Greater Louisville Sports Commission
401 West Main Street, Suite 2200
Louisville , KY 40202
502-587-7767

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Eight Skaters from Louisville Skating Academy Qualify

Louisville , Kentucky (Aug. 27, 2007) - Louisville Skating Academy (LSA) will host the U.S. Figure Skating 2008 Eastern Great Lakes Regional Championships, taking place Oct. 1 - Oct. 6, 2007 at Iceland Sports Complex. Approximately 500 young amateur figure skaters from Kentucky , Ohio , Indiana , Michigan , Tennessee , Mississippi and Alabama will compete for regional championship titles and the opportunity to continue to national-level competition. Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, Evan Lysacek and Eastern Great Lakes skater Alyssa Czisny, the 2007 U.S. senior ladies bronze medalist, all began their quests for national and international titles at U.S. Figure Skating regional championships.

For the first time ever, U.S. Figure Skating has selected a location in Kentucky to hold a major qualifying competition. Louisville Skating Academy , a local member club of U.S. Figure Skating, won the bid to host with the help of the Greater Louisville Sports Commission, the event's presenting sponsor. The championships are the first step in the qualifying process leading to the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating.

" Louisville Skating Academy has worked hard for many years to be in a position to be selected," said LSA Skating Director and event Co-Chair Rebecca Hatch-Purnell. "This event will have a positive impact on the local economy and on the sport of figure skating in Louisville . In addition, this event will be viewed nationally through the internet."

LSA will be represented by nine athletes at this qualifying event. Courtney McClure, a senior at duPont Manual High School , will compete at the highest level of competition, the senior ladies event. Kate Vegh, a junior at Henry County High School , will compete in the junior ladies event. Melissa Pipkin, an eighth grader at College School in Newark , Delaware , will represent LSA in the novice ladies event. The top four finalists in the novice, junior and senior events will proceed to the U.S. Figure Skating sectional championships; and then qualifiers will finish the season at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships to be held in Saint Paul , Minnesota in January 2008.

Ernie Stevens, an eighth grader from St. Margaret and Mary; Kirsten Clark, a home-schooled eighth grader; and Ashlie Stevens, an eighth grader at Highland Latin School will compete at the intermediate level. Sydney Flynn, a fifth grader at Anchorage School , and Mary Ellen ("Ellie") Najewicz, a seventh grader at St. Francis School , will compete at the juvenile level. These intermediate and juvenile level skaters hope to advance to the U.S. Junior Championships, held in Salt lake City , Utah in November 2007.

Louisville Skating Academy is a non-profit club dedicated to promoting and developing figure skating in the Louisville area. LSA provides training opportunities to meet the needs of all levels of skaters in achieving their personal goals from recreational skating to competition at national and international events. LSA has one of the largest learn-to-skate programs in the region more than 500 participants last year.

LSA is a member club of U.S. Figure Skating. U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States , as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union, with nearly 200,000 members representing more than 1,500 clubs and Basic Skills programs.

Contact:

Rebecca Hatch-Purnell
Louisville Skating Academy
(502) 415-0962
www.skatelouisville.org

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