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2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championship Ticket Packages on Sale August 25th
Saint Paul, MN (August 20, 2007) Ticket packages for the final weekend events of the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships will go on sale Saturday, August 25 at 10 a.m.. To celebrate the ticket launch, the public is invited to "Figure Skating Saturday", a fun filled day of skating activities taking place Saturday, August 25 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Minnesota State Fair. Two time Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan, 2006 Olympian and 2007 U.S. silver medalist Emily Hughes and 2007 U.S. junior champion Eliot Halverson of Saint Paul will join local figure skating clubs who will perform throughout the day on a plastic ice surface. The event also features a celebrity autograph session, face painting, ticket drawings and appearances by the Saint Paul Winter Carnival Royal Family and the U.S. Figure Skating Mascot, Snowplow Sam. Figure skaters of all ages are encouraged to bring a photo of themselves figure skating to post on the Minnesota Figure Skating Photo Wall, which will make its debut at the fair. The wall will make its official home at Xcel Energy Center and photos will continue to be added leading up to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Championship Weekend ticket packages will cost $199 which includes one ticket to the most popular championship events: the final free skate competitions in Ladies, Men's, Pairs and Ice Dance, which take place the weekend of January 26-27, 2008 at Saint Paul's Xcel Energy Center. All-event ticket packages are also on sale at prices starting at $495. Packages can be purchased at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office, Ticketmaster locations, by calling 651-989-5151 or online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.saintpaul2008.com. Group discounts are available for most events. For information on group tickets, call 651-312-3486. To learn more about Saint Paul's entertainment, attractions, restaurants or hotels visit www.visitsaintpaul.com or call 800-627-6101. Saint Paul is an ice skating hotbed, as in addition to the Saint Paul Figure Skating Club, it is home to the NHL Minnesota Wild, which plays at the Xcel Energy Center, site of the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. This is the first time Saint Paul will host the event, although Minneapolis hosted the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and the 1998 World Figure Skating Championships. As a city that is accustomed to celebrating winter, Saint Paul will create a magical Winter Wonderland in neighboring Rice Park which is aglow with millions of twinkle lights throughout the season. Thanksgiving weekend, the city will light a giant, 75-foot tree and open the Wells Fargo WinterSkate Ice Rink, which fills with skaters of all ages, creating a Rockefeller Center-like ambiance. -more- Also, the 2008 Saint Paul Winter Carnival will be held from January 25-February 3, overlapping with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and carnival officials plan to tie in to the figure skating theme with ice sculptures and a dramatic ice or snow spectacle. Past carnival ice structures have included ice mazes, giant snow slides and even castles. Figure skating contestants and champions will be invited to participate in the Winter Carnival parades or other related events. Past U.S. Figure Skating champions include two-time Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan, Olympic medalist Timothy Goebel and three-time U.S. Champion and Minnetonka, MN native Jill Trenary. The 2008 Championships are expected to draw the nation's top skaters but Saint Paul will also be proudly watching local talent, including Saint Paul native Eliot Halverson, the 2007 Midwestern Sectional and Upper Great Lakes Regional Junior Champion and Kirstin Olson of Savage, MN, the 2006 Upper Great Lakes Regional Junior Champion. Also competing will be Duluth's Angie Lien in the Ladies Senior category and Alex Olson of Minnetonka in the Men's Novice category. About Xcel Energy Center The Xcel Energy Center opened in 2000 as the home for the NHL Minnesota Wild Hockey team. A unique multi-purpose sports and entertainment facility located in the heart of downtown Saint Paul, Xcel Energy Center has been widely recognized by industry leaders as one of the best arenas for acoustics, sightlines and the overall entertainment experience. Regarded as "America's most intimate arena," the Center has hosted many major sporting events including the 2004 and 2005 Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic, 2004 NHL All-Star Weekend, 2004 IIHF World Cup of Hockey, 2003 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and the 2002 NCAA Men's Frozen Four. For more information on Xcel Energy Center, visit www.xcelenergycenter.com. About 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 585 member clubs representing nearly 160,000 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. Media Contacts: Jean Freidl, 651-493-3029, jeanfreidl@comcast.net Kathy O'Connor, 651-265-4819, [email protected]