05/30/2024
We are excited to officially announce that the 2025 Midwestern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships are Coming to Kalamazoo!!!
U.S. Figure Skating has selected Kalamazoo, Michigan, as the site for the 2025 Midwestern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships. The event will be held Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, 2025, at Wings Event Center. Hosted by the Greater Kalamazoo Skating Association (GKSA), the event will showcase teams from throughout the Midwest and Plains states in a spectacular display of beauty and elegance on ice.
“Our club is honored to have once again been selected to host this premiere synchronized skating event for the Midwest. We will have the opportunity to showcase the greater
Kalamazoo area to skaters, coaches, officials and families from all over the country,” said Susan E. Reed, president of the Greater Kalamazoo Skating Association. “This type of event not only supports our local club, but it also provides additional revenue for businesses in the community.”
U.S. Figure Skating holds three sectional championships for synchronized skating each year –Eastern, Midwestern and Pacific Coast. These competitions are the final qualifiers for the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. In recent years, the Midwestern Sectional Championships have hosted more than 130 teams and approximately 2,500 athletes, coaches, team managers and fans per competition.
The Greater Kalamazoo Skating Association and Wings Event Center successfully hosted the
Midwestern and Pacific Coast Synchronized Sectional Championships in 2013, 2019 and 2022, as well as the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in 2016. With each of these events, the Kalamazoo area received a big financial boost. In 2019, the economic impact of the event to the greater Kalamazoo area was $3,307,633 in total direct visitor spending. In 2022, the competition saw an economic impact of $3,542,492. The 2025 Sectionals are expected to bring roughly $2.79 million in visitor spending despite the Pacific Coast section being hosted separately.
“We are honored that U.S. Figure Skating has once again selected Kalamazoo and Wings Event Center as the site of one of its most prestigious championships,” said Brian Persky, director of business development at Discover Kalamazoo. “The Greater Kalamazoo Skating Association has a long-time proven track record of delivering top-tier events and experiences for skating clubs, event officials and spectators alike, and we look forward to supporting them in the preparations and hosting of this event in 2025.”
Synchronized skating consists of teams of eight to 20 skaters, flowing as one unit at high speeds over the ice. Spectators will be able to watch skaters in up to 18 divisions ranging from juvenile (13 and younger) to masters (25+). The Greater Kalamazoo Skating Association hosts a number of local events including the annual Kick Off Classic, which features up to 130 participating teams at Wings Event Center every fall.
More information, including how to become a part of the local organizing committee, will be added soon to GKSA website at skatekalamazoo.org. To learn more about synchronized skating, visit the U.S. Figure Skating website at usfigureskating.org.
