The Worst People I've Sat Near at a Skating Competition.

[BlueRidge]

Holy crap. I hope that wasn't me. (Seatmates at SA, was that me? Was I that loud? Ut-oh....)

And yes, I meant the Boys Who Score. Blech.

ETA to say that the only SA I've been to in the last three years was Lake Placid, where I was notorious for not standing for Rachael's ovation but I don't think I dissed her that loudly.

no. No one could hear you over my cheering for her.

As I recall, PRlady had to put her fingers in her ears.

[Frau Muller]

in Torino, the family of a US skater blocked the teensy aisle with their megalomaniacal banner and wouldnt allow anyone to pass to get to the bathroom or leave for any reason

Yup, I remember them well...*** Gotta Believe!

2007 Worlds in Tokyo, I had the bad luck of sitting next to a pushy **** from NYC who spent the entire competition scratching numbers on a big block-note tablet...doing her own Code of Points scoring! She was very upset that she could not stretch out in the tight quarters...her friend was to her left. She did not want to upset her friend so she tried to stretch to her right (me), thus thrusting the far end of her notebook on my lap. I didn't take it for long. After an hour or so of this, I 'gently' grabbed the end of her notepad and, with a big smile, asked her to please keep it on her lap. Alas, that just added fuel to her fire and she tried to assert her 'space' in many other ways throughout the week, be it spreading a big blanket, plopping her big purse at my feet, talking loudly to her friend, etc. I truly hope that my next experience at a Worlds in Tokyo (soon!) will be more pleasant.

[cruisin]

Papa Weiss just loses those drinks cuz his shirt is so tight!!!! Lmao

Well, he fancies himself as Jack LaLane and likes to show off. He was an Olympic gymnast, and he is in pretty great shape. I never thought Weiss' father was so bad, his wife, though !

I would recommend to any skater or parent to stay well clear of the boards. There is too much stuff that gets said that could upset them and they have no control over it.

They do have some control, many a vicious poster has been banned from certain boards due to malicious posts. but the moderators don't catch them all, so parents have to be watchful.

[Cyn]

The worst situation that I had was sitting next to a 5 year old during one of the 2005 US Nationals in Portland. Her father just put her in her seat and turned to me and said, "I'm going to be sitting next to her mother(his ex-wife with whom I got the impression he wanted to reconcile)across the arena." I was so dumbstruck at what he had done, that I couldn't even think at the time in terms of replying to him.

This child was absolutely one of the most beautiful children I have ever seen and she was absolutely good. However, my first thought was that how did he know who I was and how do you leave a 5 year old by themselves with strangers? She was kidnapping bait. I was ready to call an usher and report the situation as well as have them call Child Protective Services. When he got back after the session, I told him, "Either you or your wife can sit here and one of you can sit with your daughter. There by the grace of God that you had someone honest. Needless to say, he picked her up and all three of them sat through the next session together.

OMFG…..

What the fcuk kind of parent plunks their 5 year-old into a chair and abandons her in a packed sports arena?!

So he just left her there next to you and took off for the other side of the rink for the (I'm assuming) first session? If you had to wager a guess, how old was he? How long was he gone?

I'm at a loss for words - it is absolutely inconceivable to me that a parent would do something so dangerous (as well as stupid, reckless, and irresponsible). JMO, but I would have alerted CPS regardless of their backing down and keeping the kid with one of them.

*********

Topic?

At 2004 Nationals in Atlanta…

During the Pairs FS, there was a couple sitting behind us, and the guy was doing the "I've-watched-a-couple-of-skating-contests-and-read-the-program-therefore-I'm-a-figure-skating-scholar" Alpha-male thing to impress the woman he was with. He was like a buzzing mosquito in my ear as he identified elements (most of which were incorrect ), and was assessing how well they were done - let's just say it's a good thing he wasn't a judge . What cracked me up was when Tiffany Sfikas and Jeffrey Weiss were warming up with the rest of their group, he said to his wife? gf? "This guy is great - he also skates singles and has a quad."


Ladies SP: My seat was in the middle of the row, and I'd made a Sasha sign to hold up ( ). The aisle seat was occupied by a Kwaniac. It turned out the guy sitting next to me was also a Sasha fan, so when she hit her SP, we were . I don't know when it actually started, but we caught the Kwaniac glaring at us several times. Michelle skated in the second group, and when she was done, the Kwaniac went into orgasmic cheering mode . Both of us applauded, but we didn't give her a SO. When the scores were announced and Michelle was behind Sasha in the standings, the Kwaniac's glare became a GLARE.

