More than 800 competitors from 17 states took to the ice this weekend for the Ice Skating Institute’s 27th Annual Winter Classic.

Held at Miami University’s Goggin Ice Center, the three-day national skating competition featured participants from ages 2 to 88 covering all skill levels and offered more than 25 different event categories for individuals, partners, groups and teams.

That made it larger in both scope and participation than a traditional skating competition, according to Peter Martell, execuitve director for ISI, an arena owners and operators trade association.

Arenas send their own teams to the event and each win by a participant from that rink helps a team accumulate points, he said. The Goggin Ice Center team of nearly 70 participants earned third-place honors, with Ice Chalet from Knoxville, Tenn., finishing first and Skating Club of Greater Youngstown coming in second.

Abby Bowman, 10, of Fairfield, who typically skates in front of small groups of parents, helped the Goggin Ice Center team by notching several first-place wins before a crowd of hundreds.

“It’s been something that’s really stepped up her game,” her mother, Georgine Bowman, said Sunday. “She’s just really excited about this experience.”

Amanda Carmack of Liberty, Ind., said the Winter Classic was “a fantastic experience” for daughters and Goggin Ice Center teammates Kady, 7; and Jenny, 3.

“The camaraderie with all of the skaters and getting to meet people from all over the country, it’s just a great atmosphere for the kids to be in,” Carmack said. “This is the best facility we’ve ever skated at. We’re very fortunate to have this in our area.”

With competitors and their families, friends and coaches lodging and dining in the area, the event’s economic impact is estimated at approximately $800,000, said Stephanie Gigliotti, sales manager for the Butler County Visitors Bureau.

Lindsay Fenton, the center’s director of programs, said it’s exciting to see people of all ages compete, but especially children.

“I always tear up when I watch the first couple of skates because I think that’s what it’s all about,” she said. “It’s just all their hard work and their energy and they go out there and they have so much fun.”

The Goggin Ice Center, which hosted an ISI synchronized skating event in 2012, last hosted the Winter Classic in 2007, Martell said.

Having the event in Oxford provided more than just a central location for many major metropolitan areas, he said.

“This place is a spectacular facility and Lindsay and her staff do a wonderful job of organizing it, which makes our job much, much easier,” Martell said.