2022 Skate America

[Karen-W]

Any thoughts on USFS going with another tiny arena to sellout in two days or a larger venue to allow more skating fans to attend?

I think the USFS would be better served looking for arenas that are about twice as large as SCoB, located in mid-large metropolitan areas or their suburbs. I know many who traveled to Norwood weren't happy about the parking situation, however, that isn't going to be an issue at an arena with a 4000-5000 capacity. And, yes, they do exist. Here's a small sample of cities with minor league hockey teams that play in smaller arenas:

Boise ID - 5000 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_Central_Arena
San Jose CA - 4200 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tech_CU_Arena
Omaha (Ralston) NE - 4000 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_First_Credit_Union_Arena
Birmingham (Pelham) AL - 4100 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelham_Civic_Center
Winston-Salem NC - 3150 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston-Salem_Fairgrounds_Annex
Flint MI - 4400 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dort_Federal_Credit_Union_Event_Center
Binghamton NY - 4700 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visions_Veterans_Memorial_Arena
Utica NY - 3900 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adirondack_Bank_Center
Danbury CT - 3000 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danbury_Ice_Arena

I daresay, I don't think it would be all that hard to fill up an arena in any of those locations for an event like SkAm.

 

[Debbie S]

I suspect SA will go back to Vegas, if not next year, then soon.

 

[kirkbiggestfan]

Keep Skate America in skating Mecca’s. Boston University Arena has 6,000 seats. It’s obviously hockey season but not impossible to schedule in advance.

 

[oleada]

I think the USFS would be better served looking for arenas that are about twice as large as SCoB, located in mid-large metropolitan areas or their suburbs. I know many who traveled to Norwood weren't happy about the parking situation, however, that isn't going to be an issue at an arena with a 4000-5000 capacity. And, yes, they do exist. Here's a small sample of cities with minor league hockey teams that play in smaller arenas:

Boise ID - 5000 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_Central_Arena
San Jose CA - 4200 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tech_CU_Arena
Omaha (Ralston) NE - 4000 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_First_Credit_Union_Arena
Birmingham (Pelham) AL - 4100 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelham_Civic_Center
Winston-Salem NC - 3150 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston-Salem_Fairgrounds_Annex
Flint MI - 4400 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dort_Federal_Credit_Union_Event_Center
Binghamton NY - 4700 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visions_Veterans_Memorial_Arena
Utica NY - 3900 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adirondack_Bank_Center
Danbury CT - 3000 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danbury_Ice_Arena

I daresay, I don't think it would be all that hard to fill up an arena in any of those locations for an event like SkAm.

A lot of those places can be pretty hard to get to from abroad.

I’m biased, since I live 15 min from the arena, but I’d love for it to come back! They got the shuttle kinks worked out after the first day, and the parking at the MBTA lot was cheap. The seating in the arena is very comfortable. I appreciate their attempts with the food trucks, but a greater number and variety would have been appreciated.

Eta: the crowd was also really knowledgeable and the ambience was great.

 

[Karen-W]

Keep Skate America in skating Mecca’s. Boston University Arena has 6,000 seats. It’s obviously hockey season but not impossible to schedule in advance.

Soooooo... SoCal? Or Michigan? There are plenty of "skating meccas" in the US - Boston is just one, and they have Worlds 2025. Move SkAm around the country.

If you think that the arena needs to be in the 5000-6500 range, there are also plenty of options.
Indianapolis IN - 6200 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Farmers_Coliseum
Portland ME - 6200 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_Insurance_Arena
Knoxville TN - 6500 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knoxville_Civic_Coliseum
Henderson (Las Vegas) NV - 5600 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_Loan_Center
Youngstown OH - 5700 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covelli_Centre
Rockford IL - 6200 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMO_Harris_Bank_Center
Reading PA - 6500 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santander_Arena
Erie PA - 6700 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Insurance_Arena

A lot of those places can be pretty hard to get to from abroad.