During the zambonie break after the second group, I got up to go smoke. When I got to the aisle, the Kwaniac was still glaring and asked me if I was a Sasha fan, only it was less of a question and more of an accusation. When I told her yes, she started in on me with crap like "How can you like her? She's awful, blah blah flutz, blah blah no emotion, blah blah ugly blah Kwan blah blah amazing blah blah graceful blah blah perfection etc., etc.

It was like a forum post come to life .

She went on and on like an out-of-controll wind-up toy for what seemed like 10 minutes, though it was more like 1 or 2. I finally cut her off and told her please move so I could leave the aisle. I think, if left unchecked, the woman would have stood there and continued to proselytize till the cows came home. What was was the look on the face of the guy sitting next to me - he was a skating fan but knew nothing about über fans, FS boards, etc.

[my little pony]

i never pictured cynical Cyn bringing homemade whickety whack to a comp, her own gin and tonic maybe, but no signs

[Cyn]

Worst for me was Atlanta Nationals with seatas in the middle of a gang of rabid Kwan fans. My companion ad I were chastised for applauding for anyone other than Kwan, whacked on the head with programs when we didn't cheer every time Kwan's image came up on the Jumbotron in the ad montages during Zamboni breaks, and kicked when he didn't rise to give Kwan a standing ovation BEFORE she skated.

Un-fecking-believable. If some stranger whacked me on the head for *any* reason, I'd have called security and had their butts tossed out of the arena. Couldn't that be construed as battery? When you say "kicked," do you mean the back of your seats were kicked?

One thing I remember about the Ladies SP and FS - Whenever Michelle was on the ice, she was followed by a wave of shrieking (picture crowds doing "the wave" at a baseball game but substitute the standing/arm raising with a girly-sounding roar. I can understand cheering and "Whooooo!!-ing" when she did a spectacular jump or spiral, but they did this for everything. Including crossovers. Crossovers, FFS!!

At LA Nationals, when I entertained myself by writing notes and scores in my program, the Kwan fan next to me kept leaning over to look at what I was writing. When I looked a question at her, she said she was just checking to make sure I wasn't writing anything bad about Michelle.

You must have incredible self-restraint. If some bint got up my business like that, the outcome would *not* have been pretty. If she persisted in doing that, I'd have started writing about the annoying fcukwits surrounding me .

I think 2004 Nationals was the worst for rude spectators that I've encountered. The ladies free skate was ridiculous. Luckily, the people sitting near me were fine, but I was about 2 or 3 rows from the craziness. If someone had whacked me on the head, like with the soda, we would have had some major, major problems

I agree. As a native Atlantan, the piss-poor display of manners was absolutely embarrassing.

Of course, the LOC didn't exactly do a banner job in promoting the event, either, but that's a different topic

[sk9tingfan]

OMFG…..

What the fcuk kind of parent plunks their 5 year-old into a chair and abandons her in a packed sports arena?!

So he just left her there next to you and took off for the other side of the rink for the (I'm assuming) first session? If you had to wager a guess, how old was he? How long was he gone?

I'm at a loss for words - it is absolutely inconceivable to me that a parent would do something so dangersou (as well as stupid, reckless, and irresponsible). JMO, but I would have alerted CPS regardless of their backing down and keeping the kid with one of them.

Yes. The session was more than two hours long! The kid was really good and sweet; more probably scared out of her mind!

[Frau Muller]

...... I never thought Weiss' father was so bad, his wife, though !
......
......

Are you sure? Do you know them? Please don't cast stones unless you are 100% certain. The Weisses are in my area. Mom Weiss is a beautiful person. I greatly respect her for what she had to put up with and have admired her more than ever since the divorce. If something like that ever happened to me (a man abandoning wife and children), I would hope to have a bit of the inner strength of Mom Weiss.

[Cyn]

i never pictured cynical Cyn bringing homemade whickety whack to a comp, her own gin and tonic maybe, but no signs

Well, I couldn't bring the Glock

It was a pretty YELLOW poster with lots of sparklies

…alas, there was no gin and tonic; however there was Xanax - about the only thing that could chill me out during the FS .

