Providence, RI - The precision and pageantry of synchronized skating will be on full display in Providence when the area hosts the 2015 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. The event is projected to draw 100 teams from across the United States.
"We expect the championships will bring more than 3,000 athletes, their families, coaches, officials and fans to Rhode Island," said John Gibbons, executive director of the Rhode Island Sports Commission (RISC). "They will be staying 15 hotels in Providence, Warwick and Lincoln and are expected to consume more than 4,800 hotel room nights while they are here. This event will provide a significant economic boost at a time of year that local hotels typically have lower occupancy rates."
The event, to be held February 25-28, 2015, will take place primarily at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, with Warwick's Thayer Arena also being used for some competition. The Warwick Figure Skaters, nationally-recognized within the sport, will serve as host club. Club stalwart Don McKenzie, the Warwick-based ice technician for U.S. Figure Skating, was instrumental in assembling RISC's bid to host the event.
The U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships were last held in the area in 2008. Warwick also hosted the New England Figure Skating Championships this past fall.
"Sporting events are a powerful revenue generator for Rhode Island, particularly when they involve young athletes who often travel with their families," said James Bennett, chairman of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, which operates both the Dunkin' Donuts Center and the Rhode Island Convention Center. "Hockey tournaments, cheerleading competitions, skating events, all drive visitors into the Dunk and the Center and then out in to our hotels, restaurants, shops and area attractions."