No harder to get to than they are from most places in the US, to be honest. The first five I listed of the smaller arenas (San Jose, Boise, Omaha, Birmingham, & Winston-Salem) are all serviced by large airports with good connections to the major hubs. Probably not, with the exception of San Jose, a non-stop flight, but not hard to get to, even from abroad. Same goes for the first four on the larger arena list above (Indianapolis, Portland ME, Knoxville, and Henderson NV). I get the attraction of the larger cities that are serviced by multiple airlines daily. But, really, there are at least, IMO, 8-10 reasonable options available to the USFS, if they are willing to look at some slightly smaller cities and arenas.

 

[alizadavida]

A lot of those places can be pretty hard to get to from abroad.

I’m biased, since I live 15 min from the arena, but I’d love for it to come back! They got the shuttle kinks worked out after the first day, and the parking at the MBTA lot was cheap. The seating in the arena is very comfortable. I appreciate their attempts with the food trucks, but a greater number and variety would have been appreciated.

Eta: the crowd was also really knowledgeable and the ambience was great.

I live 45 min from the rink. Shuttle for the volunteers was easy and only kink I had was no one told us how to get onto the ice so I had to figure that out myself. I heard the grilled cheese didn’t come Sunday so the only choice for real food was concessions or a long line (I had a volunteer meal)

 

[sk8nlizard]

Soooooo... SoCal? Or Michigan? There are plenty of "skating meccas" in the US - Boston is just one, and they have Worlds 2025. Move SkAm around the country.

If you think that the arena needs to be in the 5000-6500 range, there are also plenty of options.
Indianapolis IN - 6200 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Farmers_Coliseum
Portland ME - 6200 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_Insurance_Arena
Knoxville TN - 6500 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knoxville_Civic_Coliseum
Henderson (Las Vegas) NV - 5600 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_Loan_Center
Youngstown OH - 5700 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covelli_Centre
Rockford IL - 6200 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMO_Harris_Bank_Center
Reading PA - 6500 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santander_Arena
Erie PA - 6700 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Insurance_Arena

No harder to get to than they are from most places in the US, to be honest. The first five I listed of the smaller arenas (San Jose, Boise, Omaha, Birmingham, & Winston-Salem) are all serviced by large airports with good connections to the major hubs. Probably not, with the exception of San Jose, a non-stop flight, but not hard to get to, even from abroad. Same goes for the first four on the larger arena list above (Indianapolis, Portland ME, Knoxville, and Henderson NV). I get the attraction of the larger cities that are serviced by multiple airlines daily. But, really, there are at least, IMO, 8-10 reasonable options available to the USFS, if they are willing to look at some slightly smaller cities and arenas.

I think the issue with a lot of these places, though not all, is that they don’t have a strong skating community to back it up. That is very important and something Boston does extremely well.

 

[Rukia]

If we are making a wishlist I vote Frisco or Allen, Texas. I know those arenas are probably close to the capacities list above. Not the easiest to get to from an airport probably. Easy for me to get to though and that's what matters.

 

[Karen-W]

I think the issue with a lot of these places, though not all, is that they don’t have a strong skating community to back it up. That is very important and something Boston does extremely well.

Is it? The USFS seemed to manage in Las Vegas just fine, both pre and post pandemic. I'm not sure how strong the skating community is in Las Vegas, but it's not Boston level by any stretch, but my guess is you're overestimating the amount of work & support necessary from the local skating community to manage and run an event like SkAm. Mind, I'm not dismissing the benefits of that potential support base, but I doubt it's going to be a deal-breaker as long as there is a local USFS-affiliated skating club willing to assist.

 

[Debbie S]

USFS doesn't require assistance from a skating club as long as there is a local 'champion',, either a sports tourism org or local govt office. It's nice to have a local club that can get involved and drum up interest but it's not a requirement.

Boston is convenient for me to get to and I plan to be at 2025 Worlds, but I'm not sure I want to come back to SCOB for a large event. The building is nice, but the facility really isn't suited to large crowds, particularly for an all-day/night event. For non-Garden venues, I would prefer the arena at BU (or Northeastern) as it's in the city and accessible by public transit. Adding in rental car and parking costs makes the event much more expensive.

