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The Skating Club of North Carolina is pleased to announce the appointment of Shantel Jordan (14) and Steven Elefante (19) to the 2007 Junior Grand Prix event being held in Tallin, Estonia, September 20-23, 2007. If the pair team scores well, they will then qualify for another International event in October.

The Junior Grand Prix (JPG) is a series of 8 international figure skating events held in the early fall every year. Competitors accumulate points based on placement. If placing within the top three or four, another Junior Grand Prix event is assigned. After all 8 competitions have completed, the top 8 skaters or teams in each discipline (Ladies, Men, Pairs, Dance) with the most points qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final being held this December in Gdansk, Poland.

Shantel and Steven started training together under the direction of Elena Betchke and Mirko Mueller-Goolsbey in July of 2006. They qualified for the 2007 US National Championships after only 6 months of training together and placed 15th in Senior Pairs.

“Prior to skating with Shantel, I had no pairs experience,” Steven relates. “Nationals was my first real competition as a pair skater. We get along very well and we have fun working together everyday on the ice.”

Their primary coach, Elena Betchke, who has won Olympic, World, and numerous professional titles, comments on the positive experience this appointment will give both Shantel and Steven and all local area skaters.

The Skating Club of NC, Inc. is a non-profit member club of the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) whose mission is to promote participation in the sport of amateur figure skating by providing opportunities to participate in skating events and to demonstrate personal skill development through USFSA test and competition structures in an environment of support and good sportsmanship.