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NBC'S
STAR-STUDDED FIGURE SKATING
SCHEDULE GETS UNDERWAY SUNDAY
Published: November 25, 2002
Primetime Special Dec. 22 Starring Olympic Gold Medalist Sarah Hughes Highlights NBC’s 10 Event Slate
International
Singing Sensation Charlotte Church Headlines
Christmas Day Skating Spectacular
NEW YORK -- November 25, 2002 -- NBC will present 10 star-studded figure skating shows in December and January - beginning with “Smucker’s Presents Kurt Browning’s Gotta Skate” Sunday, Dec. 1 at 4 p.m. ET. Included will be two primetime shows. NBC Entertainment will air a one-hour primetime special starring 2002 Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. ET. NBC Sports will present the Hallmark Skaters’ Championship, NBC’s lone competitive event, in primetime on Saturday, Dec.14 from 8-10 p.m. ET.
NBC Sports’ skating shows will include shows headlined by Olympic champions Katarina Witt, Scott Hamilton and Kristi Yamaguchi, as well as four-time world champion Kurt Browning. Reigning Olympic pairs champions Jamie Sale and David Pelletier; and Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze; and 2002 men’s Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion Alexei Yagudin will appear in a number of the shows. Also scheduled to appear are Nancy Kerrigan, Rosalynn Sumners and Todd Eldredge. Below is a complete list of the figure skating specials in chronological order.
Smucker’s
Presents Kurt Browning’s Gotta Skate
Air Date: Sunday, December 1, 2002 (4- 6 p.m. ET)
Location: Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario
Commentators: Kurt Browning and Rosalynn Sumners
The show will feature four-time world champion and Canadian national champion, Kurt Browning, as well as four-time world champion and 1984 Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton, two-time Olympic silver medalist (1984, 1988) and 1987 world champion Brian Orser, and 2002 Olympic pairs gold medalists Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze.
Hallmark
Skaters’ Championship
Air Date: Saturday, December 14, 8-10 p.m. ET live (Part 1), Sunday, December
15, 4-6 p.m. ET (Part 2)
Location: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Hammond, Sandra Bezic, Andrea Joyce
The lone competitive event on NBC’s schedule will include 2002 Olympic gold medalists Alexei Yagudin, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier; and Sarah Hughes. Also featured in the show will be 1996 world champion and six-time U.S. national champion Todd Eldredge, three-time U.S. pairs national champions Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman, 1994 world champion Yuka Sato and 1995 U.S. national champion Nicole Bobek.
Scott Hamilton
and Friends Presented by VIOXX
Air Date: Saturday, December 14, 2002 (4 - 6 p.m. ET)
Location: First Union Center, Philadelphia
Commentator: Scott Hamilton
This show will star 1984 Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion Scott Hamilton, along with four-time world champion Kurt Browning and 1996 world champion Todd Eldredge. Also skating in the show are eight-time British national champion Steven Cousins, 1994 world champion Yuka Sato, Swiss champion and spinning sensation Lucinda Ruh and three-time U.S. national pairs champions Jenni Meno and Todd Sand. The entire show is enhanced by the in-arena music of Jack Mack and the Heart Attack and vocal performances by Broadway veterans Susan Anton and Gary Morris.
Ray Charles
Tribute on Ice Presented by McCormick
Air Date: Saturday, December 21, 2002 (4 - 6 p.m. ET)
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles
Commentator: Dan Hicks
This show features the music of 12-time Grammy Award winner Ray Charles and the skating of Olympic champions Brian Boitano (1988) and Jamie Sale and David Pelletier (2002); as well as two-time Olympic silver medalist (1984, 1988) and 1987 world champion Brian Orser, 1983 world champion and 1984 Olympic silver medalist Rosalynn Sumners, and eight-time British national champion Steven Cousins. Charles will perform four times throughout the show, which will provide an unforgettable afternoon full of athleticism and artistry.
Kristi
Yamaguchi’s Salute to Gold
Air Date: Sunday, December 22, 2002 (4- 6 p.m. ET)
Location: TECO Arena, Ft. Myers, Fla.
