GRAND PRIX OF FIGURE SKATING FROM MOSCOW THIS WEEKEND ON NBC SPORTS AND UNIVERSAL SPORTS
NBC Sports & Universal Sports Combine to Present 11 Hours of Coverage From Moscow
NEW YORK – October 22, 2009 –NBC Sports and Universal Sports present 11 hours coverage this weekend of the second stop of the 2009 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series this Sunday from Moscow, Russia. Skaters from Team USA will compete against athletes from 13 other countries, all vying for points and prize money and ultimately spots representing their country at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Coverage on NBC Sports begins Sunday at 12 p.m. ET and coverage on Universal Sports begins Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
NBC Sports' broadcast will feature coverage of the ladies and men's free skates and Universal Sports will carry coverage of the pairs and ice dancing finals and the men's and ladies short programs.
LADIES: Leading the U.S. ladies contingent is reigning U.S. champion Alissa Czisny. The two-time U.S. Collegiate champion (2004, 08) won bronze at Skate Canada last season and gold at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy. Czisny will be joined by two-time World Junior bronze medalist Ashley Wagner. Last season, Wagner finished fourth at the 2009 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships, NHK Trophy and Cup of China.
MEN: This will be the fifth Grand Prix Series appearance in Russia for 2008 World bronze medalist Johnny Weir, who took home gold from this event in 2007. Weir won silver at Skate America and the NHK Trophy last season, and claimed the bronze at the Grand Prix Final in Goyang City, Republic of Korea. Joining him in Moscow is reigning U.S. silver medalist Brandon Mroz, who finished ninth at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles, Calif.
PAIRS: Reigning two-time U.S. pairs champions Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker are the lone pairs team representing the United States in Moscow. The team, who won silver last season at Skate America and bronze at Skate Canada, finished fifth at the 2009 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and 11th at the 2009 World Championships.
ICE DANCING: Meryl Davis and Charlie White, the 2009 U.S. champions, won gold at last month’s Nebelhorn Trophy. Last season they took home gold from Skate Canada and bronze from the Cup of Russia and Grand Prix Final. After their gold-medal win at the 2009 Four Continents Championships, they finished fourth at the 2009 World Championships, just .04 points off the podium.
Andrew Joyce (play by play), Paul Wylie and Peter Carruthers (analysts) and David Pelletier (reporter) call the action.
UNIVERSAL SPORTS COVERAGE: Universal Sports, available in more than 56 million homes, will broadcast more than 50 hours of Grand Prix coverage, including live and near-live taped programming and rebroadcasts of the featured programming that appears on NBC Sports. Universal Sports coverage details of the Grand Prix of Figure Skating – Moscow are below (all times ET):
NBC SPORTS AND U.S. FIGURE SKATING ASSOCIATION: This new television partnership between U.S. Figure Skating and NBC Sports is the latest in an ongoing relationship between the two parties. NBC has been U.S. Figure Skating's broadcast partner for Skate America and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships since the 2007-08 season, and an extension of that partnership through 2014 was announced in late August.
In addition to the coverage of the 2009 Grand Prix Series (details below), NBC Sports will broadcast 10 hours, including live, prime-time coverage of the ladies free skate, of the 2010 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Jan. 14-24, 2010, in Spokane, Wash.
NBC SPORTS UPCOMING BROADCAST SCHEDULE OF 2009 GRAND PRIX SERIES:
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Russia
Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 12-2 p.m. ET
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Japan
Nagano, Japan, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2-4 p.m. ET
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Skate America
Lake Placid, N.Y., Sunday, Nov. 15, 2-4 p.m. ET LIVE
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Skate Canada
Kitchener, Ontario, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2-4 p.m. ET
ISU Grand Pris of Figure Skating - Grand Prix Final
Tokyo, Japan, Sunday, Dec. 6, 12-2 p.m. ET
UNIVERSAL SPORTS UPCOMING BROADCAST SCHEDULE OF 2009 GRAND PRIX SERIES:
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Russia
Moscow, Russia
Friday, Oct. 23, 7-9 p.m. ET/Encore Presentation: 9-11 p.m. ET
Sat., Oct. 24, 5-7 p.m. ET/Encore Presentation: 9-10 p.m. ET
Sunday, Oct. 25, 5-7 p.m. ET
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - China
Beijing, China
Friday, Oct. 30, 5-7 p.m. ET/Encore Presentation: 9-11 p.m. ET
Sat., Oct. 31, 5-7 p.m. ET/Encore Presentation: 9-11 p.m. ET
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Japan
Nagano, Japan
Friday, Nov. 6, 5-7 p.m. ET/Encore Presentation - 9-11 p.m. ET
Saturday, Nov. 7, 5-7 p.m. ET
Sunday, Nov. 8, 7-9 p.m. ET
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Skate America
Lake Placid, N.Y.
Friday, Nov. 13, 7-8 p.m. ET (LIVE)
Friday, Nov. 13, 8:30-9:30 p.m. ET (LIVE)
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2-3 p.m. ET (LIVE)
Saturday, Nov. 14, 4-5 p.m. ET (LIVE)
Sunday, Nov. 15, 5-7 p.m. ET
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Skate Canada
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Friday, Nov. 20, 8-10 p.m. ET
Saturday, Nov. 21, 8-10 p.m. ET
Sunday, Nov. 22, 5-7 p.m. ET
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Grand Prix Final
Tokyo, Japan
Friday, Dec. 4, 5-7 p.m. ET/Encore Presentation: 9-11 p.m. ET
Saturday, Dec. 5, 5-7 p.m. ET/Encore Presentation: 9-10 p.m. ET
Sunday, Dec. 6, 5-7 p.m. ET