2022 Nationals in Nashville

[skipaway]

So, I downloaded the Clear app. It’s very easy to use, but the “pass” expires tomorrow. So I believe a new pass will be required to be made for each entry into the arena? Has anyone used this at a Predator’s game at Bridgestone Arena? Am I understanding this correctly?

 

[skipaway]

Has anyone used the Clear app before? I just downloaded it, uploaded/scanned my vax card, and it looks like passes are only given for 12 hours. Does this mean we need to upload our docs every day we're in Nashville or do we just tap a few buttons to renew our pass?

? great minds think alike!

 

[MacMadame]

U.S. Figure Skating also has reduced athlete interactions by canceling autograph sessions, reorganizing in-person functions and implementing other precautions to help mitigate risk for athletes, including restricting access to the secondary practice rink, located in Bellevue, to accredited individuals only.

I feel like this was inevitable and was surprised that there was so much hand-wringing over these events which are so easily modified and/or canceled. (Unlike the entire competition, which is a much bigger ship to try to turn.)

 

[skipaway]

From FAQ on the Clear website

How long does a Health Pass result last?

Health Passes generally remain valid for 12 hours following survey completion. Once it expires, you will just need to go through the Health Pass flow again to create a new Health Pass for your organization.

 

[Carolla5501]

I have used this app before but it was for a convention and all they made us do was do the us pass once and get our badges and we were done. But if I have to do it every day in Nashville no big deal


And this will certainly be upsetting to our resident anti-Vax anti-masker.

 

[Sylvia]

There's an app to help prove vax status, but experts say choose wisely

A wide array of apps will display your vaccination status, but privacy experts say they don't all do the same thing. Some require more personal data, and leading brand CLEAR uses facial recognition

www.npr.org

But the sheer diversity of apps is a problem for large venues, such as sports arenas, as they try to get thousands of people through the gates quickly. Many have embraced the CLEAR Health Pass, offered by the same company that sells shortcuts through airport security. It combines proof of vaccine and photo ID on one color-coded screen, designed to be checked at a glance.
"It works fantastic," says Eric Schossow, standing in line to get into a Seattle Kraken hockey game last Saturday night. "Generally speaking, it takes 20 seconds to get through the door."
"I don't think there's enough protection in the United States regarding facial recognition"
But others are taken aback by the fact that the app requires users to upload their photo IDs, and then pose for a facial-recognition selfie.

CLEAR says it holds on to the data gathered from people who use their free app to get into events. The company hopes those people will stay on as customers, and buy its other identity-verification services. But it also says users can ask the company to delete their data, and it also promises not to sell or rent the data to other entities, though it reserves the right to share data with "service providers."
"Core to CLEAR'S values, as a company, are honoring member privacy," says senior vice president Rich Tucker. "We do that by empowering members, by giving them control over their information and by being transparent with how we use them."

 

[Debbie S]

From FAQ on the Clear website

I saw that, but it's unclear if "Health Pass flow" is just tapping through the steps on the home page or actually uploading. I would hope once our info is there, that it stays there and we just have to press a few buttons. It's not like the vaccines are leaving our arms.

 

[skipaway]

I have used this app before but it was for a convention and all they made us do was do the us pass once and get our badges and we were done. But if I have to do it every day in Nashville no big deal


And this will certainly be upsetting to our resident anti-Vax anti-masker.

Yes, no big deal…I actually didn’t plan on taking my vaccination card with me, but I guess now I will.

 

[mtnskater]

I am so relieved USFS is requiring both proof of vaccination and masking. With Omicron spreading like wildfire it is the necessary and right thing to do. I am looking forward to attending and will definitely feel safer due to these precautions.

 

[Bulletsdad]

I saw that, but it's unclear if "Health Pass flow" is just tapping through the steps on the home page or actually uploading. I would hope once our info is there, that it stays there and we just have to press a few buttons. It's not like the vaccines are leaving our arms.

I will test tomorrow afternoon and see if I need to rescan my ID and vax card

 

[Bulletsdad]

I saw that, but it's unclear if "Health Pass flow" is just tapping through the steps on the home page or actually uploading. I would hope once our info is there, that it stays there and we just have to press a few buttons. It's not like the vaccines are leaving our arms.

I guess they make you do it daily for people who are uploading test results. However, it would be good if the vaxxed people could just hit a renewal button.

 

[Carolla5501]

I will test tomorrow afternoon and see if I need to rescan my ID and vax card

So they already have my vaccination information. And I just went in and did this and I didn’t have to reload anything. It just pulled it over and made do the “know before you go” acceptance and I was done.

 

[AnnM]

Has anyone used the Clear app before? I just downloaded it, uploaded/scanned my vax card, and it looks like passes are only given for 12 hours. Does this mean we need to upload our docs every day we're in Nashville or do we just tap a few buttons to renew our pass?

I uploaded my vax info in October for a concert and it's still there.

