San Jose Selected as Host City for 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships!
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Aug. 29, 2016) – U.S. Figure Skating announced the selection of San Jose, California, as the host city for the 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Dec. 29, 2017- Jan. 7, 2018. The 2018 U.S. Championships will serve as the final qualifying event prior to selecting and announcing the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team that will represent Team USA at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Competition and practice will be held at SAP Center at San Jose and Sharks Ice at San Jose.
The annual event, held since 1914, is the nation’s most prestigious figure skating event, with past champions including Michelle Kwan, Kristi Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano and Scott Hamilton. Champions will be crowned in 20 events in ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dance at the championship, junior, novice, intermediate and juvenile levels of the U.S. Figure Skating competitive structure. Championship-level competition will be Jan. 3-7, while juvenile-junior athletes will compete Dec. 30-Jan. 4.
“U.S. Figure Skating is excited to return to San Jose for the 2018 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships,” U.S. Figure Skating President Sam Auxier said. “The Bay Area is steeped in figure skating tradition with some of the sport’s legends calling the area home. I’m confident that with their support and that of the community, the excitement of the 2018 U.S. Championships will create a dynamic environment, especially for those competing to earn a spot on the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team.”
The U.S. Championships return to California for the 12th time and to San Jose for the third (1996, 2012). Northern California is/was home to several figure skating greats including Olympic champions Boitano, Yamaguchi and Peggy Fleming, 1986 World champion Debi Thomas and 1996 U.S. champ Rudy Galindo, who won the U.S. title in his hometown the first time San Jose hosted this event. 2014 Olympian and three-time U.S. medalist Polina Edmunds lives and trains in San Jose and will begin classes at Santa Clara University next month.
Boitano, Fleming, Galindo and Yamaguchi will serve as honorary co-chairs for the 2018 U.S. Championships.
“This is a wonderful day for the City of San Jose. We are very excited to be selected as host for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, one of the country’s most high-profile sporting events,” said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo. “Our region has a strong history of producing some of America’s top skaters and a legacy of competitive excellence. I am personally honored and excited to share San Jose with the nation in hosting this prestigious event.”
The U.S. Championships annually attract more than 1,500 athletes, coaches and officials, as well as families, friends and figure skating fans from around the world to the host community. The 2012 U.S. Championships generated more than $23 million in economic impact.
U.S. Figure Skating will work with the San Jose Sports Authority, SAP Center, Sharks Ice at San Jose and local figure skating clubs to plan the event with support from the City of San Jose’s Office of Economic Development, San Jose Hotels, Inc. and the San Jose Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to plan the event.
“What an honor to be selected to host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in the Olympic year,” said Patricia Ernstrom, executive director of the San Jose Sports Authority. “With the continued support of our key community partners, including the City and its Office of Economic Development, San Jose Hotels Inc., and Team San Jose, San Jose has proven itself as a premiere destination for successful world-class sporting events.”
The 2018 U.S. Championships will be broadcast live on NBC and streamed live online on icenetwork. Recent U.S. Championships were held in Boston (2014), Greensboro, North Carolina (2015) and Saint Paul, Minnesota (2016). The 2017 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships are set for Jan. 15-22, 2017, in Kansas City, Missouri.
Tickets to the 2018 U.S. Championships will go on sale later this fall. For more information and to sign up for ticket alerts visit www.skatesanjose2018.com.
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, school-affiliated clubs and more than 1,000 registered Learn to Skate USA programs representing more than 181,700 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.
SAP Center at San Jose
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, SAP Center at San Jose is the premier sports and entertainment venue in Northern California. Each year, SAP Center hosts approximately 175 events featuring professional and amateur athletes, Olympic athletes, Grammy award-winners, international recording artists, and a variety of performers who appeal to children and families alike. SAP Center at San Jose is home to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League. For more information about SAP Center at San Jose and for a list of upcoming events, visit the SAP Center home page at www.sapcenter.com.
San Jose Sports Authority
The San Jose Sports Authority is a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the City of San Jose’s economic development, visibility and civic pride through sports. Serving as the City's sports commission since in 1991, the Sports Authority has provided leadership and support to attract and host hundreds of sporting events in San Jose and the South Bay. The Sports Authority also supports and operates community, youth and amateur sports programs, including the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame and the REACH Youth Scholarship Program. To learn more, visit www.sjsa.org.
