| | ABC Sports Online Report
Featuring an all-American lineup, reigning U.S. and World ladies champion Michelle Kwan leads the list of names that will kick-off the 2000-2001 competitive figure skating season at the Keri Lotion Figure Skating Classic in Kennewick, Wash., Sept. 30. The event will be held in the Tri-Cities Coliseum and is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
The Keri Lotion Figure Skating Classic will feature seven teams consisting of two members each competing for the top score of the evening. The combined score of both skaters will count as the team score for the competition. The highest team score will win the competition.
Joining Kwan on team 1 will be Ryan Bradley who placed fifth at the 2000 World Junior Championships and seventh at the 2000 U.S. Championships. Bradley claimed the U.S. junior title in 1999.
| |  | | | Michelle Kwan is a three-time World champion. |
Joining forces on Team 2 are two of the hottest young competitors in the U.S. today - 2000 U.S. silver medalist Timothy Goebel and ladies bronze medalist Sarah Hughes. Goebel, 20, is the only skater to land three quadruple jumps in one performance and finished 11th in the 2000 World Championships. Hughes,15, claimed her first U.S. medal on the senior-level in 2000 and is continuing her climb up the world rankings by finishing fifth in last years World Championships.
Team 3 features champions from different generations. Five-time U.S. champion and 1996 World champion Todd Eldredge will be joined by 2000 U.S. junior ladies champion Ann Patrice McDonough. Eldredge, 29, is the elder statesman in U.S. figure skating and is returning to a full schedule of Olympic-eligible competition this season. McDonough, 15, is among the long list of youth to watch in the ladies division this season.
Reigning U.S. champion and two-time World bronze medalist Michael Weiss will partner with 2000 World Junior silver medalist Deanna Stellato on Team 4. In addition to her World Junior silver medal, Stellato, the 1999 U.S. Novice champion, captured the 2000 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final title and finished ninth in the 2000 U.S. Championships in her first year on the senior-level.
Ice dancing meets singles with the Team 5 combination of two-time U.S. champions Naomi Lang & Peter Tchernyshev and 2000 World Junior champion Jennifer Kirk. Lang & Tchernyshev earned their first top-ten finish at the 2000 World Championships, finishing eighth. Kirk, 16, is another young star on the rise with a successful season last year that included a World Junior title, silver medal at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final and a seventh place debut at the U.S. Championships.
Another combination is featured with Team 6 showcasing the talents of 2000 U.S. pairs champions Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman joined by Andrea Gardiner. Ina and Zimmerman captured their first U.S. title in last season and improved their World ranking from ninth to seventh. Gardiner, who placed fifth in the 2000 U.S. Championships, is an U.S. junior champion from 1997.
Team 7 features another matchup of youth with 2000 U.S. silver medalist Sasha Cohen and 2000 World junior bronze medalist Matt Savoie. Cohen, 15, gained national acclaim last season with her performance at the U.S. Championships. She is one of the many young stars who will challenge in the ladies division this season. Savoie, 20, enjoyed a successful season in 2000, with medal performances at the World Junior Championships and Nations Cup and a fourth place finish at the U.S. Championships.
Performing special exhibition performances will be 1994 Olympic champion Oksana Baiul of Ukraine and 1994 Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan.
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