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| | Friday, January 5 Kwan headlines list of participants | |||||
| ABC Sports Online news services The 2001 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships will be held in Boston, Mass., from January 14-21. The event will attract over 160 competitors from across the U.S. for eight days of exciting competition and produce an economic impact of $15 million in the Boston area. The FleetCenter will serve as the primary competition venue, with Novice events being conducted at Northeastern University's Matthews Arena and practice sessions at the Skating Club of Boston. The U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held annually since 1914, is the nation's most prestigious figure skating event. The competition crowns a total of 12 "National Champions" in ladies' and men's singles, pairs and ice dancing in each of the Championship, Junior and Novice divisions. Four-time U.S. ladies champion Michelle Kwan will once again headline the list of competitors as she defends her 2000 U.S. title. Kwan, a three-time World champion and Olympic silver medalist, is making her ninth appearance in the U.S. Championships. In the men's competition, two-time U.S. champion Michael Weiss will receive strong challenges from Chatham, Mass., native and five-time U.S. champion Todd Eldredge and 2000 U.S. silver medalist Timothy Goebel. Athletes qualified for the 2001 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships through Regional and Sectional qualifying competitions that were conducted in October and November. A complete list of qualifiers is available by clicking here. Returning for the first time since 1962 and the sixth time in the event's 82-year history, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships holds deep ties to the city of Boston. In addition to hosting the Championships, Boston has a long and illustrious involvement in the development and history of figure skating in the U.S. Over the past century, Boston skating clubs have produced numerous U.S. champions and the city served as home to the USFSA headquarters from 1921-79. | ALSO SEE U.S. Nationals participants Gannon: Youth are on the rise Carruthers: Russian rivalries Kwan: A champion's journey | |||||