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The Chicago Jazz junior team poses with their gold medals at the 2008 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Providence, R.I. (Paul Harvath)

(03/06/2008) - Two U.S. synchronized skating teams will vie for the sport's top junior-level international prize March 6-8 at the 2008 ISU World Challenge Cup for Juniors in Rouen, France. Chicago Jazz, the 2008 U.S. junior champions, and the Colonials, the 2008 U.S. junior silver medalists, will represent the U.S. at the competition.

The short program will be Friday, March 7, with the free skate to follow Saturday, March 8.

The field consists of 18 teams from 13 countries: Australia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

U.S. TEAMS

Chicago Jazz (Chicago FSC) will make an appearance at the World Challenge Cup for the seventh year in a row. The team has finished on the podium each of the last two years, winning bronze both times. The Jazz earned a berth to this year's competition courtesy of its first-place finish at the World Junior Qualifying Competition, Jan.12-13 in Fraser, Mich. It will skate its short program to the East of Eden original soundtrack and its free skate to the original soundtrack of Rudy.

The Colonials (Colonial FSC) return to the World Challenge Cup for Juniors in hopes of improving upon last year's fifth-place finish. Their second-place finish in Fraser qualified them for this year's event. The Colonials' short program is set to a Danish version of the song "Colors of the Wind" from the Pocahontas soundtrack. They will perform their free skate to a medley of "Separate Ways" by Journey, "The Flame" by Cheap Trick and "I Want It All" by Queen.

U.S. ENTRIES AT 2008 WORLD CHALLENGE CUP FOR JUNIORS

Chicago Jazz (Chicago FSC/Chicago, Ill.)
Colonials (Colonial FSC/West Acton, Mass.)