Eight U.S. skaters will compete in four different disciplines: ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dancing. The U.S. team hails from six different states: California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and New York.

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 Canada Grand Prix competition, U.S. skaters walked away with two medals — a silver for U.S. pairs champions Rena Inoue and John Baldwin, and a bronze for three-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir. Between the first two events, U.S. skaters have won seven medals.

LADIES
Emily Hughes will compete in China in her second Grand Prix competition this year after placing fifth at Skate America. Hughes, the U.S. bronze medalist, placed seventh at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games before coming in eighth at the 2006 World Figure Skating Championships. She placed fifth at her two Grand Prix assignments in 2005. Also heading to China is Bebe Liang. Liang  won the gold medal at the 2006 Nebelhorn Trophy and placed fifth at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She also won a bronze at the 2006 Four Continents Figure Skating Championship.

MEN
After winning a silver medal at his first Grand Prix Assignment – Skate America – Evan Lysacek heads to China with hopes of qualifying for the Grand Prix Final. The World bronze medalist, who also placed second at the U.S. Championships, won silver medals at both of his 2005 Grand Prix events, but had to withdraw from the final due to injury. Competing against him again will be U.S. teammate Scott Smith, who placed sixth at Skate America. Smith won gold at the 2005 Ondrej Nepela Memorial Trophy and placed fifth at both the 2006 U.S. Championships and 2006 Four Continents Championships.

PAIRS
Reigning World Junior champions Julia Vlassov and Drew Meekins head to China for one of their first competitions on the senior level. The 2006 U.S. junior bronze medalists won silver at the 2006 Nebelhorn Trophy and are two-time Junior Grand Prix finalists.

ICE DANCING
Representing Team USA in China will be 2006 Olympic Winter Games silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto. Belbin and Agosto, who won the first ice dancing Olympic medal for the U.S. since 1976, are three-time U.S. champions and have won bronze and silver at the 2006 and 2005 World Championships. 

TOP INTERNATIONAL COMPETITORS
Russia’s Elena Sokolova will make her first Grand Prix appearance of the year in China. She won 2005 Skate America and went on to place fifth at the Grand Prix Final. Also skating is Elene Gedevanishvili of Georgia, who finished 10th at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Canada’s Emanuel Sandhu will be a man to watch after winning the event last year. He also placed fifth at the World Championships. Belarus’s six-time national champion Sergei Davydov will also compete. This is his second Grand Prix assignment; he placed fifth at Skate America in late October.

Chinese teammates and oft-competitors Qing Pang and Jian Tong and Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao will vie for pairs gold. Pang and Tong are the reigning World champions and placed fourth at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Shen and Zhao won a bronze at the Olympics and won the 2002 and 2003 World Championships. The biggest competitors in ice dancing are Russia’s Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin, who placed fifth at the 2005 Grand Prix Final.

In addition to the Cup of China, the Grand Prix consists of the remaining events:

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