POSTED: Thursday November 11th 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The 2010/2011 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating continues this Friday with Skate America in Portland, Oregon.

Skate America is the fourth of six events in the series. The skaters compete for a global prize money of US $ 180, 000 per individual event of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating and the top six skaters/couples will advance to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

Reigning World Champion Daisuke Takahashi (JPN) is looking to secure his spot in the Final after winning the NHK Trophy last month. Competition should be tough with Skate Canada silver medalist Nobunari Oda (JPN), and 2010 Four Continents Champion and Skate Canada bronze medalist Adam Rippon. 2010 World Junior silver medalist Nan Song (CHN) debuts at the senior Grand Prix. Other competitors include Kevin van der Perren (BEL), Shawn Sawyer (CAN), Adrian Schultheiss (SWE) and Armin Mahbanoozadeh (USA).

Two-time World Champions Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy (GER) are entering their first Grand Prix event of the season. The main challenge should come from 2010 World Junior Champions Wenjing Sui/Cong Han (CHN) who just took the silver at the Cup of China last week. Kirsten Moore-Towers/Dylan Moscovitch (CAN) are hoping for another podium finish after taking the silver at Skate Canada. Also competing are Caydee Denney/Jeremy Barrett (USA) and World Junior bronze medalists Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov (RUS).

Olympic silver medalists Meryl Davis/Charlie White (USA) headline the dance event and want to book their ticket to the Grand Prix Final. Skate Canada Champions Vanessa Crone/Paul Poirier (CAN), NHK Trophy silver medalists Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje (CAN) and NHK Trophy bronze medalists Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani (USA) are aiming at a podium finish and have chances to qualify for the Final. Ekaterina Riazanova/Ilia Tkachenko (RUS) compete in their first Grand Prix this season.

Three-time European Champion Carolina Kostner (ITA) leads the Ladies competition and wants to assure her spot in the Final after taking the gold at NHK Trophy. She'll meet NHK Trophy silver medalist Rachael Flatt (USA) and NHK Trophy bronze medalist, World Junior Champion Kanako Murakami (JPN) again. Other competitors include Skate Canada bronze medalist Amelie Lacoste (CAN), Elene Gedevanishvili (GEO) and Caroline Zhang (USA).

The full list of entries is available at www.isu.org

The schedule of Skate America is as follows:

Friday, November 12: Pairs and Men Short Program
Saturday, November 13: Ladies Short Program, Short Dance, Pairs and Men Free Skating
Sunday, November 14: Free Dance, Ladies Free Skating, Exhibition Gala

For further information please contact

ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating & Final                         Skate America

Devra Pitt-Getaz, Media Coordinator              
Scottie Bibb, Press Officer
+41 21 612 66 66 (phone)                 
+1 719 229 37 36
email:pitt@isu.ch           email:sbibb@usfigureskating.org

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Keywords · ISU · Skate America · Portland · Oregon · figure skating

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Name: Devre Pitt
Organization: International Skating Union (ISU)
Email:
Phone: +41 21 612 66 66
URL: http://www.isu.org/

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Published: Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 7:20 PM     Updated: Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 8:15 PM

Skate America, which will make a three-day run in the Rose Garden beginning Friday, marks the return of elite level skating competition to Portland.

It is the biggest skating event in the city since the 2005 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and the first international skating event to come to Portland.

Skate America is the fourth stop in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, which comprises six events around the globe. It is the only U.S. event this year. The skaters in the series build points in the selection process for the next Olympics.

"We're thrilled to Skate America here," said Barbara Nydig, the co-chair of the local organizing committee. "It's a huge event."

The series has already made stops at cities in Japan, Canada and China. After Portland, it moves to Moscow and Paris. The Grand Prix final is Dec.9-12 in Beijing, China.

Among the 60 skaters in Portland this week, 16 different nations are represented. The competition is set up in an Olympic-style format and employs the rules of the International Judging System.

The entries include Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the U.S., the ice dancing silver medalists at the Vancouver Games, and Japan's Daisuke Takahashi, the men's bronze medalist.

Unlike the U.S. championships, the entire field is world class at Skate America. Some of this week's skaters have been pegged as the sport's next big stars, and the ISU Grand Prix series gives them an arena in which to gain competitive experience and exposure in the building process to the next Olympics.

NBC will televise portions of the competition Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m.

Skate America schedule
(All Times Pacific)

Friday
7 p.m. - Pairs short program, men's short program (Session 1)
 
Saturday
2 p.m. - Ladies short program, short dance (Session 2)
7 p.m. - Men's free skate, pairs free skate (Session 3)

Sunday
11 a.m. - Free dance, ladies free skate (Session 4)
5 p.m. - Skating Spectacular (Session 5)

--Doug Binder, special to The Oregonian

BEIJING -- France's ice dance pair of Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat won the short program at the Cup of China on Friday, beating favorites Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali of Italy.

The French pair, who have yet to win a Grand Prix event, impressed judges with a waltz to the tune from Dr. Zhivago, ending with a powerful rotational lift while gliding past the judges stand, receiving a score of 64.12 points.

Faiella and Scali, who have won multiple Grand Prix events, including a gold medal, were a distant second with 57.21 points.

Russia's Ekateria Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev were third with 55.85 points.

"We changed our dance two weeks ago, so I wasn't so confident," said Pechalat. "I am not very happy, because we can do better, but I am happy because we had good marks."

Faiella and Scali's performance was marred when Scali's boot got caught on Faiella's dress, resulting in a two-point deduction.

"I'm disappointed with the problems we faced, but what happened today will not affect tomorrow's performance," said Scali.

The Cup of China, the third of six Grand Prix events, ends Saturday.