The 2014 U.S. Championships will serve as the final qualifying event prior to the selection of the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team that will represent Team USA Feb. 7-23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia.
Competition and practice for the 2014 Championships will be held at TD Garden and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center respectively.
The annual event, held since 1914, is the nation’s most prestigious figure skating event, with past winners including Michelle Kwan, Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton, Evan Lysacek and Massachusetts natives Nancy Kerrigan (Woburn, Mass.) and Todd Eldredge (Chatham, Mass.).
The U.S. Championships annually attract more than 1,500 athletes, coaches and officials to the host community and has generated $20 million to $25 million in economic impact for recent host cities. The 2014 U.S. Olympic Team will be announced immediately following the Championship events.
New England will be following stories such as the pair team of Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir. While not quite Boston born-and-bred, are about as local as they could be. Shnapir was born in Moscow, Russia, but he moved to Massachusetts with his parents when he was only a year old. Castelli was born and raised in Rhode Island and now lives in an apartment near Boston.
They have a striking look and style on the ice, partly due to the difference in their heights. Castelli is a petite five feet, while the six feet-four inch Shnapir is one of the tallest men in skating. Their height difference allows the team to do spectacular lifts as well as huge throw jumps.
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