Going for gold

RI to host 2020 Synchronized Skating Championships

By ALEX SPONSELLER
Posted 12/13/18

Rhode Island was recently named the host site for the 2020 US Synchronized Skating Championships. This competition will mark the first time since 2015 and the third time overall that the Ocean State has hosted this event, and is estimated to bring in

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Going for gold

RI to host 2020 Synchronized Skating Championships

Posted

Rhode Island was recently named the host site for the 2020 US Synchronized Skating Championships. This competition will mark the first time since 2015 and the third time overall that the Ocean State has hosted this event, and is estimated to bring in 3,000 athletes and their families, and a direct spend impact of 2.8 million dollars in the process.

The championships will be held from Feb. 25 through March 1, 2020. The championships will take place at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence while Warwick’s Thayer and Warburton Arenas will serve as the primary practice facilities for the skaters. With a projected 3,000 families set to make the trip, Warwick and Providence also expect to consume close to 5,000 hotel room nights.

Warwick Mayor Joseph Solomon, along with RI Sports Commission Executive Director John Gibbons and Warwick Figure Skaters President Jack McGinn made the announcement at Thayer Arena on Monday afternoon.

“The community is proud of the city of Warwick for hosting the practice sessions for this event. Warwick looks forward to welcoming the hundreds of talented skaters who will be using our facility through the duration of the competition. The championship will allow us to showcase the exceptional athletic ability of every team member. It also gives the state the opportunity to introduce to Rhode Island more than 3,000 athletes and their families that will be arriving here that week,” said Solomon. “We have a lot to be proud of in the city of Warwick. We’re eager to show our out of town guests what makes Warwick so unique. This is also a tremendous boon for the local economy with an estimated 2.8 million dollars of a direct impact to the state in this competition, between hotel rooms, restaurants and other expenditures.”

The Warwick Figure Skaters will be the host club for the event, and McGinn was proud of the hard work that the club put in to secure its right to host this national event.

“We’re incredibly proud to be chosen by the United States Figure Skating Association to be the host club for this event. Back in April, we put a committee together of just a few people to explore the possibility of bringing this competition back to Rhode Island. It was through a lot of hard work from this committee that we were able to put this bid together … it took 40 hours’ worth of work just to put the bid together,” said McGinn. “I was notified later on (last) summer that we were the likely winner of this competition. (The decision) was a great boon for our club and the state of Rhode Island.”

Gibbons looks forward to seeing the state of Rhode Island once again welcome this event, and feels that it will be a great opportunity for the local community to benefit during one of the slower times of the year.

“When you can hold an event in February, it’s not exactly primetime in New England. When we can get national events like that, it really does create an impact on our bottom line of tourism,” said Gibbons.

The Warwick Figure Skaters will now set their sites on 2020, and will get to work to master their routines. Solomon looks forward to cheering them on and expects a great showing from some of RI’s best skaters.

“One of my priorities is to expand on our recreation program for the residents of the city of Warwick. The Warwick figure skaters are a great example of how successful these programs are for our youth,” said Solomon. “We are very proud of Warwick’s figure skaters and admire the value of hard work and dedication and sportsmanship. I know that they will continue to make our state proud.”

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