U.S. GRAND PRIX ASSIGNMENTS (lineup subject to change)
SKATE AMERICA Oct. 21–23, Chicago (Hoffman Estates) Gracie Gold Ashley Wagner Jason Brown Adam Rippon Madeline Aaron/Max Settlage Tarah Kayne/Danny O’Shea Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani
SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL Oct. 28–30, Mississauga, Canada Mirai Nagasu Grant Hochstein Ross Miner Haven Denney/Brandon Frazier Madison Chock/Evan Bates Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker
ROSTELECOM CUP Nov. 4–6, Moscow Polina Edmunds Courtney Hicks Max Aaron Alexa Scimeca Knierim/Chris Knierim Madison Chock/Evan Bates Elliana Pogrebinsky/Alex Benoit
TROPHÈE DE FRANCE Nov. 11–13, Paris Gracie Gold Tyler Pierce Nathan Chen Adam Rippon Marissa Castelli/Mervin Tran Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue
CUP OF CHINA Nov. 18–20, Beijing Karen Chen Ashley Wagner Courtney Hicks Max Aaron Ross Miner Alexa Scimeca Knierim/Chris Knierim Anastasia Cannuscio/Colin McManus Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani
NHK TROPHY Nov. 25–27, Sapporo, Japan Mirai Nagasu Polina Edmunds Karen Chen Grant Hochstein Nathan Chen Jason Brown Tarah Kayne/Danny O’Shea Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker
GRAND PRIX FINAL Dec. 8–11, Marseille, France
14 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016 Madison Chock and Evan Bates World ice dance bronze medalists
Madison Chock and Evan Bates face a demanding Grand Prix Series, competing on back-to-back weekends early in the six- event campaign. “It will be something new for us,”
Bates said. “We will just have to be ready when the Grand Prix season starts. It can be a positive thing for us; it leaves us more time to prepare for the Grand Prix Final, should we qualify.” Te ISU announced athlete selec-
tions on June 30 for the 22nd annual Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, which begins Oct. 21–23 with Skate America in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Te top six point-earners in each of the four disci- plines are invited to compete at the Grand Prix Final, which will be held in Marseille, France in early December. A complete list of athlete selections is available at
www.isu.org. Tere will be additional U.S. entries announced in each discipline in the coming month. Te reigning U.S. silver medalists
compete at Skate Canada, where they made their Grand Prix debut in 2011, be- fore heading to their second assignment in Russia at the Rostelecom Cup. Chock and Bates face some tough teams at Skate Can- ada, including 2010 Olympic champions and 2014 Olympic silver medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada, who announced their return to competition earlier this year. Chock and Bates are also joined in
Canada by Elliana Pogrebinsky and Alex Benoit, who make their Grand Prix Series debut. Chock and Bates won the silver medal at the 2015 Grand Prix Final. U.S. champions Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani open at Skate America and
GRAND PRIX SERIES PREVIEW ‘HAVE TO BE READY’ Chock and Bates face a challenging start
compete at Cup of China, where they won silver medals in 2011 and 2014. Tey fin- ished fourth at the 2015 Grand Prix Final. U.S. bronze medalists Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue make a run for their second Grand Prix Final berth at Skate America and Trophée de France.
DENNEY, FRAZIER RETURN TO GRAND PRIX SERIES Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier
return to the Grand Prix Series at Skate Canada. Te pairs duo, who earned silver medals at 2014 Skate America and the 2015 U.S. Championships, missed last season after Denney injured her right knee in training — an injury that required sur- gery in April 2015. After a year in a knee brace and an extensive recovery period, Denney and Frazier return to competitive ice with new coaches, a new training home and a newfound appreciation for their ca- reers.
“It is a little surreal to me because
with the severity of my injury, I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to skate again, much less return to competitive skating,” said Denney, who with Frazier is now based in Chicago under the direction of Stefania Berton and Rockne Brubaker. “I hope I don’t get too emotional the first time, but to get to this point it has taken a lot of pain and tears, and a lot of hard work.”
U.S. champions Tarah Kayne and
Danny O’Shea open at Skate America before wrapping things up at NHK Tro- phy. U.S. silver medalists Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim compete at Rostelecom Cup and Cup of China. Last year, they earned the first Grand Prix Fi- nal berth for a U.S. pairs team since 2007. U.S. bronze medalists Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran represent Team USA at Trophée de France.
Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier
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