The United States will send 13 athletes to compete at 2019 NHK Trophy this week in Sapporo, Japan. Competition starts locally on Friday, Nov. 22 with the short programs and rhythm dance, and closes on Saturday, Nov. 23 with the free skates and free dance. Official practice will be held on Thursday, Nov. 21. The event is the final stop of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series.
The United States will send three ladies to compete in Sapporo.
Starr Andrews returns to Grand Prix ice after finishing fifth at Internationaux de France. She is joined by
Karen Chen who will also make her second Grand Prix appearance of the season, finishing eighth at 2019 Skate America presented by American Cruise Lines. Recently added to the event,
Megan Wessenberg will join the contingent in Japan. She competed at Finlandia Trophy and Lombardia Trophy earlier this year, finishing eighth and 11th, respectively.
Jason Brown leads the U.S. contingent going to Japan. The 2019 U.S. silver medalist won the silver medal at Skate America and looks to secure his spot in the Grand Prix Final with a podium finish at NHK Trophy. Reigning World Junior champion
Tomoki Hiwatashi will also compete. He finished fifth at his Grand Prix debut at Internationaux de France.
In the pairs competition,
Tarah Kayne and Danny O'Shea will make their second stop on the Grand Prix circuit. The 2019 U.S. pewter medalists finished fourth at U.S. International Figure Skating Classic in September, and most recently finished sixth at Cup of China. They will be joined by
Alexa Knierim and Chris Knierim who won silver at Nebelhorn Trophy and finished fourth at Skate Canada International.
The United States will send two ice dance teams to Sapporo.
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko look to improve on their sixth-place finish at Skate America earlier this fall. They will be joined by
Lorraine McNamara and Quinn Carpenter who will be making their season Grand Prix debut after finishing third at Nepela Trophy.
Fans can watch the entire event live, commercial-free and on-demand with the
Figure Skating Pass on NBC Sports Gold. Fan can also watch NBC's recap show on Sunday, Nov. 24 from 4-6 p.m. ET.
The Grand Prix Series, now in its 25th 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 up to two of the six scheduled events. The top six point-earners in each discipline qualify for the 2019 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, set for Dec. 5-8, in Torino, Italy.
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