 

[peibeck]

I'm sure USFS did not have to pony up significant funds for a week+ at SCOB like they have to at most venues they rent for a week. I'd expect USFS will want to continue to follow that path since I'm guessing they took quite a financial beating on events during the shutdown.

 

[once_upon]

As long as USFS uses expensive cities like Boston, or I win to 600 million lottery, I'll be looking to SC or European Grand Prix Events.

But in reality, USFS doesn't care about my budget.

 

[Karen-W]

As long as USFS uses expensive cities like Boston, or I win to 600 million lottery, I'll be looking to SC or European Grand Prix Events.

But in reality, USFS doesn't care about my budget.

Isn't it a trade-off, though? More expensive cities for hotels like Boston are going to have cheaper/better flight options, but the cheaper cities for hotels are going to be more expensive with less plentiful flight options.

 

[once_upon]

Isn't it a trade-off, though? More expensive cities for hotels like Boston are going to have cheaper/better flight options, but the cheaper cities for hotels are going to be more expensive with less plentiful flight options.

Maybe, but at this point in my life, if I'm spending that kind of money for a vacation, I'm going to find something that my husband can enjoy too. Traveling outside of the US and combining it with a vacation for both of us is much more appealing.

You all don't believe me when I run estimates of attending events in areas like Boston as $10,000 - $12,000 for one person.

I estimate SC this week will be around $5,000 total for the two of us for 7 days. Probably a bit more because we upgrade to first class tickets.

 

[ChillSkate]

There were definitely pros and cons of SCOB but I'm leaning towards not wanting it to be there again, at least not for years since 2025 Worlds will be in Boston
Pros:

• Walkable to one hotel, a really nice grocery store, public transit, and numerous restaurants / retail outlets (about a 20 minute walk to the closest store, 40 minute walk to the public transit with sidewalks the whole way)
• Excellent, frequent shuttles
• Reasonably close to major international airport
• Beautiful arena
• Comfortable seats
• You could see the ice from the concourse

Cons:

• The arena just felt really small and not in line with the caliber of an international grand prix event - it made it feel less important
• Seeing people milling around in the concourse was distracting and looks weird on TV
• Terrible concessions, food trucks didn't really work, would be miserable in the rain / cold
• Not enough bathrooms
• No cell phone signal and very poor wifi in the arena - made the event feel very long
• Site lines in arena were not great - I was in Row E towards the side and it was a little hard to see the other end of the ice - the railings on the stairs were placed so as to block views a bit
• Not really close enough to downtown to easily do other activites

Might be too big but I was at Providence Dunkin Donuts Arena for Crystal cirque skating show and thought it could be a good venue (~10,000 seats, right downtown)

 

[BlueRidge]

Comfortable seats--for me that probably trumps everything else. I can't sit on hard seats for very long without it becoming extremely uncomfortable and painful. I was happy sitting the entire time here.

It also worked for me because I didn't have to stay in Norwood, so was out of there as soon as skating ended. Thank goodness.

I generally am not bothered by much (besides Rusty who causes me to go berserk if I am a captive audience) so its serious if I complain, but I do have one complaint. The music was too loud. Seriously. It did not have to be as loud as it was a lot of the time. It was painful and I had to put my fingers in my ears. I also think they could have varied the between-skating music. We were all plenty excited; we didn't need high energy dance music constantly. You need to be able to conserve your energy between skates and that choice of music was too much.

 

[clairecloutier]

I loved that the arena was sold out. It made for a great atmosphere. Boston has a pretty big skating community, and the fans are knowledgeable and keyed-in to what to look for in the skating. Between that (and FSUers ), it helps raise the engagement level a lot. I’m sure people who were at 2016 Worlds remember the incredible crowds there. That’s a big plus of having events in Boston.

I guess the trade-off is the cost, inconvenience, etc. No venue in the area is really perfect. We had the expensive parking/garage situation at Norwood. I like the idea of the smaller college arenas in Boston itself (like Agganis Arena), but then you’re probably paying more in hotel costs. (And for me as a local, those arenas would actually be harder to get to, probably.) So I don't know. Pros and cons. But if they have it again at SCOB, I will definitely go.

