ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series 2011/12
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series 2011/2012 will see the World’s top skaters competing in the six Grand Prix events for the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and for a prize money of US $ 180,000 per individual event of the Grand Prix series.
Skaters from 18 ISU Members have been invited. The number of entries for each event has been reduced to ten Ladies, ten Men, eight Pairs and eight Ice Dance couples. The top six qualifiers in each discipline will proceed to the Final in Quebec City (CAN), December 8 to 11, 2011.
The skaters are seeded and invited to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating based on the results of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2011. Skaters/couples who have placed 1 to 6 in each of the four categories are considered to be seeded and are assigned to two events. They also have the opportunity to compete in a third event, where they will be eligible to win prize money and earn a bonus of US $ 10,000. The skater/couple’s best two out of three events will collect points towards the qualification for the Grand Prix Final. Skaters/couples who have placed 7-12 at the ISU World Championships 2011 are selected for two ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events, and skaters with a high seasons best score as well as those placed in the top of the World Standings can also be invited. This season, in order for a skater/couple to be eligible to compete at a Grand Prix event, a minimum score must be achieved. Detailed information on the minimum score will be published in the Grand Prix general announcement in mid July.
The prize money is awarded to winners and placed skaters/couples as follows:
1st place US $ 18,000
2nd place US $ 13,000
3rd place US $ 9,000
4th place US $ 3,000
5th place US $ 2,000
The points are awarded as follows:
1st place 15 points
2nd place 13 points
3rd place 11 points
4th place 9 points
5th place 7 points
6th place 5 points
7th place 4 points
8th place 3 points
Pairs and Ice Dancers collect points up to 6th place. The global prize money for the Grand Prix Final is US $ 272,000.
The Grand Prix series 2011/2012 will feature Olympic Ice Dance Champions Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir (CAN), Olympic Champion Evan Lysacek (USA), reigning World Champions Patrick Chan (CAN), Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy (GER) and Meryl Davis/Charlie White (USA), as well as European Champions, former World Champions, current and former World medalists.
The series kicks off with Skate America in Ontario (USA), October 21 to 23. The event features current World Pairs Champions Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy (GER), 2006 Olympic silver medalists Dan Zhang/Hao Zhang (CHN), Olympic Champion Evan Lysacek (USA), European Champion Florent Amodio (FRA), World silver medalist Takahiko Kozuka (JPN), World bronze medalist Carolina Kostner (ITA), Grand Prix Final Champion Alissa Czisny (USA), 2010 World bronze medalist Laura Lepistö (FIN), World Ice Dance Champions Meryl Davis/Charlie White (USA), European Ice Dance Champions Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat (FRA) and World Junior Champions Ksenia Monko/Kirill Khaliavin (RUS).
At Skate Canada in Mississauga (CAN), October 28 to 30, World Champion Patrick Chan and Olympic Ice Dance Champions Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir (CAN) will give their season’s debut. Other competitors include Pechalat/Bourzat, 2010 World Champion Daisuke Takahashi (JPN), World Junior silver medalist Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (RUS), Akiko Suzuki (JPN) and World Pairs silver medalists Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov (RUS).
The Cup of China is the third event and will be held for the first time in Shanghai November 4 to 6. The event is headlined by World Ice Dance bronze medalists Maia and Alex Shibutani (USA), European silver medalists Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev, World bronze medalist Artur Gachinski (RUS), 2007 World Champion Brian Joubert (FRA), Jeremy Abbott (USA), Carolina Kostner, World Junior Champion Adelina Sotnikova (RUS), 2010 Olympic silver medalists Qing Pang/Jian Tong (CHN), two-time World bronze medalists Yuko Kavaguti/ Alexander Smirnov (RUS).
The series then continues with the NHK Trophy in Sapporo (JPN), November 11 to 13. The competition is highlighted by 2010 World Champion Mao Asada (JPN), Takahashi, Kozuka, Savchenko/Szolkowy, Pang/Tong, Maia and Alex Shibutani, Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov (RUS).
Next stop is the Trophée Bompard in Paris (FRA), November 18 to 20. Chan will meet Lysacek, 2007 World Champion Brian Joubert (FRA) and European Champion Florent Amodio (FRA). Virtue/Moir are up against Pechalat/Bourzat. Kostner competes against Czisny, Tuktamysheva and Lepistö. Volosozhar/Trankov lead the Pairs.
The last spots for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final then will be decided in Moscow at the Cup of Russia, November 25 to 27. Top contenders include Davis/White, Bobrova/Soloviev, Gachinski, Tomas Verner (CZE), Abbott, Asada, Sotnikova, Alena Leonova (RUS), Savchenko/ Szolkowy and Kavaguti/Smirnov.
For full entry lists of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2011/12 please click here