[terisalyn]

Ah yes, the Boys Who Score.... they are kinda amusing, unless you're seated about 2 rows behind them, and your view is blocked by them holding up their GIANT sketchpads.

At SA 2002, after Alexei Yagudin had withdrawn from the competition with his hip injury, I was sitting at the exhibition in front of a group of tweeny fans. They were loudly complaining that even if he DID have an injury, he could at least skate in the exhibition!! They had PAID good money to see him skate, and how DARE he not show up!!!

I had come with Claudyne's (excellent!) Silver Blade Tours group, and I asked Claudyne if the tour included bailing me out of jail for smacking this girl upside the head. Sadly, it didn't, so I had to be nice.

[taf2002]

Are you sure? Do you know them? Please don't cast stones unless you are 100% certain. The Weisses are in my area. Mom Weiss is a beautiful person. I greatly respect her for what she had to put up with and have admired her more than ever since the divorce. If something like that ever happened to me (a man abandoning wife and children), I would hope to have a bit of the inner strength of Mom Weiss.

I am sure. They whole clan sat behind me a one event & they were all equally whacko.

[cruisin]

Are you sure? Do you know them? Please don't cast stones unless you are 100% certain. The Weisses are in my area. Mom Weiss is a beautiful person. I greatly respect her for what she had to put up with and have admired her more than ever since the divorce. If something like that ever happened to me (a man abandoning wife and children), I would hope to have a bit of the inner strength of Mom Weiss.

Not Dad Weiss' wife, Michael's wife. Sorry, I was not clear, I can see where you misunderstood. Michael's wife was/is a real piece of work. I don't know them well, just met them a few times. Dad always seemed pretty friendly. I didn't know about the divorce, and never met Michael's mother. I am sure she is lovely, and knowing (now) about Dad, it rather puts him in a different light.

[Allen]

I am sure. They whole clan sat behind me a one event & they were all equally whacko.

I didn't take the time to ask each douchebag in the group their name, but rest assured all the times I've been seated near the Weiss family, pretty much all of them have been rude to someone. They got really offended when I lept to my feet for Ryan Jahnke after his free skate at 2004 nationals. They got even more offended when I lept to my feet again for Johnny and then didn't for Michael. The older lady seated beside kept saying, I think we should stand up because his family is right over there. I didn't budge. Someone shouted, aren't you going to cheer for the best performance and I said, "I already did."

[barbk]

The women who shrieked "DO IT FOR CANADA!!!!" before every Canadian skater skated at Vancouver Worlds.

[my little pony]

The women who shrieked "DO IT FOR CANADA!!!!" before every Canadian skater skated at Vancouver Worlds.

there were some drunken people behind me at skate america once who were obsessing over Jamie Sale's skating and most recent programs.unfortunately, these were her pro programs as she was retired and this wasnt even the pairs comp, it was ladiez

[Frau Muller]

Not Dad Weiss' wife, Michael's wife. .....

Ah....ok, thanks for explaining.

[cruisin]

Unfortunately, ugly stuff happens at every level of competition. I remember, many years ago, being at a local open (I was part of the organizing committee). There were a bunch of girls from another close by club, who yelled fall/trip/miss every time one of the skaters from our club (and one other club) skated. It became so offensive, to everyone, that I found one of their coaches and asked her to either stop them or have them leave the arena. They did stop yelling, but were very disruptive to everyone sitting near them. Certainly not a good representation of themselves or their club. One of the judges on a panel, asked me who the girls were, I explained that I would rather not say, as it would be inappropriate. But, that is how bad it was. And these were kids who never even made it past initial rounds in juvenile at regionals.

[cruisin]

Ah....ok, thanks for explaining.

You're welcome

[smurfy]

I have another incident - 2008 US Nats. I was on the aisle, near the corner of the arena. A guy a few rows in front of me, across the aisle had a banner for a skater. She was not skating, but he continually was flapping around the ROLLED UP poster (tube) and I could not see the whole rink while others were skating. Others were blocked also. It wasn't even his seat. I politely asked him to keep the poster down. He gave me a dirty look. I ended up asking security and he moved. But I remember what he looked like, he was really creppy. I saw him throughout the comp and he would give me dirty looks.

[my little pony]

that UMBS dumps a whole lot of photography equipment in your lap and yells Go Blue in your ear