 

[BlueRidge]

But if they have it again at SCOB, I will definitely go.

^^This!

 

[quartz]

Maybe, but at this point in my life, if I'm spending that kind of money for a vacation, I'm going to find something that my husband can enjoy too. Traveling outside of the US and combining it with a vacation for both of us is much more appealing.

You all don't believe me when I run estimates of attending events in areas like Boston as $10,000 - $12,000 for one person.

I estimate SC this week will be around $5,000 total for the two of us for 7 days. Probably a bit more because we upgrade to first class tickets.

The US exchange to Canadian dollar is also at $1.37. I will only go to the States to see family - it makes zero sense to go there as a vacation and lose that much money on a dollar.

 

[PRlady]

The US exchange to Canadian dollar is also at $1.37. I will only go to the States to see family - it makes zero sense to go there as a vacation and lose that much money on a dollar.

I get that. Our month in Canada was eased by a $1.30 exchange rate, I didn’t realize it had gotten even worse for Canadians!

The dollar is also finally getting stronger against the shekel which will help our 3 months in Israel.

 

[sk8nlizard]

If we are making a wishlist I vote Frisco or Allen, Texas. I know those arenas are probably close to the capacities list above. Not the easiest to get to from an airport probably. Easy for me to get to though and that's what matters.

I was actually thinking Dickies Arena in Fort Worth would be a great place for Nationals. It says I sits 14000 but it feels intimate. It’s new and very nice. There is a major airport not far, and Fort Worth is cheaper than Dallas. Also, Fort Worth has some fun touristy type things. And the Dallas Figure Skating club is quite large and they host many competitions (though they are obviously smaller). Seems like they have a good volunteer base.

 

[BittyBug]

You all don't believe me when I run estimates of attending events in areas like Boston as $10,000 - $12,000 for one person.

You’re right, I find that very difficult to believe. It was a four day event, three if you don’t count the practice day, so you’re suggesting it would have cost you $2,500 or more per day? That’s really hard to square, even if you were making plans at the very last minute.

 

[Evgeniafan]

There were definitely pros and cons of SCOB but I'm leaning towards not wanting it to be there again, at least not for years since 2025 Worlds will be in Boston
Pros:

• Walkable to one hotel, a really nice grocery store, public transit, and numerous restaurants / retail outlets (about a 20 minute walk to the closest store, 40 minute walk to the public transit with sidewalks the whole way)
• Excellent, frequent shuttles
• Reasonably close to major international airport
• Beautiful arena
• Comfortable seats
• You could see the ice from the concourse

Cons:

• The arena just felt really small and not in line with the caliber of an international grand prix event - it made it feel less important
• Seeing people milling around in the concourse was distracting and looks weird on TV
• Terrible concessions, food trucks didn't really work, would be miserable in the rain / cold
• Not enough bathrooms
• No cell phone signal and very poor wifi in the arena - made the event feel very long
• Site lines in arena were not great - I was in Row E towards the side and it was a little hard to see the other end of the ice - the railings on the stairs were placed so as to block views a bit
• Not really close enough to downtown to easily do other activites

Might be too big but I was at Providence Dunkin Donuts Arena for Crystal cirque skating show and thought it could be a good venue (~10,000 seats, right downtown)

Providence Arena would be great. Its attached to a hotel and a shopping mall. There are really good restaurants across the street. I don't understand why they never get any competitions.

 

[Spikefan]

I think the USFS would be better served looking for arenas that are about twice as large as SCoB, located in mid-large metropolitan areas or their suburbs. I know many who traveled to Norwood weren't happy about the parking situation, however, that isn't going to be an issue at an arena with a 4000-5000 capacity. And, yes, they do exist. Here's a small sample of cities with minor league hockey teams that play in smaller arenas:

Boise ID - 5000 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_Central_Arena
San Jose CA - 4200 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tech_CU_Arena
Omaha (Ralston) NE - 4000 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_First_Credit_Union_Arena
Birmingham (Pelham) AL - 4100 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelham_Civic_Center
Winston-Salem NC - 3150 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston-Salem_Fairgrounds_Annex
Flint MI - 4400 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dort_Federal_Credit_Union_Event_Center
Binghamton NY - 4700 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visions_Veterans_Memorial_Arena
Utica NY - 3900 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adirondack_Bank_Center
Danbury CT - 3000 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danbury_Ice_Arena

I daresay, I don't think it would be all that hard to fill up an arena in any of those locations for an event like SkAm.

