Skate America 2021 Returns to Las Vegas

[MacMadame]

If your driver's license or state-issued ID expired on or after March 1, 2020

Unfortunately, mine expired in 2019. It's a long story full of the DMV being the DMV and me being me.

I do have the paper that says it's renewed now and lots of ID just not anything the TSA accepts according to their website.

 

[jkl]

A USFS official confirmed to me today that athletes at the FOFS breakfast will attend virtually.

 

[MacMadame]

A USFS official confirmed to me today that athletes at the FOFS breakfast will attend virtually.

So no reason to re-up my FOFS membership.

 

[Carolla5501]

Unfortunately, mine expired in 2019. It's a long story full of the DMV being the DMV and me being me.

I do have the paper that says it's renewed now and lots of ID just not anything the TSA accepts according to their website.

Go with plan b. Take everything you have, expired or not, and allow a lot of extra time. They will eventually let you on the plane. I had to do it when I lost my wallet! Arrive early!

However, another problem is that in Vegas hotels often require ID to check in , you might want to check on that?

 

[MacMadame]

However, another problem is that in Vegas hotels often require ID to check in , you might want to check on that?

My husband can check us in.

I'm just planning to make a sacrifice to get my new license here on time. I'm thinking a bucket of KFC like that ball player put in his locker in some SportsBall movie (Major League?). Do people think that would work?

 

[Carolla5501]

My husband can check us in.

I'm just planning to make a sacrifice to get my new license here on time. I'm thinking a bucket of KFC like that ball player put in his locker in some SportsBall movie (Major League?). Do people think that would work?

Is your husband traveling with you? That will actually help if you have to do the "throw yourself on the mercy of the TSA" plan. Just don't make him mad so he says something witty like "that woman's not my wife, I never met her in my life" It helps to travel with someone who can vouch for you in cases like this.

 

[ilovepaydays]

I think I want to go to back to Skate America in Las Vegas later this month. But I think I waited too late on finding a hotel. The Orleans is now over $500/night!

Looking at Luxor, Bailey’s, Hilton, or wherever nice enough that I can get a quick Uber to the arena……..

 

[MacMadame]

I got my Driver's License! SkAm and Vegas, here we come!

 

[Vash01]

I think I want to go to back to Skate America in Las Vegas later this month. But I think I waited too late on finding a hotel. The Orleans is now over $500/night!

Looking at Luxor, Bailey’s, Hilton, or wherever nice enough that I can get a quick Uber to the arena……..

Vegas hotels are always expensive on Fri and Sat. You could get lower rates for Thursday and Sunday. Probably not at the Orleans though, because of the event. Excalibur is around $225 per night. Luxor is over $300, but some others are under $300.

 

[jkl]

Tickets to Skate America will be emailed and will be scanned digitally at the arena. Remind me to keep my phone charged. And it might be a good idea not to be behind me in line to get in.

 

[Vash01]

Tickets to Skate America will be emailed and will be scanned digitally at the arena. Remind me to keep my phone charged. And it might be a good idea not to be behind me in line to get in.

I put my tickets in the wallet on my phone. I better recheck now to make sure they are in it. It's been a while since I purchased.

 

[paskatefan]

I'm not planning on rereading this whole thread, but can anyone answer this question. Will all event ticket holders be able to attend the practice sessions in the arena? If so, when do they begin?

 

[Spikefan]

@paskatefan, I just added all of my tickets to apple wallet and there is a ticket for all-event practice. It just says multiple dates and times. If we weren’t allowed in I don’t think there would be a ticket.

We will likely be allowed into practice starting Thursday, similar to previous events. Hopefully a schedule will be released by next week.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

I'm glad y'all reminded me I needed to download my tickets. It's been so long since I've been to a skating event that I forgot I hadn't received tickets in the mail.

 

[gerb]

Just an FYI for everybody who purchased their tickets before the schedule change, the arena will go by session number, not the date, so your original tickets will work.

 

[MCsAngel2]

Just make a note of the new dates and times of each session! Or you can go back to your original order and redownload/download the e tickets with the new dates and times (just remember to delete your original ones if you do that). That's what I did.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

The detailed practice schedule is up!

https://results.isu.org/schedules/gpusa2021_ColouredTimeSchedule.pdf

 

[acraven]

I have friends attending Skate America who were planning to arrive on Wednesday. The schedule indicates practices begin on Thursday. Does anyone have a clue about whether there might be folks practicing somewhere open to the public on Wednesday?

