The U.S. Figure Skating Championships schedule has been announced, with the 2015 event slated for Greensboro’s Greensboro Coliseum and the 2016 set for St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.
It’s a return of the event to St. Paul, which hosted the 2008 U.S. Championships. Champions included 2010 Olympians Mirai Nagasu, Evan Lysacek and Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto.
The 2015 event is scheduled for Jan. 18-25, while the 2016 event is set for Jan. 16-24.
“We look forward to returning to Saint Paul for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships,” said U.S. Figure Skating Executive Director David Raith. “The city did a great job of hosting our event in 2008, and our athletes, coaches and officials will be excited to compete once again at Xcel Energy Center.”
Champions will be crowned in ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dancing at the senior, junior, novice, intermediate and juvenile levels of the U.S. Figure Skating competitive structure. The addition of the intermediate and juvenile levels to the U.S. Championships, which will begin at the 2013 U.S. Championships, will add approximately 100 competitors to the event.
The U.S. Championships, which serve as the final qualifying event to make the U.S. World Figure Skating Team and the U.S. Olympic Team every four years, annually attract more than 1,600 athletes, coaches and officials to the host community and has generated up to $30 million in economic impact for recent host cities.
“We are thrilled to once again activate our hospitality community around this exciting championship event,” said President and CEO of Visit Saint Paul and the RiverCentre Authority Karolyn Kirchgesler. “Great new things have happened in Saint Paul since 2008 when we last hosted the championships and we are excited to showcase this to the many fans this event will bring to the city.”
“Xcel Energy Center is pleased to be named the host facility of the 2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championships,” said Vice President and General Manager Jack Larson. “Having hosted the event to great success in 2008 we are excited to wow the skating community again in 2016.”
Image by Adam Gurno via flickr.com: Xcel Energy Center, 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
