NBC Airs 7 Hours of US Figure Skating Championships This Weekend

Throughout the weekend, NBC Sports will have live coverage of the U.S. Figure Skating Championship from HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. The main event will be the Ladies Free Skate on Saturday night. NBC will have it live at 9 p.m. ET.

Other coverage will be live including the Free Dance on Saturday afternoon and the Men’s Free Skate on Sunday.

Tom Hammond, Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic, Tracy Wilson and Andrea Joyce form the NBC Sports figure skating team. They’ll be on hand for the call of the events.

Universal Sports will also have reairs of NBC’s coverage. Here’s the NBC Sports Group press release.

NBC SPORTS PRESENTS 7 HOURS OF LIVE COVERAGE OF THE 2012 U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

“Competing here it is an incredible opportunity to secure your place in history.” – NBC’s Hamilton
“There should be a lot of fireworks in the men’s event.” – NBC’s Hamilton
“USA dance has never been stronger ever in its history than it is now.” – NBC’s Hamilton

NEW YORK – January 26, 2012 – NBC Sports presents seven hours of live coverage of the 2012 U.S. Figure Skating Championships this Saturday (4-6 p.m., ET and 9-11 p.m., ET) and Sunday (3-6 p.m., ET) from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Several members of the 2011 U.S. World Team are set to compete, including reigning U.S. champion Alissa Czisny (Ladies). Richard Dornbush (Men’s) and Ross Miner (Men’s), the current U.S. silver and bronze medalists, respectively, will also compete. Defending pairs champion John Coughlin takes the ice with new partner Caydee Denney. He won last year’s event with former partner Caitlin Yankowskas, while Denney is an Olympian with previous partner Jeremy Barrett. And reigning World champions and 2010 Olympic silver medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White look for their fourth straight National Championship.

NBC will air seven hours of live coverage, including the senior-level competition in the ladies singles, men’s singles and pairs free skate, with two hours in primetime this Saturday. Additionally, the network will air the two-hour Smuckers Skating Spectacular, an exhibition of champions, on Saturday, Feb. 4.

NBC’s Olympic figure skating broadcast team of Tom Hammond (play-by-play), Scott Hamilton (analyst), Sandra Bezic (analyst), Tracy Wilson (analyst) and Andrea Joyce (reporter) will call the action from the HP Pavilion.

COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS:

  • Saturday, 4-6 p.m. ET – Ladies Short (Tape), Free Dance (Live)
  • Saturday, 9-11 p.m. ET – Ladies Free (Live)
  • Sunday, 3-6 p.m. ET – Pairs Free (Live), Men’s Free (Live)
  • Saturday, Feb. 4, 2-4 p.m. ET – Skating Spectacular – U.S. Figure Skating Exhibition

COVERAGE ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS (RE-AIRS OF NBC’S PROGRAMS)

  • Saturday, 7-9 p.m. ET – Ladies Short and Free Dance
  • Saturday, 11 p.m. – 1 a.m. ET – Ladies Free
  • Monday, 8 -11 p.m. ET – Men’s Free and Pairs Free

HAMILTON ON WINNING THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: “For any kid skating in the U.S. it is a big deal, a huge deal, for whatever level. Being a national champion is being a champion of your country it is a gigantic honor and accomplishment. For a lot of the skaters, competing here it is an incredible opportunity to secure your place in history.”

HAMILTON ON THE COMPETITION
LADIES: “It seems like the ladies championship is always in transition with different skaters rising to the top. Alissa Czisny has established herself as the woman to beat. It will be interesting to see if she will be able to put her injury at the Grand Prix Final in December, behind her.”

MEN: “Jeremy Abbott had a really rough competition last year, coming in 4th overall, but I think he is the skater to beat this year. There should be a lot of fireworks in the men’s event.”

PAIRS: “There is an interesting story in the pairs competition. Previous champions have retired and their partners have remained. Caydee Denney and John Coughlin are an exciting pair to see, a new pair together, but they are both veterans and U.S. champions with previous partners.”

DANCE: “World champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White are amazing. USA dance has never been stronger ever in its history than it is now.”

That will do it.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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