North Carolina Selected to Host 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

November 28, 2012— U.S Figure Skating announced today that the 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships will be held Greensboro Coliseum Jan. 18-25, 2015, at the Complex in Greensboro, N.C. The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is the organization’s largest event and was also held in Greensboro in 2011.

“We are thrilled to have the U.S. Figure Skating Championships return to Greensboro,“ Greensboro Mayor Robbie Perkins said. “The fact that U.S. Figure Skating has selected us to host their biggest and most important event twice in four years says quite a lot about our outstanding hosting capabilities.”

The 2011 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships, also held at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, featured 252 skaters. Since that event, U.S. Figure Skating has added juvenile and intermediate competition to the event, which has added another approximately 100 participants to the competition. The upcoming 2013 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships, set for Jan. 20-27, 2013, in Omaha, Neb., will be the first championships to include all five competitive levels of the U.S. Figure Skating competitive pipeline.

“The City of Greensboro did a terrific job in hosting the 2011 U.S. Championships,” U.S. Figure Skating Executive Director David Raith said. “Our athletes, coaches, officials and staff had a great experience in North Carolina. We look forward to returning to Greensboro in 2015.”

While U.S. Figure Skating has been expanding the championships, Greensboro has not stood by idle. The city has embarked on over $24 million in major renovations to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. The installation of a new state-of-the-art Daktronics center-hung video board in the main arena was recently completed. Underway are enhancements to the seating, with improved sightlines from the suites and installation of new cushioned seats throughout. A new VIP Lounge opening into the arena is under construction which will be followed by a project to widen the upper concourse area and add new restrooms and concessions.

“The entire Greensboro community truly embraced the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and helped make that event such a tremendous success,” said Matt Brown, Greensboro Coliseum Complex Managing Director. “We will be able to take our level of hosting to an even higher plateau in 2015 thanks to the $24 million renovation and remodeling that is already underway at the Coliseum Complex. We believe the skaters and officials at U.S. Figure Skating will be very impressed with enhancements we are making.”

U.S. Figure Skating’s reigning U.S. champions are Ashley Wagner, Jeremy Abbott, Caydee Denney & John Coughlin, and Meryl Davis & Charlie White (ladies, men, pairs, ice dance, respectively). The 2014 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships will be held in Boston. The 2014 U.S. Championships serve as the final qualifier for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Reigning Olympic champion Evan Lysacek and fellow Olympian Johnny Weir, among others, have returned to competitive figure skating in hopes of making the 2014 Olympic Team.

“We are thrilled to be selected to host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships again in 2015,” said Hill Carrow, Chairman of North Carolina 2015, the Local Organizing Committee for the event. “We will be working to top our excellent ratings as host in 2011, and with the improvements underway at the Coliseum Complex, we are certainly well on our way to achieving that goal at least in the facilities category. We will be working to maintain and add to both our sponsor lineup and our large volunteer contingent, to ensure that the 2015 Championships are one of the very best ever!”