FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 21st, 2017

2017 U.S. CHAMPION NATHAN CHEN & 2016 WORLD SILVER MEDALIST ASHLEY WAGNER HIGHLIGHT NBC SPORTS GROUP’S 13 HOURS OF LIVE 2017 BRIDGESTONE SKATE AMERICA COVERAGE THIS WEEKEND

Terry Gannon Calls the Action Joined by Tara Lipinski & Johnny Weir in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Coverage Begins This Friday with Pairs’ Short at 6:30 p.m. ET on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA & Culminates with Ladies’ Free Skate This Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on NBC

Last Stop in 2017 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series Before the Grand Prix Final

STAMFORD, Conn. – November 21, 2017 – The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating makes its last stop before the Grand Prix Final, as NBC Sports Group presents 13 hours of live coverage of Bridgestone Skate America this weekend in Lake Placid, N.Y. Live coverage begins this Friday, November 24, at 6:30 p.m. ET with the pairs’ short program on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA and continues throughout the weekend.

NBC will begin live coverage with the men’s free skate this Saturday, November 25, at 4 p.m. ET. NBCSN will present the live ladies’ short program Saturday at 9 p.m. ET. Coverage culminates with the live ladies’ free skate this Sunday, November 26, at 4 p.m. ET on NBC.

In a preview of the U.S. Championships, 2017 U.S. champion and Grand Prix Russia winner Nathan Chen, the first skater to land five quadruple jumps in a single program, faces his training mate and 2016 U.S. champion Adam Rippon, who finished second at Grand Prix Japan earlier this month, in the men’s field. Both men can qualify for the Grand Prix Final with strong finishes at Skate America.

The ladies’ competition will feature 2016 world silver medalist and three-time U.S. champion Ashley Wagner and 18-year-old Karen Chen, who won her first U.S. title and finished fourth at the World Championships last season. After winning the bronze medal at Skate Canada last month, Wagner can qualify for her sixth career Grand Prix Final with a win this week in Lake Placid.

American siblings and three-time world medalists Maia and Alex Shibutani will compete in ice dance, and can earn a trip to the Grand Prix Final with a podium finish. In the pairs’ competition, two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada face off against Germany’s two-time world medalists Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot. The pairs’ field also includes Americans Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim, the 2015 U.S. champions.

Terry Gannon handles play-by-play, joined by 1998 Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski, three-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir, and reporter Andrea Joyce at the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Bill Doleman calls the pairs’ free skate and ice dance short and free programs, joined by 2011 U.S. champion Ryan Bradley for the pairs’ event, and 2006 Olympic silver medalist Ben Agosto for the ice dance competition.

The Grand Prix Series, now in its 23rd season, consists of six international events in a cumulative point-scoring format. Each athlete is eligible to score points in up to two of the six scheduled events. The top six point-earners in each discipline qualify for the 2017 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, set for Dec. 7-10, in Nagoya, Japan. There are 10 remaining Grand Prix Final spots up for grabs this week in Lake Placid (four in men, one in ladies, three in pairs, and two in ice dance).

Coverage on NBC and NBCSN is live streamed on NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Coverage on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA is available on OlympicChannel.com, the Olympic Channel app, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app.

The NBC Sports app will stream coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, and Xbox.

Date Time (ET) Event Network
Fri., Nov. 24 6:30 p.m. Bridgestone Skate America: Pairs’ Short (LIVE) Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA
Fri., Nov. 24 8 p.m. Bridgestone Skate America: Men’s Short (LIVE) Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA
Sat,, Nov. 25 2 p.m. Bridgestone Skate America: Pairs’ Free (LIVE) Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA
Sat,, Nov. 25 4 p.m. Bridgestone Skate America: Men’s Free (LIVE) NBC
Sat,, Nov. 25 7:30 p.m. Bridgestone Skate America: Short Dance (LIVE) Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA
Sat,, Nov. 25 9 p.m. Bridgestone Skate America: Ladies’ Short (LIVE) NBCSN
Sun,, Nov. 26 2 p.m. Bridgestone Skate America: Free Dance (LIVE) Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA
Sun,, Nov. 26 4 p.m. Bridgestone Skate America: Ladies’ Free (LIVE) NBC

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–