BREAKING NEWS 2015 Skate Canada International coming to Lethbridge

Lethbridge, Alberta to host 2015 Skate Canada International

OTTAWA, ON: The city of Lethbridge, Alberta will celebrate a silver anniversary with Skate Canada in 2015. The southern Alberta city has been chosen as the site of the 2015 Skate Canada International (SCI), and it last held the same event in 1990. The competition will be held at ENMAX Centre from October 30 - November 1, 2015.

The announcement was made at a press conference today in Lethbridge via a video message from the 1990 Skate Canada International men’s champion, Kurt Browning. The four-time world champion reminisced on competing in his home province, and remarked “that the best skaters in the world are going to be coming to Lethbridge where the best audiences are waiting to receive them.”

“We are thrilled that Skate Canada has chosen our city as the location for this world-class competition,” said Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman. “We look forward to welcoming the competitors, coaches, officials, support staff and spectators. They will have an excellent experience in Lethbridge.”

More than 200 volunteers will be asked to help out before and during the four-day event, which is estimated to have a $5.5 million local economic impact. “Sports events such as Skate Canada International help inspire young athletes – they can meet people who share their passion, and they can be involved as volunteers, right here in their own community,” said Spearman.

“We had a tremendous amount of community interest in hosting the Skate Canada International event in Lethbridge during the bid process,” said Susan Eymann, Executive Director, Lethbridge Sport Council. “That commitment now turns into action as we work with Lethbridge and area skating clubs, our colleagues at the ENMAX Centre, the City of Lethbridge and the Lethbridge Lodging Association to provide an excellent experience for our visitors.”

Eymann said the Lethbridge Sport Council will be working with a number of organizations to support volunteer recruitment and other activities that add value and fun to the spectacular community event. “We've got an enthusiastic team assembled and they are ready to work with Skate Canada to make this a memorable event for everyone.”

“We like to stage this event in various locations across the country to help inspire all Canadians to embrace the joy of skating. Skate Canada is pleased to bring this highly renowned international sporting event to Lethbridge. The competition will be strong, as it occurs almost halfway between the 2014 and 2018 Olympic Winter Games,” said Dan Thompson, CEO, Skate Canada. “We are excited about engaging with the local business community in Lethbridge because of the enthusiasm already evident in the city. Combined with the dedicated team of volunteers from Skate Canada Alberta/Nunavut/NWT and throughout the region, everyone involved will receive a warm Alberta welcome and the event will be a definite success.”

The top figure skaters in the world will be featured in head-to-head competition in four disciplines, men, ladies, pair and ice dance. Skate Canada International is the second competition in the annual International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating® series. The other events take place in the United States (Skate America), China (Cup of China), France (Trophée Eric Bompard), Russia (Rostelecom Cup) and Japan (NHK Trophy). Skaters are awarded points based on their placements in the series' events. The top-six men and ladies and the top-six pair and ice dance teams qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in December 2015.

Competitors for Skate Canada International, and all of the ISU Grand Prix events, will be announced following the ISU Grand Prix Commission meetings in the spring of 2015.

All-event tickets will go on sale Friday, November 7 at 10:00 a.m. (MST). Tickets may be purchased online at www.enmaxcentre.ca, by phone at 403.329.7328 or in person at the ENMAX Centre box office. Single-event tickets are expected to go on sale in the fall of 2015. Additional information will be posted on www.skatecanada.ca as soon as it is available.

For information:
Emma Bowie
Manager, Communications
613.747.1007 ext. 2547
[email protected]

Skate Canada has an enduring legacy of champions and is the recognized leader in delivering CanSkate, the brand standard for learning to skate in Canada. Today’s world and Olympic medallists all began at one of our 1,200 local Skate Canada clubs or skating schools. More than 5,000 certified professional coaches offer programs for all ages to encourage Canadians to skate together as a family, pursue competitive ice sports and enjoy an active lifestyle.

Skate Canada – Inspiring all Canadians to Embrace the Joy of Skating!