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Thirteen U.S. Athletes to Compete at 2011 NHK Trophy this Week

icenetwork.com 2011 NHK Trophy event page
NHK Trophy competition notes (PDF)

Ashley Wagner performs her free skate at 2011 Skate Canada (photo by Getty Images/Geoff Robins)

(11/8/11) - Thirteen U.S. athletes will compete at 2011 NHK Trophy, the fourth event of the 2011 International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series.

Competition begins Friday with the short dance and pairs and ladies short programs.

NBC Sports will broadcast the ladies and men's free skates from NHK Trophy on Sunday, Nov. 13 from 2-4 p.m. (ET) with additional broadcast coverage on Universal Sports. Coverage of the event will also be available to UniversalSports.com subscribers. Visit www.UniversalSports.com for more information. For full coverage, including news, photos and results, visit www.icenetwork.com. Live and on-demand video coverage of NHK Trophy will be available to icenetwork.com Season Pass subscribers.

Ashley Wagner continues her season after winning bronze at Skate Canada two weeks ago. She is joined by Agnes Zawadzki, the 2011 World Junior bronze medalist. In her Grand Prix Series debut a year ago, she finished sixth at Skate Canada and fourth at Rostelecom Cup.

Armin Mahbanoozadeh and Ross Miner continue their seasons after already competing at 2011 Hilton HHonors Skate America and Skate Canada, respectively, to open the year. Brandon Mroz was recently credited by the ISU with executing the first ever quadruple Lutz in a sanctioned competition. He accomplished the feat Sept. 16, 2011, at the Colorado Springs Invitational. Mroz won a pair of medals in two Grand Prix assignments last year (silver at Cup of China; bronze at Trophee Bompard).

Marissa Castelli & Simon Shnapir finished fourth at Ondrej Nepela Memorial to open the season. The duo, who placed fifth at the most recent U.S. Championships, begin their third season on the Grand Prix. Caydee Denney & John Coughlin look to improve on a fourth-place showing at Skate America.

Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani began their season by earning the silver medal last week at Cup of China. Lynn Kriengkrairut & Logan Giulietti-Schmitt also competed last week, winning 2011 Ice Challenge in Graz, Austria.

The Grand Prix Series, now in its 17th season, consists of six international events in a cumulative point-scoring format. Approximately 300 athletes from 30 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 discipline qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Quebec City, Canada, Dec. 8-11. Athletes will compete for a total of more than $1.35 million in prize money throughout the series.