October 2010 

Individual ticket sales for the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships launched Friday, Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. For those waiting in line at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, (Official Local Gold Sponsor of the 2011 U.S. Championships), the launch day became a major media event as local TV stations, including WGHP-TV Fox 8, Local Diamond Media & Marketing Partner, were on hand to cover the lines, and catch the enthusiasm and excitement of early purchasers.

Complete event session schedule released! U.S. Figure Skating has published the sessions for all 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships ticketed events. The final schedule can be found here.

If you have not purchased tickets, now is the time. Preferred seats are going fast, so act now by visiting northcarolina2011.com.

Olympians Aid Ticket Sales Launch 

Three U.S. Olympians participated in the media blitz leading up to the launch of individual ticket sales. Paul Wylie, 1992 Olympic silver medalist and honorary chairman of the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and 2010 Olympians Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig took the U.S. Figure Skating Championships message to North Carolina's three major metro areas on Wednesday, Sept. 15.

Wylie had an action-packed morning, with eight interviews on all four Triad TV stations, appearances at four radio stations and newspaper interviews - all before noon! Not to be outdone, Evora and Ladwig, the top U.S. pairs team in Vancouver, took the show on the road - literally! The team started the day with appearances at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, home of the NCAA men's basketball champion Duke University Blue Devils, followed by a "skate-around" at the RBC Center in Raleigh, home of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Carolina Hurricanes. The skate-around featured Hurricanes player and 2010 Olympic silver medalist Tim Gleason. (The skate-around video was shown on ESPN's "SportsCenter" that night!) 

Evora and Ladwig completed their adventure-filled day with several 180 m.p.h. laps around Charlotte Motor Speedway courtesy of drivers from the Richard Petty Driving School. The last leg of their North Carolina tour was made particularly special when the Olympians were greeted at the track by NASCAR star and driver of the No. 20 Home Depot car, Joey Logano, his mother Deborah (owner of Extreme Ice Center outside Charlotte) and his sister Danielle, the figure skating director at Extreme Ice. 

Assisting with the media day were U.S. Figure Skating Director of Media and Public Relations Scottie Bibb, U.S. Figure Skating Marketing Manager  Mandy Rost and U.S. Figure Skating Communications Coordinator Renee Felton. The media blitz reaped significant media attention and helped lead to a strong first weekend of individual ticket sales. Special thanks go to local Media & Marketing Partners WGHP-TV Fox8 in High Point, the News & Record in Greensboro and Clear Channel Radio in Greensboro for their assistance with, and coverage of,  these media events. Thanks, too, to the Duke University Athletic Department, Carolina Hurricanes, Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Richard Petty Driving School.

Special Events:  Hamill, Perdue, and Wylie

 On Saturday, Oct. 2, Olympic champion Dorothy Hamill is scheduled to make an appearance at the "Women's Only 5K Run" and related events, hosted by Moses Cone Health System, Local Silver Sponsor of the 2011 U.S. Championships. Hamill, who will serve as official starter for the run, will participate in a variety of activities during the day, including an inspirational talk to the participants, news briefings and a book signing. 

Hamill's appearance at the run is made possible by Moses Cone Health System. In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the U.S. Championships will launch a month-long campaign of ticket sales, promotions and fundraising dedicated to breast cancer prevention and awareness. Participating in the effort will be the Triad and Triangle chapters of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, a local marketing partner for the 2011 U.S. Championships. For more information on our specials, visit  www.northcarolina2011.com.

On Tuesday, Sept. 28, the Greensboro Sports Commission, a key player in the U.S. Championships local organizing committee (LOC), hosted a luncheon at the Piedmont Triad Airport Marriott (official host hotel for the Championships) focused on sports tourism and economic development in the Triad. Neill McNeill, noted on-air personality for WGHP-TV Fox 8, served as master of ceremonies. Kim Strable, executive director of the Sports Commission, provided opening remarks before featured speakers Paul Wylie and the Honorable Beverly Perdue, Governor of North Carolina, took the podium. 

Perdue spoke of the significant positive impacts for tourism, quality of life, business recruitment and retention, and economic development of hosting major sports events in the Piedmont Triad and across the state of North Carolina. Wylie emphasized that the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships are helping to lead the state and regional sports tourism industry sector.