2010 Olympic champion Evan Lysacek will participate in the Smucker's Skating Spectacular held on the final Sunday of the 2011 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. The Spectacular will be taped on Sunday, Jan. 30 for broadcast on NBC Saturday, Feb. 5 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET.

Following the Smucker's Skating Spectacular, ticket holders will be invited to remain in the arena for the taping of two uniquely choreographed performances that will be broadcast as part of the U.S. Figure Skating event RISE, on February 17. Randy Gardner, 1979 World pairs champion and choreographer on the television show "Skating with Celebrities," will choreograph both special skating pieces for RISE, including the exhibition by Lysacek.

As an official spokesperson for RISE, Lysacek will be in Greensboro during the Championships to promote the February 17 event by skating in the Spectacular and filming his RISE exhibition performance.

A special one-night Fathom event that will celebrate American figure skating while commemorating the 50th anniversary and legacy of the 1961 U.S. World Team tragedy, RISE will be broadcast live from the Best Buy Theater in New York City's Times Square to more than 500 movie theaters nationwide on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT/6 p.m. MT/8 p.m. PT (tape delayed). Hosted by Matt Lauer, co-anchor of the NBC News "TODAY Show," the event will include Lysacek's taped performance, interviews with American figure skating legends, the nationwide premiere of RISE and more.

Tickets for the Feb. 17 event are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. Theaters and participants are subject to change.

Tickets for the 2011 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships All-Event, Weekend, Matinee and Evening ticket packages, as well as single-session and Smucker's Skating Spectacular tickets are on sale. To purchase tickets, visit http://www.northcarolina2011.com/all-event-tickets.html.

Owens Takes Official Poster Prize

Jordan Grace Owens , an up-and-coming artist from Greensboro, has won the North Carolina Artists Official Poster Design Contest for the 2011 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Owens, 23, teaches at the Art Alliance of Greensboro.

Owens said she "wanted to convey partly the elegance of figure skating, and partly the sort of over-the-top element of figure skating." Owens will be recognized, along with second and third prize winners, Alexis Lavine and Kathleen Kennedy, at an Artists Reception at the Greenhill Center for NC Art, on Saturday, Jan. 22.

Volunteers in Training

This Saturday, Jan. 8, almost 400 volunteers will come together at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex for the first and only All-Volunteer Training Session prior to the 2011 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Participants in volunteer training will benefit from being on site where each of the 15 major volunteer teams will receive key information and updates in a large group setting, after which they will receive information specific to their responsibility in small group sessions.

Additional Sponsor Help

New Breed Logistics has joined the 2011 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships as a Local Official Supplier . Based in High Point, New Breed stays among North Carolina's fastest growing companies and is a worldwide leader in the logistics industry. "New Breed is a great supporter of large scale sports events in the Triad, such as the Wyndham Championships," said Hill Carrow, chairman of the 2011 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships, "Their sponsorship says a lot about the quality of corporate support we are getting for the event."

Lowes Home Improvement has also agreed to provide plants and floral decorations for the Championships to help give the event that top-tier appearance.

January Promotions

There are a wide variety of events and activities planned throughout the community leading up to the start of the 2011 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Some of these include:

- A special Krispy Kreme-Lowes Foods joint promotion at Lowes Foods stores

- Skating demonstrations, autographs, etc. featuring U.S. Junior Championships competitors from North Carolina at the Winterfest Rink in Downtown Greensboro ( Saturday, Jan. 15)

- The Greensboro Convention & Visitors Bureau and Greensboro Partnership "Southern Welcome" Campaign with 600 local merchant locations being outfitted with buttons, window decals, and pocket schedules for the Championships.

- A Kipling ticket-giveaway promotion at Macy's stores in the Carolinas during the weekend of Jan. 13-16.

Visit North Carolina 2011's Website