Cable Dahmer Arena - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Kansas City MO-5800 (technically Independence but right off of I-70 with a nice large free parking lot).

 

[thvu]

This trip was very costly for us, but still worth it. Vegas was a much cheaper trip with being able to stay in the event venue, and so many of the attractions being local / a short uber away. We stayed for a week, Tuesday - Monday. We spent two days going in to Boston, (but wow was that expensive). Here's a rough outline of the costs for two.

2x Plane Tickets: $1300
2x All-Event Tickets: $505
Parking Pass: $180
Rental Car: $500
Ubers: $250
Food/Drinks: $900 (We treated ourselves to some nice dinners and arena drinks.)
Hotel: Paid with points, but would have been about $1000 for the 6 nights.

And this doesn't include souvenirs, trips to Walgreens to pick up things we forgot, or some shopping that we did. Obviously, someone not wanting to make trips to Boston would have much lower costs. In hindsight, we should have stayed in Boston for the first few days, and then changed hotels to stay in Norwood for the competition.

While I really enjoyed the trip, and would return to another Skate America at SCOB, I would prefer Vegas. Food was better & cheaper, my driving/travel costs would be so much lower. I could also spend more time and money buying things I don't need!

 

[BlueRidge]

I think the biggest thing for SCOB is the parking/need for a car so rental car or uber costs. I didn't have any of those or hotel fees so it was fine for me, but it would give me pause if I had to stay at a hotel in Norwood.

I think the best set up for an event is one where there are hotels within close walking distance of the hotel and you can get to them easily from the airport. So Pittsburgh, Hartford of past Skate Americas I've been to. Its not easy to get to Reading if you aren't within driving distance but there's a hotel across from the arena and its in a town area where you can walk on sidewalks, as opposed to being in a suburban hellscape like where the arena is in Greensboro NC.

 

[Bouffantrex]

The Boston crowd was knowledgeable and fantastic. However, even the mostly-full arena looked anemic on television. I vote for Vegas next year.

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

I totally enjoyed having Skate America at SCOB and would gladly come back again for it. I thought it was the right size arena and always felt full with no bad sightlines. The shuttle service from offsite parking was quick and speedy—if I had more walk-friendly shoes on, my legs would have appreciated the short 2 mile walk after sitting all day. If I had planned on staying at the hotels near the MBTA station, I could have easily foregone a car and taken Amtrak up instead (next time).

I didn't have a problem getting through security, but I also didn't bring a ton of stuff as other folks did.

The outdoor food trucks were the perfect addition, especially for those of us who still don't dine indoors because of YKW. We could have been better served by having 4-5 more, just to cut down on the length of the lines. That's my only complaint.

Unless public interest in skating grows considerably over the next several years, a place like SCOB is the ideal venue to host.

 

[Aceon6]

Keep Skate America in skating Mecca’s. Boston University Arena has 6,000 seats. It’s obviously hockey season but not impossible to schedule in advance.

Not doable for Head of the Charles weekend. Hotels would be a problem.

 

[sk9tingfan]

The Boston crowd was knowledgeable and fantastic. However, even the mostly-full arena looked anemic on television. I vote for Vegas next year.

They indicated that this was a sold-out event. As I glanced around the arena, I noticed any number of empty seats, I was perplexed, but could attribute these to the following:

• Too many seats were allocated to sponsors and officials, etc. who elected not to send attendees
• Some attendees elected to attend only one or a few of the total number of sessions
• Some anticipated attendees could not make it and did not resell their tickets

It just looked pathetic.