Rec-Plex to host national ice skating contest
Ice skaters will show their stuff during the ISI Synchronized Skating Championship, which runs from April 11-13 in the new Rec-Plex South building, behind the Rec-Plex, at 5200 Mexico Road.
The ISI is a leading national ice industry trade association that helps develop skating skills.Competitors from California, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin will compete. In all, 1,115 competitors will lace up their skates and take to the ice.
The Rec-Plex will have seven teams totaling 80 skaters in the competition, including the Ice Gems, who won an ISI national title in 2007, and the Diamond Edges, the current U.S. Figure Skating Sectional Champions. The Jade Blades, Ruby Edges and Emerald Blades also represent the Rec-Plex.
This is the first year the Rec-Plex has hosted the national event, and it is the first time since 1998 that a synchronized ice skating event has been in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
The 105,000-square-foot Rec-Plex South facility was completed in 2007 as part of an $18.5 million expansion project. Rec-Plex South has two ice rinks, including an arena with seating for up to 1,200 people. The public can watch the event from 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. April 12 and 8-10:30 a.m. April 13.
"This type of sporting event is one of the reasons why we built the Rec-Plex," Mayor Len Pagano said in a city news release. "Not only does it give us great entertainment, it also provides an economic boost. Local hotels, restaurants and shops will benefit from a three-day national competition like this."
