The United States hosts the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic this week at the Salt Lake City Sports Complex in Salt Lake City, Sept. 17-22, 2019. The event is the third stop of the 2019 ISU Challenger Series. Eighteen Americans will compete on home ice for a spot on the podium.
The ladies field is led by 2019 World Junior bronze medalist Ting Cui. Cui is making her first appearance at the event in the lead up to her Grand Prix debut this November. Amber Glenn will also skate for Team USA in Salt Lake City. Glenn was recently awarded the final ladies spot at 2019 Skate America presented by American Cruise Lines.
In the men’s field, 2019 World bronze medalist Vincent Zhou will make his season debut. The 2019 U.S. silver medalist is returning to the event after finishing fourth last season. Joining Zhou is 2019 World Junior champion Tomoki Hiwatashi. The 2019-20 season marks his first senior international campaign as he makes his Grand Prix debut in November. Alex Krasnozhon and Jimmy Ma round out the U.S. men’s field in Salt Lake City. Krasnozhon finished fifth at the 2019 U.S. Championships, while Ma earned the bronze medal at the 2018 U.S. International Classic. Krasnozhon also claimed the final men’s spot at 2019 Skate America.
Four pairs teams will represent the United States this weekend in Salt Lake City. Reigning U.S. champions Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc will make their season debut at the event. Last season, the Texas-based duo won gold in Salt Lake City to kick off their season. Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea will return to the event for the first time since 2015 when the 2019 U.S. pewter medalists claimed the title. Returning for the second year in a row, Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov will look to return to the podium after claiming the silver medal at the event last fall. Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson will make their first appearance in Salt Lake City in the lead up to their Grand Prix debut as a team at 2019 Skate America.
In ice dance, 2019 Four Continents champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates lead the U.S. contingent. The two-time World medalists are returning to the event for their first time since 2012. Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko won the silver medal at the 2018 U.S. International Classic and return for the second consecutive year.
NBC Sports Gold will provide live coverage of the entire event through the Figure Skating Pass. The event will start with the pairs and men’s short programs on Thursday, Sept. 19. On Friday, Sept. 20, the ice dance and ladies competition will begin along with the conclusion of the pairs and men’s competition. The event will conclude on Saturday, Sept. 21 with the free dance and the ladies free skate. Official practices will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 18 for men’s and pairs, and on Thursday, Sept. 19 for ladies and ice dance.
The ISU Challenger Series is a group of 10 senior-level international figure skating competitions held each year to help skaters prepare and qualify for ISU Championship events.
