Health & Fitness
Hundreds of visitors flock to Prince William County for national speedskating competition
More than 1,000 visitors from across the country will come to Prince William County January 25 as the Prince William Ice Center hosts a national speedskating competition.
More than 1,000 visitors from across the country will come
to Prince William County January 25 as the Prince William Ice Center hosts a
national speedskating competition.
Located in Woodbridge, the ice center was selected to host
the U.S. Junior National Short-Track Skeedskating Championship for the second
year in row because of its proximity to area airports, Olympic-sized rink and its
capacity to hold a large number of spectators, officials with the competition
said.
“We are thrilled the speedskating community wanted to return
to Prince William this year for its national event,” Discover Prince William
& Manassas Executive Director Ann Marie Maher said. “Not only are we an
easily accessible and affordable location, but we have a wealth of hotels and
venues, like the ice center, that can accommodate sporting events. “
Find out what's happening in Woodbridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The speedskating tournament is just one of the types of
sporting events Discover Prince William & Manassas hopes to bring to the
community in the future. Because sports tourism is a growing segment of the
tourism industry, Discover Prince William & Manassas has created a sports
tourism task force to better tap into the sports market. The 20-member group is
actively researching potential tournaments to bring to Prince William and
Manassas and developing a plan to market to the sports industry.
“We recognize the economic benefits competitive sports have on local business,” Maher said. “With tournaments, come hundreds of visitors eating in our restaurants, shopping in our stores, exploring our attractions and staying in our hotels.”
Find out what's happening in Woodbridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The speedskating competition will bring more than 75 skaters plus their families, officials and volunteers from across the country. During the three-day event, skaters between the ages of 13 and 19 will vie for one of eight spots at the World Junior Shortrack Championship in Poland. The competition is also a stepping stone to the Olympics, officials with the event said, and many of the skaters have already qualified for an invitation to the U.S.
Olympic trials in September.
