Sixteen U.S. skaters will compete in four different disciplines: ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dancing. The U.S. team hails from eight different states: California, Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

The Grand Prix Series, now in its 12th season, consists of six international events in a cumulative point-scoring format. Approximately 300 athletes from 29 countries are expected to participate in the series. Each athlete is eligible to score points in two of the six scheduled events. The top six point-earners in each of the disciplines then qualify for the Grand Prix Final in St. Petersburg, Russia, Dec. 14-17. Athletes will be vying for a total of more than $1.35 million in prize money throughout the series.   

At last week’s Skate America, Team USA gave a strong showing, taking home five medals, including a gold for the U.S. pairs champion team of Rena Inoue and John Baldwin. World champion Kimmie Meissner, World bronze medalist Evan Lysacek and U.S. ice dancing silver medalists Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov won silver medals at the event, and newcomers Naomi Nari Nam and Themi Leftheris won bronze in pairs.

LADIES
Returning to Skate Canada for the second year in a row is Alissa Czisny, who won gold there in 2005. She also won the silver medal at the 2005 Smart Ones Skate America, qualifying her for the 2005 Grand Prix Final, where she finished sixth. Czisny placed seventh at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships as a senior before placing sixth at the 2006 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Joining her in Canada is Katy Taylor. Skate Canada will be the second assignment for the 2006 Four Continents champion, who placed 11th at last week’s Skate America. She placed fourth as a senior at the 2006 U.S. Championships and fourth at the 2005 Junior Grand Prix (JGP) Final.

MEN
Three-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir is back for his third year in the Grand Prix series. Weir, who placed fifth at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, won a bronze medal at his Grand Prix assignment in Russia last year. He also placed seventh at the 2006 World Championships. Skate Canada marks the first time Geoffry Varner will compete as a senior. He placed ninth at the 2006 World Junior Championships after winning the bronze as a junior at the 2006 U.S. Championships. Varner took home the bronze medal from the 2005 JGP Final.

PAIRS
Rena Inoue and John Baldwin hope to keep things rolling at Skate Canada after a victory at last week’s Skate America. This event counts as their third Grand Prix assignment, meaning they are not eligible to earn points toward qualifying for the Grand Prix Final this week. The 2006 U.S. champions went to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, where they placed seventh, and the 2006 World Championships, where they finished fourth. After competing with Inoue and Baldwin at Skate America, Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent will join them again at Skate Canada. The pair placed sixth at both 2006 Skate America and the 2006 U.S. Championships. Vise and Trent also took home bronze at the 2005 Karl Schaefer Memorial Cup. Though they began competing as a team in 2005, Kendra Moyle and Andy Seitz became the pair to beat on the junior circuit last season, winning the 2006 U.S. junior championship and placing second at the 2006 World Junior Championships. They are also currently competing in the 2006 JGP series, where they earned a spot in the JGP Final after winning in Norway and earning silver in the Czech Republic.

ICE DANCING
Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre enter their second assignment in the 2006 Grand Prix Series after a sixth-place finish at last week’s Skate America. The duo, which placed fifth at the 2006 U.S. Championships, won its first international medal – a bronze – at the 2006 Karl Schaefer Memorial. Meryl Davis and Charlie White, the 2006 U.S. junior champions and 2006 World Junior Championships bronze medalists, are competing for their first time in the Grand Prix. The two spent four years competing in the JGP Series and medaled in every one of their JGP events in 2004 and 2005, including a silver medal at the 2005 JGP Final. Joining them in Canada are Trina Pratt and Todd Gilles, who are making their debut Grand Prix series. Pratt and Gilles finished eighth at the 2006 U.S. Championships before taking sixth at the 2006 World Junior Championships. They were also the 2005 U.S. junior champions, and placed eighth at the 2005 World Junior Championships. 

TOP INTERNATIONAL COMPETITORS
Other top ladies to watch in Canada include Fumie Suguri of Japan, the 2006 World Championships silver medalist and 2006 Olympic Winter Games fourth-place finisher. South Korea’s Yu-Na Kim, who upset Japan’s Mao Asada for the 2005 World Junior title, will also be there, as will Canada’s Joannie Rochette, the bronze medalist at the 2005 Grand Prix Final. In men’s, Swiss World champion and Olympic silver medalist Stéphane Lambiel will compete, as will Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi, who won the gold at 2005 Skate America and finished third at the 2005 Grand Prix Final.

2006 Olympic pairs silver medalists Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang of China head to Canada with a second-place finish at both the 2006 World Championships and the 2005 Grand Prix Final to their credit. Three-time Canadian national champions Valerie Marcoux and Craig Buntin will compete as well, after placing fifth at the 2006 World Championships. In ice dancing, Canada’s Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon are favorites, after taking a silver medal home from the 2006 World Championships. The duo placed third at the 2005 Grand Prix Final after winning their two qualifiers, Skate Canada and the NHK Trophy.

In addition to Skate Canada, the Grand Prix consists of the remaining events:

Cup of China: Nanjing, China – Nov 9-12
Trophée Eric Bompard Cachemire: Paris, France – Nov. 16-19
Cup of Russia: Moscow, Russia – Nov. 23-26
NHK Trophy: Nagano, Japan – Nov. 30-Dec. 3
GP Final: St. Petersburg, Russia – Dec. 14-17