Treni On TourBy Scott Kindberg10/06/2008 - Jamestown to host Regional Figure Skating Championships  Photo by D.A. Hummel Well-represented Six Warren County skaters will be among those competing from Friday through Monday at the North Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Championships at the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena, Jamestown, N.Y. From left are Stephanie Hice, Samantha Dalrymple, Eleanor Elchert, Jaylyn Orwig, Kirsten DiPierro and Rebecca Hummel. The North Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Championships, presented by Chautauqua Ice and the Jamestown Skating Club, will be held Friday, Oct. 10, through Monday, Oct. 14, at the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena. The "North Atlantics" are one of the largest figure skating events ever held in Jamestown and will bring hundreds of the top figure skaters from New York, New Jersey and western Pennsylvania to Jamestown, N.Y., in a qualifier for U.S. National and Sectional competition. Forty-five judges, accountants, announcers, and music engineers from all over the United States have been assigned to the event by U.S. Figure Skating. An estimated 2,500 people from out of town will be in Jamestown during this event. The Regional Figure Skating Championship is the first official qualifying event of the season presented by U.S. Figure Skating. The top four skaters in each Juvenile and Intermediate event will go from here directly to the U.S. Junior National Championships (Juvenile and Intermediate levels) in Lake Placid, N.Y., in December. It will be very exciting for the top skaters in the final rounds of the Juvenile and Intermediate events to, not only receive a U.S. Figure Skating Regional Medal, but to be handed their "envelopes to Nationals." The top Novice, Junior and Senior skaters will be awarded medals and will be given their "envelopes" to proceed to the Eastern Sectional Championships in Boston in November - where they will have to place in the top four again in that additional qualifying competition in order to qualify for the U.S. National Championships in Cleveland in January. 2002 Olympic champion Sarah Hughes started her climb to fame at the North Atlantic Regionals - and also skated in Jamestown in 1997 at Skate Chautauqua, so this event marks an extremely important start to the skating season for all skaters. It is projected that this event will have a multi-million dollar economic impact on Jamestown and the surrounding communities. The area's hotels are completely sold out. Local restaurants, airports, travel and tourist attractions will also benefit from this event. Chautauqua Ice and the Jamestown Skating Club won the bid to host this event because of the reputation of the internationally acclaimed August figure skating competition Skate Chautauqua. Jamestown's figure skating program under Lenel van den Berg and Kirk Wyse will be well represented at North Atlantics with 20 entries in the qualifying events and 19 in the non-qualifying rounds, and Warren County members of the club competing include Stephanie Hice, Samantha Dalrymple, Eleanor Elchert, Jaylyn Orwig, Kirsten DiPierro and Rebecca Hummel. Jamestown has developed 38 national competitors, 19 national medalists, and four international medalists who all began their rise to top competition at the North Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Championships. "This is a rare chance for the Jamestown and western New York communities to see the stars of the future, and there is a great chance that one of these young skaters will be on the podium at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada," said Mary Handley, chairperson. Tickets are $5 per day and are available at the door. The North Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Championships are hosted by Chautauqua Ice and Jamestown Skating Club and are sponsored by Quality Markets, Eagle Systems, Alstar EMS, The Post-Journal, Warren Times Observer, DFT Communications, Chautauqua Community Foundation, Pizza Hut, and SE93. For additional information call (716) 664-6609 or visit online at www.jamestownskatingclub.com.
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