USA Roller Sports Indoor Speed and Figure Skating National Championships Celebrate 40 Years in Lincoln

The 2002 USA Roller Sports (USARS) Indoor Speed and Figure Skating National Championships are coming to Pershing Center in Lincoln, Neb, July 21 – August 11. This year's competition marks the 20th time the National Championships will be held in Lincoln in 40 years. Over 3500 of the top roller sports athletes from all over the United States will come to Lincoln to compete for national titles and approximately 3000 spectators are expected to attend Indoor Nationals. 

The national championships for speed will be from July 21-27. The Opening Ceremony for the speed competition will start at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 21 with Junior Olympic competitions following. Standard speed will pick up on Tuesday, July 23. The top in-line speed skaters in the United States will be competing July 26 in the Pro-Elite Speed Finals. “We are going to see a lot of determination and drive at the Indoor National Championships, said Lou Marciani, USARS Executive Director. “It is exciting to have the very best athletes in Lincoln competing for the gold.”

The national championships for figure skating will be held July 27-August 11. Saturday, July 27 will kick off the figure championships with an opening ceremony starting at 8:30 p.m. The top figure skaters in the United States will be competing for national titles on August 7 in the World-Class Figure skating finals. “This is a major sporting event for Lincoln, Nebraska,” said Marciani. “Many of our athletes are on their way to making it to the highest level in roller sports. This competition will be a great experience for all ages.”

There will be outdoor festivals on Wednesday, July 24 and Wednesday, July 31 from 5-10 p.m. The festivals will feature live bands, face painting, skating demonstrations, jam skating shows and more.