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Presented by Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes (TMi), Skate Nation is a new fast-paced 11-part series for C³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, which begins this summer.

This is the competition for roller skaters and inline skaters who will need to have amazing levels of agility, fitness and talent to be in with a chance of winning.

Sam says: "Skate Nation is going to be a great, action-packed show. It'll be fun to see the contestants show off their skills and the competition element adds an exciting edge."

Mark says: "Skating is becoming more and more popular in the UK, so it's great that people can showcase their talents and tricks... we might even pick up a few tips ourselves!"

Anne Gilchrist, Controller, C³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, says: "Skate Nation will be an opportunity for children to get off the sofa and get active. We'll be encouraging C³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ viewers to learn a new skill and to see how much fun and expertise can be achieved in a remarkably short time scale. It's a show all the family will take part in and enjoy."

There are 14 teams taking part, each made up of three children (age between seven and 13) and one adult. It isn't just about their skating abilities, the teams must also be able to demonstrate that they work well as a team. So they will need to encourage and support each other as they attempt to master the jumps and spins!

The competition steps up a gear as teams vie for one of ten places at Skate Camp where they will be tutored by top coaches and choreographers. This is an invaluable chance to hone their skills and work on all aspects of their performance, before the main competition begins.

For the teams that make it through camp, the Skate Stadium arena awaits. This is what the skaters have all been working towards: they will need to wow both the judges and the stadium's live audience. Each week the skaters will have to learn and perfect a new routine to perform and, as the weeks go on, the routines will get more and more challenging. The teams must pull out all the stops if they want to win.

Judges Camilla Dallerup (Strictly Come Dancing reigning champion), Asha Kirkby (professional skating instructor) and Kevin Adams (Fame Academy, fitness instructor) will be looking for super-talented skaters with lots of potential.

The series ends with a skating extravaganza as the finalists compete for the Skate Nation title by showing off stunts and tricks which they've learnt over the series. The competition will be fierce, as the grand prize is a trip to the World Games in Taiwan to see the world's best skaters in the action.

Executive producer is Elaine Bancroft, and series producer is Kate Maddigan.

Skate Nation is set to be a nail-biting, adrenaline-fuelled competition.

Notes to Editors

C³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ won the Children's Channel of the Year Award at the Children's BAFTAs in November 2008.

Figures show that C³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is one of the most loved channels for children, reaching more six to 12-year-olds than any other children's channel and is 7% points ahead of nearest competitor, Disney.

The success of the relaunch lives on with the C³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ channel reaching almost a third of all six to 12-year-olds in digital homes in the UK (based on weekly reach).

NE