Young skaters from around the country help open the U.S. Synchronized Skating Team Championships at The Dunk. The Providence Journal / Kris Craig

PROVIDENCE — A blue fleece jacket is what first caught Jamie Smith’s eye.

“Mom, how much stuff can I get,” asked Jamie, 15, of the Downers Grove Dazzlers, from Illinois, as she stood in a vendor line in the hallway of the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

Smith, along with about 1,800 skaters from around the country converged on the capital city this week for the United States Synchronized Skating Championships at The Dunk.

The event, hosted by the Colonial Figure Skating Club of West Acton, Mass., brings together 92 teams and nearly 5,000 spectators for the championships, which will be awarded tomorrow.

In the meantime, the teams will skate, eat and shop in the area, bringing a much-needed boost to the local economy.

That fleece would run Jamie $70. The hooded sweatshirt she also fancied? Another $40.

For competitions such as this one, there’s at least one guaranteed winner: the host community.

“It’s the stuff that nobody reads about — youth hockey tournaments, youth soccer, youth baseball — they may not be on the newspaper pages, but they’re very important to the city, restaurants, hotels and store owners,” said John Gibbons, director of national accounts for the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Generally, the youth sports bring mom and dad, and maybe brother and sister.”

Over the next few days, competitors, coaches, visitors and spectators are expected to pump at least $2 million into the local economy. They’ve booked 4,000 room nights in hotels from the Hilton to the Holiday Inn Express. A line of Peter Pan buses sat waiting outside the Convention Center yesterday, waiting to take competitors to their hotels throughout the area. Coupons to local restaurants and venues such as the Providence Performing Arts Center encourage visitors to spend their free time — and their dough — locally.

For the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, the weeklong rent for the venue means roughly $100,000, said Lawrence Lepore, general manager. The center has about 12 employees working each day, Lepore said; dozens more employees are needed for larger events and hockey games.

And concession stands are running as long as the competition is.

“Certainly it is not one of our most profitable events for merchandise and concessions but it is steady,” Lepore said. “It’s a steady week of business and it’s something we look forward to. Most of our events, people go to the event and go home. These people are here for five days.”

Ann White and Debbie Deissroth traveled with their daughters, who skate with the Tour de Force team from New Jersey.

“We love it, the food is great and the people are nice,” White said. The team is staying at the Radisson hotel, which is close to the venue and to another important feature Providence has to offer.

“The kids get really excited about the mall,” said Deissroth. “[Providence] is one of our favorite places.”

The Downers Grove team traveled to Newport in their downtime and ate at The Red Parrot. Pat Osowski, the mother of skater Jade Osowski, said the group planned to go back to visit the mansions and do some more shopping before heading back to Illinois.

But don’t be fooled: while traveling to Providence is a draw, the teams are here to compete. And they take their performances very seriously.

Synchronized skating — similar to its swimming counterpart — involves a team of skaters who perform choreographed routines to show off their precision, creativity and skills. About 10 teams will be selected as winners, and they will go on to international competitions. Tickets to the Providence event are available at the The Dunk or through Ticketmaster.

Down below the ice, Team Delaware is preparing for its time in the spotlight.

“We practiced all day yesterday, some this morning, and compete tonight,” said Megan O’Donnell yesterday. She’s the coach of the University of Delaware’s senior team, which is made up of girls 14 years and older. “We [the coaches] don’t ever get to go into the city. [Delaware has four teams competing this weekend.] We are just so busy; our job is to make sure they’re the most prepared for the competition since this is the nationals. It’s the biggest competition.”

A giggling group of teenagers, dressed in black lounge pants and matching tanks with their names on the back, stretch on the concrete floor. Their aqua uniforms are on hangers as the girls wait until they make it into the locker room. With their hair in buns tied with ribbons, they begin a dry run of the routine they will perform in about an hour.

“Five, six, seven, eight,” one of the girls calls out.

Pairs of sneakered feet shuffle through the opening. “And, turn,” the girl yells out. “And, down.”

Out of a stereo, a dance remix of “Downtown” from the Broadway musical Shout begins to blare.

The girls’ smiles get brighter. Their backs a little straighter. They may head to the mall, or a restaurant after the competition, but right now, all they can think about is showtime.

tbuford@projo.com