 

[skipaway]

Talked with Clear customer service and they said all that would be needed after initial set up would be to log back into healthpass, take another selfie and your good to go. I asked why the selfie every time the pass expires and she said it was verification that you are the correct user of the pass.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

I feel like this was inevitable and was surprised that there was so much hand-wringing over these events which are so easily modified and/or canceled. (Unlike the entire competition, which is a much bigger ship to try to turn.)

I don’t feel like saying they should be cancelled constitutes handwringing.

That being said, there were a lot of people saying a vax or negative test requirement was unnecessary and couldn’t possibly be implemented at this point so ??‍

 

[AJ Skatefan]

I’m so glad they’re doing this!

 

[Debbie S]

I don’t feel like saying they should be cancelled constitutes handwringing.

That being said, there were a lot of people saying a vax or negative test requirement was unnecessary and couldn’t possibly be implemented at this point so ??‍

Well, I hoped they would but figured they wouldn't institute a req if the arena didn't have one, for enforcement reasons (but the app should make it easy), plus I didn't think they had the....anatomy to do so. But it turns out USFS has more balls than I thought. Live and learn.

I'm hoping the anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers just stay home.

 

[MacMadame]

I don’t feel like saying they should be cancelled constitutes handwringing.

But saying that USFS doesn't care about safety does.

I'm hoping the anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers just stay home.

I suspect anti-maskers didn't buy tickets since that policy was in place when we bought our tickets.

For the unvaccinated, not only is testing throughout the event going to be a PITA, if there is any day your results are delayed, you won't be able to attend and, if you test positive, you won't be able to attend anything after that point. It seems like both a pain and a risk. This isn't a one-day event where you get tested once and you are good to go.

 

[Arwen17]

I'm hoping the anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers just stay home.

They problem is, they won't refund our tickets. That's what so unfair about this crap. If they're going to make changes a week before an event, they should offer full refunds. And I think the same should apply if they did the opposite and removed some or all restrictions and someone didn't like it and wanted a refund.

It's also such a pointless gesture considering most of the people catching omicron are already vaxxed.
If they’re really that worried about an athlete testing positive for the Olympics, you’re going to have to lock them all up in a box and make sure they never go to a grocery store or anywhere else they can pick up omicron.

More than half of Omicron cases in the UK are among fully vaccinated people

A total of 134 cases of Omicron were confirmed in the UK as of Friday night.

nypost.com

CDC report shows 79% of omicron cases are vaccinated​

CDC report shows 79% of omicron cases are vaccinated; nearly all are mild

Also Monday, the Houston Health Department said the omicron variant has now been found in 25 of the city's 39 wastewater treatment plants.

www.khou.com

*EDIT: I can't get this link to post correctly. I don't know what the forum post is doing to it. Just use google to find it.

You WILL have people in the arena carrying omicron, and the people most likely to be carrying it will be the vaxxed, because they are NOT being tested, they are allowed to go past the doors with a pass. Ironically, the tested unvaxxed are the "safer" ones.

So all this amounts to is a fake gesture by USFSA to pretend they're somehow stopping the omicron surge, when they are not.

 

[tony]

You WILL have people in the arena carrying omicron, and the people most likely to be carrying it will be the vaxxed, because they are NOT being tested, they are allowed to go past the doors with a pass. Ironically, the tested unvaxxed are the "safer" ones.

This part I completely agree with. Your article that you provided is a few weeks old, but things have progressed in a similar manner since then and there are constant breakthrough (mostly very mild) infections for those who are vaccinated/boosted.

If everyone is wearing a mask, which is something that hasn't changed in this newest update, then that's all you can do. This makes the risk exactly 0% less.

 

[Arwen17]

But saying that USFS doesn't care about safety does.


I suspect anti-maskers didn't buy tickets since that policy was in place when we bought our tickets.

For the unvaccinated, not only is testing throughout the event going to be a PITA, if there is any day your results are delayed, you won't be able to attend and, if you test positive, you won't be able to attend anything after that point. It seems like both a pain and a risk. This isn't a one-day event where you get tested once and you are good to go.

I'm an "anti-masker" but I put up with it for certain buildings. I bought tickets to Las Vegas Skate America and Nationals with the assumption that masks might still be in place when I went. What I did not sign up for is incessant testing for a week-long event when I have ZERO symptoms or forced vaccinations in young, healthy people who have 1% chance of needing a hospital. I can show you tons of mainstream news articles back when they were saying "forced vaccinations" were a "conspiracy theory" cooked up by extremists.

If they offered full refunds, a lot of us would say "fine", because at this point, we're plenty disgusted with them for announcing this a week before the event, despite predators dropping their mandate finally and the governor passing a law.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

But saying that USFS doesn't care about safety does.


I suspect anti-maskers didn't buy tickets since that policy was in place when we bought our tickets.

There were a lot of people complaining about Nashville but I didn’t see anyone saying that, unless I have people on ignore.

