The event, from 1-3 p.m. EST at Agganis Arena at Boston University, will allow fans in the arena and at home to vote for their favorite performances by using in-arena voting keypads, calling 1-900 numbers or logging on to the Internet. The first round will consist of athletes on the West Coast facing off against one another, and athletes from the East Coast doing likewise, and those with the top two performances in each meeting in the final round.

Scheduled to compete are four ladies, two men, one pairs team and one ice dancing team; nine of the 10 competitors were members of the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team.

ABC/ESPN broadcasters Terry Gannon and Susie Wynne will host the event while Kurt Browning conducts on-ice interviews with skaters. A panel of expert judges – Dick Button, Peggy Fleming and Peter Carruthers – will offer their opinions, but fans in the arena and at home will vote to decide the winners. During the broadcast fans will be directed to www.usfigureskating.org and given 1-900 phone numbers specific to each athlete in order to place their votes. Each call costs $0.75 and the 1-900 numbers are accessible from landline telephones only.

Also performing at the event are the 15-time U.S. Synchronized Team Skating champion Haydenettes. The team, which trains out of Lexington, Mass., has won eight international medals and placed as high as fourth at the World Synchronized Team Skating Championships. The team will perform its free skate to “Atlantis” following the completion of the television broadcast. 

Tickets for the Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating Challenge are now on sale. They can be purchased at the Agganis Arena at Boston University Ticket Office located at 925 Commonwealth Ave. (Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.), at www.agganisarena.com, by calling Ticketmaster at (617) 931-2000, or at www.ticketmaster.com. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by calling (617) 353-4628.