U.S. FIGURE SKATING ANNOUNCES DESTINATION SOCHI

Gracie Gold

U.S. Figure Skating announced details for Destination SochiTM, a 14-month program with the mission of "promoting U.S. Figure Skating through association with the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia." The 2014 Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 7-23, 2014, in the Russian resort town.

The program will feature multiple development campaigns, several member and club initiatives, a digital presence, a series of special events and more.

"We are excited to kickoff Destination Sochi as our athletes, fans and country look forward to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games," U.S. Figure Skating Executive Director David Raith said. "We hope to increase awareness of our sport and highlight the accomplishments of our world-class athletes through this multi-faceted program."

Destination Sochi features two major development initiatives, the Family Tree Program and the $20.14 Program, which will be unveiled during the 2013 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

All proceeds from the Destination Sochi Family Tree Program will directly support the families of each figure skating Olympian, helping to make their trips to Sochi possible. For each contribution, donors will receive a digital badge to display their support of Team USA and the Family Tree program across various social media

platforms. Supporters of the Family Tree program will also receive other benefits and correspondence from figure skating Olympic hopefuls such as a Destination Sochi pin and thank-you letter.

Ashley Wagner

The Destination Sochi 2014 Program, in which donors are asked to make a monthly donation in that amount for 14 months ($281.96 total), will support all U.S. Figure Skating programs, including Team USA. Supporters of the $20.14 Program will also receive recognition and various benefits associated with their gifts.

U.S. Figure Skating will host several special events, including a SkateFest Series, throughout the year, while the organization's membership of more than 170,000 people and 700 member clubs will be encouraged to participate in various activities. National Skating Month, celebrated annually in January as a tool for clubs to welcome new skaters to their rinks, will be extended to include February in 2014.

Destination Sochi will feature a significant online presence. "What's Your Destination?", an integrated digital program, will allow fans to participate via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other platforms, sharing their own goals and associated journeys throughout the year. By using the Twitter hashtag #DestinationSochi, fans can follow the overarching Twitter-based communication campaign that will be used as the mechanism to share information.

Details associated with program's club and member initiatives will be released later this year.

For complete information or to make a gift, please visit www.destinationsochi.org.