Commentator: Kurt Browning
This show will be a tribute to the Olympics starring 1992 Olympic gold medalist
Kristi Yamaguchi and 2002 Olympic gold medalists Alexei Yagudin; Jamie Sale and
David Pelletier; and Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze. The 1996 World
Champion and six-time U.S. national champion Todd Eldredge will also appear.
Sarah Hughes: A
Life in Balance
Air Date: Sunday, December 22, 2002 7-8 p.m. ET
NBC showcases Olympic gold medal ice-skating champion Sarah Hughes in her first television special since she shocked the world last February with her victory in Salt Lake City. This hour-long event will feature new, exclusive ice-skating performances as well as private family moments as the 17-year-old tries to balance newfound fame with life as a normal American teen. Vignettes will show Hughes with her Long Island family as she prepares to go off to college and includes a teaser recounting her spectacular victory -- and how her relatives reacted as they watched history being made as she vaulted from fourth to first to claim the gold medal.
Capital One
Holiday Celebration on Ice Starring Charlotte Church
Air Date: Christmas Day - December 25, 2002 (4 - 6 p.m. ET)
Location: BI-LO Center in Greenville, S.C.
Commentator: Al Trautwig
This show features 1992 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion (1991-92) Kristi Yamaguchi, 2002 Olympic gold medalist Alexei Yagudin, 1998 Olympic gold medalist Ilia Kulik, two-time Olympic pairs gold medalist (1988, ‘94) Ekatarina Gordeeva (with husband Sergei Grinkov), 1996 world champion and six-time U.S. national champion Todd Eldredge, 1995 national champion Nicole Bobek, 1984 Olympic silver medalist and 1983 world champion Rosalynn Sumners, three-time national champion pairs teams Jenni Meno and Todd Sand; and Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman are all scheduled to appear. International teen singing sensation Charlotte Church will be the star guest performer in the show.
Brian Boitano’s
Skating Spectacular
Air Date: New Year’s Day - January 1, 2003 (4- 6 p.m. ET)
Location: Mandalay Bay Casino and Hotel, Las Vegas, N.V.
Commentator: Dan Hicks
This show stars 1988 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion (1986, 1988) Brian Boitano, 1992 Olympic gold medalist, two-time world champion Kristi Yamaguchi (1991-92), two-time Olympic medalist (1992,’94) Nancy Kerrigan and eight-time British national champion Steven Cousins. Pop-star Jessica Simpson is the featured guest performer and 2002 Olympic gold medal winning speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno will be a special guest star.
Katarina Witt’s
Divas on Ice Presented by Alberto VO5
Airdate: Saturday, January 4, 2003 (4 - 6 p.m. ET)
Location: Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, N. J.
Commentator: Dan Hicks
This show
features two-time Olympic Gold medalist (1984, 1988) and four-time world
champion Katarina Witt. Joining Witt in the Divas on Ice show will be 1992
Olympic gold medalist and two time world champion Kristi Yamaguchi (1991-92),
two time Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan (1992, 1994), 1983 world champion and
1984 Olympic silver medalist Rosalynn Sumners, 1994 world champion Yuka Sato and
Swiss champion and spinning sensation Lucinda Ruh. The show also features
celebrity female singers including Gloria Gaynor, Miami Sound Machine and
Cassandra Wilson in a show that pays tribute to female divas.
Smucker’s Stars on Ice
NBC Air Date: Sunday, January 5, 2003 (4:30 - 6 p.m. ET)
Location: Olympic Center, Lake Placid, N.Y.
This annual preview of America’s premier figure skating tour will be highlighted by a special guest star appearance of Stars on Ice co-founder, co-producer and 15-year co-headliner, Olympic Champion and skating icon Scott Hamilton. Making their Smucker’s Stars on Ice debuts will be 2002 Olympic champion and four-time world champion Alexei Yagudin, 2002 Olympic pairs champions Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia and 2002 Olympic pairs champions Jamie Sale and David Pelletier of Canada. Returning to the show will be two time Olympic champion Katarina Witt (1984, 1988), four-time world champion Kurt Browning, 1996 world champion and six-time U.S. national champion Todd Eldredge, and three-time U.S. national pair champions Jenni Meno and Todd Sand. Also making their debuts with the show are three-time U.S. national pairs champions and world bronze medalists Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman. Also returning to the show are two time U.S. national dance champions Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur.
