Release courtesy of U.S. Figure Skating
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The United States will send 11 skaters to compete at Ice Challenge, Oct. 28-Nov. 1, in Graz, Austria. The event will be held at the Liebenauer Eishalle. Competition begins Wednesday with the compulsory dance.
Ice Challenge began in 1971 as the Leo-Scheu-Gedächtnislaufen. It became Ice Challenge in 2008 and includes competitions in ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dancing at the novice, junior and senior levels. This is the first year that U.S. skaters will compete at this event.
Ladies
Amanda Dobbs will be making her senior international debut in Graz. Last year, she won gold and bronze at her Junior Grand Prix (JGP) of Figure Skating Series assignments in Mexico and South Africa, respectively, earning her a berth to the Junior Grand Prix Final, where she placed seventh.
Men
Leading the U.S. men will be Shaun Rogers. Rogers won silver at the 2008 Finlandia Trophy and 2007 Nebelhorn Trophy. Joining Rogers is Douglas Razzano, who will also make his senior international debut. Razzano finished fourth at the 2007 JGP Final after winning silver at his JGP stop in Great Britain and finishing fourth in Estonia.
Pairs
Caitlin Yankowskas and John Coughlin finished seventh at the 2009 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, and placed sixth at 2008 Skate America in Everett, Wash. This will be the first international event of the season for Chloe Katz and Joseph Lynch. The couple finished sixth at the 2009 U.S. Championships and won silver at the 2008 Coupe de Nice.
Ice dancing
This is the first international competition of the season for Lynn Kriengkrairut and Logan Giulietti-Schmitt. The team won silver at the 2008 Karl Schäfer Memorial in Vienna, Austria, and placed eighth at the 2009 U.S. Championships. They will be joined by Trina Pratt and Chris Obzansky, who are making their international debut since pairing up in 2008. The duo took seventh at the 2009 U.S. Championships.
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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 763 member clubs and Basic Skills Programs representing approximately 179,000 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
