTH” 

Colorado Springs, Colo. (Oct. 3, 2012) — Suzette Cooke, Mayor of the City of Kent, Wash., proclaimed October 2012 as “Skate America Month,” in honor of the figure skating event coming to the ShoWare Center later this month.

The opening event of the 2012 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, 2012 Hilton HHonors Skate America will take place Oct. 19-21. The international field of athletes features all four reigning U.S. champions, including 2011 World ice dancing champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White, and World and Olympic medalists, including 2012 World silver medalist Alena Leonova of Russia. A current listing of all athletes is available at 2012skateamerica.com.

“I am honored that 2012 Hilton HHonors Skate America has chosen Kent to be the host city for its international skating event,” Cooke said. “Not only will it be thrilling to see international skating champions at ShoWare Center, I’m delighted that the athletes and visitors will have the opportunity to experience all Kent has to offer. The arena and our community are ready.”

The state of Washington will host Skate America for a third time. The 2008 event in Everett set an attendance record, welcoming nearly 30,000 fans, while 2002 Skate America in Spokane had the second-highest attendance at nearly 29,000 spectators.

The annual event is expected to draw hundreds of athletes, coaches, officials, domestic and international media and figure skating fans to the Kent area. Recent events have been held in Ontario, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Lake Placid, N.Y.

NBC will broadcast live coverage of Skate America from 4-6 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Oct. 21. The event will be available live and on-demand on icenetwork.com to Season Pass subscribers. Skate America will also air internationally in Canada, Japan, Russia, the European Union and more.

The Grand Prix Series, entering its 18^th season, incorporates six international figure skating competitions as a unified point-scoring series that awards prize money to eligible skaters. At the conclusion of the series, 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. The Grand Prix Final is scheduled for Dec. 5-9, 2012, in Sochi, Russia, site of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. The event will run concurrently with the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

 

– 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 more than 1,000 registered Basic Skills skating schools representing approximately 173,000 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.