the 2018 Winter Olympics

You Can Skate With the Olympic Stars Before They Head to PyeongChang

Three skaters set to compete at the Winter Olympics are part of a Southern California send-off in Lakewood

Fans will have a chance to skate Wednesday with three skaters set to compete at next month's Winter Olympics and 2014 Olympic bronze medalist Ashley Wagner at a sendoff for them at The Rinks Lakewood Ice.

U.S. figure skaters Nathan Chen and Adam Rippon and Michal Brezina of the Czech Republic, U.S. alternate Mariah Bell and French alternative Romain Ponsart will skate from 4 p.m to 4:15 p.m., then sign autographs on the ice from 4:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. A free skating lesson, games and exhibitions by local skating teams will follow from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The event is free to the public and includes a skate rental if needed. Click here for details and RSVPs.

The skaters train at the Lakewood facility under Rafael Arutyunyan, along with his team, wife Vera Arutyunyan and Nadia Kanaeva, who have held a coaching residency there since the summer of 2016.

Arutyunyan and his team were selected as U.S. Figure Skating/PSA Coaches of the Year by the Professional Skaters Association in 2015 and 2016. Arutyunyan is known for his success in teaching jump technique, using a skater's height and distance to determine proper take-off velocity as it relates to timing, angle direction, and position. 

Watch the 2018 Winter Olympics, starting Feb. 8 on NBC4.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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