 

[Vash01]

I'm not planning on rereading this whole thread, but can anyone answer this question. Will all event ticket holders be able to attend the practice sessions in the arena? If so, when do they begin?

Yes. From the schedule I saw, they begin on 10/21 around 10:30am (pairs).

 

[Vash01]

Is anyone staying at Desert Paradise Resort?

 

[JeffClair1979]

Is anyone else staying at Luxor? Or a nearby resort? I’m open to the idea of getting an Uber/lyft group together to cut transportation costs!

 

[A.H.Black]

I have friends attending Skate America who were planning to arrive on Wednesday. The schedule indicates practices begin on Thursday. Does anyone have a clue about whether there might be folks practicing somewhere open to the public on Wednesday?

There are only 3 or 4 ice rinks in Vegas. Looks like the City National Arena is almost all hockey. Las Vegas Ice Center is where the Desert Ice skating club is. The Pepsi Ice arena also looks like it's mostly Hockey. That's mostly it. There is an outdoor arena, but I don't know if it will be running.

 

[Sylvia]

Las Vegas Ice Center

Surya Bonaly and the Samohin brothers are listed as coaches there and it's the Skating Club of Nevada's home rink.

ETA that I forgot the Lifeguard Arena in Henderson, NV (hosting a USFS qualifying competition next week): https://www.lifeguardarena.com/about

 

[Arwen17]

The detailed practice schedule is up!

https://results.isu.org/schedules/gpusa2021_ColouredTimeSchedule.pdf

1. In the first column, why does each practice session have a horizontal line thru it and the numbers "1" and "2"? Are they split up into two groups for practice sessions? Can skaters decide whether they want to skate on Slot 1 or Slot 2 or both?

2. Do practice sessions with a "*" start mean they just run their programs back-to-back in competition order and the skater doesn't even have to request their music? Do skaters make requests of when to run their music on any of the practice sessions or has it all been calculated and decided before they even step on the ice?

3. I assume those are practice sessions right before the exhibition gala? The audience is allowed to watch these practice sessions??

 

[acraven]

I believe this is how it works:

1. Skaters are assigned to groups; initially, all skaters for a single country will be in the same group (for the convenience of coaches and team leaders). Once the draws take place, practice groups are based on skate order for the next segment. The skaters do not choose their practice groups.

2. The asterisk is a reference to running the music in skate order, which apparently is what happens after the draw takes place. The skaters have no control over when their music is played; no one would choose to go first, after just a 6-minute warm-up, but someone has to. Before the competition begins, the skaters can choose whether their short-program or free-skate music is played. That's why the first one or two practice sessions are labeled "S/F" or "R/F".

3. I don't know what the policy is for Skate America, but at US Nationals the exhibition practice is closed to the public. That has been the case for decades.

 

[Alexa]

3. I don't know what the policy is for Skate America, but at US Nationals the exhibition practice is closed to the public. That has been the case for decades.

I remembered seeing pictures and videos from gala practice from both SkAm 2018 and 2019

 

[Arwen17]

I remembered seeing pictures and videos from gala practice from both SkAm 2018 and 2019

They certainly have the gala practices on the schedule like they’re open to the public, but they also have all of the judges meetings on the schedule and I know I’m not invited to those. shrugs

 

[TanithandBenFan]

They certainly have the gala practices on the schedule like they’re open to the public, but they also have all of the judges meetings on the schedule and I know I’m not invited to those. shrugs

They have the Nats gala practices on the schedule too but they’re not open to us. The schedule is primarily for the athletes and officials.

 

[AnnM]

I remembered seeing pictures and videos from gala practice from both SkAm 2018 and 2019

I took a pic of the ice surface during a FOFS breakfast because it was a cool perspective (the room was at the top of the stadium) and promptly got scolded by USFS officials --- the closed gala practice happened to be occurring at the same time.

 

[Yuri]

The only time that I ever was able to see practices for the gala at US Nationals or Skate America was when I was credentialed as a USFSA official or as a chaperone to a skater participating in it. I would be shocked if admission policies have loosened since then.

Honestly, you're not missing anything. Because there is no public admission and these aren't programs that will be judged, it tended to be very informal with skaters often participating in sweats as opposed to costumes and hair/makeup like an official practice. There wasn't any formal skating order or special time for run-throughs by discipline, skaters tended to show up and leave on their own schedules.