I find the suggestion that the USFS has a lot more money/support than Skate Canada questionable. I'm not an insider by any stretch, but both feds have a contract with a major network to broadcast their Nationals and their major fall international. Beyond that... I suppose it is possible the USFS has done a better job of saving/investing the financial windfalls that both feds experienced when FS was at its North American zenith in the 90s and 00s. But I'm not sure I buy the notion that the USFS has so much money in its coffers that it could afford to make Nats happen this year in Vegas with the small planning/organizing window they had from the time SkAm was held to mid-January (less than 3 months), especially when they had to pivot in November from in-person qualifying events to a virtual qualifying competition. David Wilson made some good points in his remarks about Skate Canada's seeming inability to shift in any meaningful way that allows Canadian skaters competition opportunities, especially an in-person Nationals, and it does make Skate Canada look, IMO, like a fading power in the sport when the other 3 leading nations all managed to hold their own Nationals in December and January, along with other countries like Italy and France.
Skate Canada has a lot less money. Their skaters get a lot less funding and support than US skaters. For instance, in the US synchro's top teams get the same funding as top singles skaters. Several individual synchro skaters (including ones on not top teams or even some not on senior teams) are even fully funded in their training - and as a result can't get released by USFS to skate for other countries. Meanwhile, synchro teams in Canada get $0 of funding despite getting better international results. They even have to pay for parts of their travel to some internationals. If that doesn't say USFS has more money, I don't know what does.It is hard to conceive that the Canadian federation is short of money and it is certainly not destitute. It laid off a lot of people last year and as it did not have to fund any overseas trips for skaters/officials, homeland competitions or its Swiss based president there had to be money available to invest in domestic competitions - virtual or live.
@skaitngguy - Travel is restricted to parts of this country? Since when? People were asked not to travel but there was no restriction ever placed on people travelling.
I would add that national competitions tend to have sponsors to help put them on, and the ISU foots a chunk of the bill for GPs. I would imagine USFS has some sweet deal with The Orleans given how easy it was to organize COVID stuff through them - they even planned several synchro comps there. Considering how cheap Vegas hotel rooms are right now, it's not a stretch to think the Orleans gave USFS a good deal to drum up publicity and business. Who knows if Skate Canada would even be able to get a good deal like that.