We have a couple of people here who are upset about the mask requirement.

 

[AnnM]

I suspect anti-maskers didn't buy tickets since that policy was in place when we bought our tickets.

We already had one anti-masker who bought tickets flounce out of here dramatically. I doubt they were alone in having bought tickets and hoping for either no policy or no enforcement in the stands.

 

[MacMadame]

There were a lot of people complaining about Nashville but I didn’t see anyone saying that, unless I have people on ignore.

I am too lazy to go back and find the receipts but we had one person saying they don't trust USFS to solve the issues with those events and another person saying that USFS doesn't care about safety. Plus a lot of "what are they thinking" comments which I consider to be hand-wringing but YMMV.

We have a couple of people here who are upset about the mask requirement.

I only see one. But, there is always one, right?

 

[Carolla5501]

I'm an "anti-masker" but I put up with it for certain buildings. I bought tickets to Las Vegas Skate America and Nationals with the assumption that masks might still be in place when I went. What I did not sign up for is incessant testing for a week-long event when I have ZERO symptoms or forced vaccinations in young, healthy people who have 1% chance of needing a hospital. I can show you tons of mainstream news articles back when they were saying "forced vaccinations" were a "conspiracy theory" cooked up by extremists.

If they offered full refunds, a lot of us would say "fine", because at this point, we're plenty disgusted with them for announcing this a week before the event, despite predators dropping their mandate finally and the governor passing a law.

And yet when you bought the tickets the arena was requiring this level of control.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

I only see one. But, there is always one, right?

There was a second earlier on, but they aren’t with us at this second.

 

[Arwen17]

Also, I just checked and the Bellevue arena is still having normal FS sessions and hockey games the entire time the US Nationals group is on the other sheet of ice. I doubt their "fully credentialed" policy is being applied to those groups sharing the building with them. Once again its smoke and mirrors to pretend that they have actually done anything.

 

[Debbie S]

Also, I just checked and the Bellevue arena is still having normal FS sessions and hockey games the entire time the US Nationals group is on the other sheet of ice. I doubt their "fully credentialed" policy is being applied to those groups sharing the building with them. Once again its smoke and mirrors to pretend that they have actually done anything.

Most likely, USFS will work with rink mgmt to have separate entrance/exit and likely block off a large area around the rink used for Nats. I suspect skaters/coaches/chaperones won't even enter the lobby and I wouldn't count on getting within viewing distance of the rink.

 

[Arwen17]

And yet when you bought the tickets the arena was requiring this level of control.

FALSE.
I bought the tickets back in April, the first week they went on sale. The news articles tells me the arena didn't start requiring a vax pass or negative test until September. And then it was quickly overturned in November. The Tennessee governor also passed a law in our favor. All signs were pointing to it being the same requirements as the Las Vegas arena (masks only) for the vast majority of the time since April. There were also plenty of tests around until now, if worst came to worst. Everything I hear right now is people complaining how hard tests are to get because of the holidays.

1. This insane policy does nothing. The majority of people getting omicron are vaxxed, and yet they don't have to be tested to enter the arena. So they will carry omicron right to you while you whine about the unvaxxed. Enjoy!
2. It's announced one week before the event, which isn't enough time to do anything if this is supposed to "encourage" vaxxing instead testing lol.
3. It's announced at a time when everyone is scrambling for tests, even when they are totally symptom-less.

 

[missing]

I was one of the people who complained (probably vociferously) about the lack of mask/vaccination mandates, which I blamed on the USFS. When I described the situation to my doctor (by way of a nurse in her practice) my doctor's response was that while she wouldn't tell me not to go, it would be high risk for CV. I discussed it with friends who felt that most likely the people in attendance would be vaccinated and I basically agreed with that (although I did worry about last minute ticket purchasers from the wild and wooly Nashville area). I cancelled my hotel reservations and yesterday I cancelled my plane reservations, and today the USFS announces its new policies, and I'm still fine with my decision not to go. Even the fact that a 10 day quarantine is down to a 5 day quarantine isn't enough to make me regret my cancellations.

I think every decision made about this is a personal one based on personal beliefs and fears. I was fine being righteously indignant (it's one of my best things) when it came to the USFS not doing what was best for the fans, but I'm hopeful that the fans in attendance, especially the FSU fans, have a great time. My personal beliefs and fears wouldn't allow me to and I know that. Sad to say, I'll have a better time watching it on Peacock than I would at the Arena.

So if they allow you to cheer, cheer on everyone for me. If actual cheering is verboten, then clap and stomp your feet and generally make your appreciation felt. I hope all the skaters you're rooting for live up to expectations, or ideally do even better than that, and that Nationals is filled with the kind of wonderful moments that only Nationals is capable of producing. I hope your neighbors are great fans also and that you find decent food to eat and the lines aren't unbearably long and that the whole event is what you want it to be.