U.S. Figure Skating announced the selection of San Jose, California, as the host city for the 2021 TOYOTA U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and Nashville as the host of the 2022 TOYOTA U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
The 2021 U.S. Championships, set for Jan. 11-17, will return to San Jose for the fourth time, and the first time since 2018. The 2022 U.S. Championships, which will take place Jan. 3-9, 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 Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. The U.S. Championships were last held in Nashville in 1997.
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 ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dance at the championship and junior levels.
“U.S. Figure Skating is thrilled to be returning to San Jose and Nashville for the 2021 and 2022 TOYOTA U.S. Figure Skating Championships,” U.S. Figure Skating President Anne Cammett said. “The Bay Area has a strong figure skating tradition and has been a great host in recent years, while Nashville has one of the fastest growing skating markets in the country and its energetic downtown venue is ready to welcome us back for the first time in many years. Both events will have great community support, and will be exciting destinations for competitors, coaches, their families and fans.”
In San Jose, the event will take place at SAP Center at San Jose, with Solar4America Ice at San Jose serving as the official practice venue and the host of U.S. Figure Skating’s newly established National High-Performance Development Camp.
The U.S. Championships return to California for the 13th time and to San Jose for the fourth (1996, 2012, 2018). Northern California is/was home to several figure skating greats including Olympic champions Brian Boitano, Kristi Yamaguchi and Peggy Fleming, 1986 World champion Debi Thomas and 1996 U.S. champion 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 San Jose, and the Bay Area is also home to the reigning U.S. champion, Alysa Liu, 2017 U.S. champion Karen Chen and 2019 World bronze medalist Vincent Zhou. The event will serve as a kickoff to U.S. Figure Skating’s 100-year anniversary celebration.
“Sharks Sports & Entertainment is elated to have been selected to host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at SAP Center at San Jose once again in 2021,” said Sharks Sports & Entertainment President John Tortora. “With two state-of-art ice venues in SAP Center and Solar4America Ice and two great partners in the City of San Jose and the San Jose Sports Authority, we look forward to making the 2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championships another fantastic, high profile national event that will proudly represent the City of San Jose and the Bay Area skating community, boost the downtown economy, and bring thousands of skating enthusiasts to San Jose for the event.”
“We are thrilled to host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, one of the country’s most high-profile sporting events, in San Jose, celebrating the centennial of U.S. Figure Skating” added John Poch, Executive Director of the San Jose Sports Authority. “With leadership from the Sports Authority, SAP Center at San Jose, and the continued support of our key community partners, including the City and its Office of Economic Development and Team San Jose of the San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau, we are eager to showcase our world-class city as the Championships return to SAP Center.”
In the lead up to the 2021 U.S. Championships, 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.
In 2022, as all eyes shift to the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, Nashville and Bridgestone Arena will serve as the final qualifying event prior to the nomination of the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team.
The U.S. Championships return to Nashville for just the second time, with the event first taking place at the newly opened Bridgestone Arena in in 1997. Nashville is home to Olympic champion Scott Hamilton, who founded the Scott Hamilton Skating Academy, which highlights the strength and growth of the Nashville skating community.
“From my very first days working with the Nashville Predators through the Scott Hamilton Skating Academy, I knew we were going to build something unique and special,” Olympic champion and Nashville resident Scott Hamilton said. “I also knew there were no limits to the ways we could benefit the skating community at large. I always knew we would someday host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and I’m so excited that it’s happening in 2022 and that we’ll get to send off the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team to Beijing. I couldn’t be more excited for the city of Nashville, and also for the skating community as together we will all witness a U.S. Championships like no other!”
The championships will be hosted locally with the support of the Nashville Sports Council, Bridgestone Arena and local skating clubs.
“We’re excited to host the U.S. Championships on the 25th anniversary since it was last in Nashville, especially in an Olympic year,” president and CEO of the Nashville Sports Council Scott Ramsey said. “Thanks to the support from the City of Nashville, the Nashville Predators, the Convention and Visitors Corporation, and Olympic gold medalist and Nashvillian Scott Hamilton, we are confident that we will showcase Nashville’s passion for skating on a national stage. We look forward to hosting the best American skaters as they not only strive to win a U.S. Championship, but to secure a spot on the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team.”
Both events will be broadcast live on NBC Universal, and streamed live, commercial-free and on demand with the Figure Skating Pass on NBC Sports Gold. Ticket information for both events will be available at a later date.
– 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 and Paralympic Committee and the International Skating Union. U.S. Figure Skating is comprised of more than 765 member clubs, collegiate clubs, school-affiliated clubs and more than 1,000 registered Learn to Skate USA programs representing more than 203,023 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 and San Jose Barracuda of the American 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.
– Nashville Sports Council –
The Nashville Sports Council is a private, non-profit, membership-based organization of area corporations and individual sports enthusiasts. Created in 1992, the Nashville Sports Council’s mission is to positively impact the economy and quality of life of the Greater Nashville Area by attracting and promoting professional and amateur sporting events. The Nashville Sports Council has hosted hundreds of major sporting events that have produced more than $930 million in direct economic impact for the region. For more information call 615-743-3120 or visit NashvilleSports.com. Follow the Nashville Sports Council on Facebook and Twitter.
