2023 Skate America in Allen, Texas

[overedge]

My estimate is that arena is about 40% full - which means probably 2500 - 3000 fans or so. Which means more than Skate America Norwood, MA!

Except that was the most that the Norwood arena could hold. There might have been more people there if there were more seats.

 

[Debbie S]

It sure was warmer in Norwood. Freezing in here tonight, feels colder than this afternoon.

 

[Lanie]

It is definitely the coldest rink I’ve been in.

It is busier than I thought it would be but really they need to just advertise it and actually get this sport on TV but alas...

 

[peibeck]

It is definitely the coldest rink I’ve been in.

It is busier than I thought it would be but really they need to just advertise it and actually get this sport on TV but alas...

It's on "E!!!" They should have the Kar-trashians publicizing it!

 

[Spikefan]

What kind of dangerous item can be hidden in a wallet??

Mice. That probably came in the trash bags of stuffies people were allowed to bring in. But I had to open my clear crossbody and mini wallet.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Making people walk through a metal detector with their bags after the bags have been searched is just dumb. Why is it so hard for these places to realize the correct order of things?

 

[Rukia]

Making people walk through a metal detector with their bags after the bags have been searched is just dumb. Why is it so hard for these places to realize the correct order of things?

We didn't have to haha. They handed us our bags after we went through. But I'm on crutches so the metal detector goes off anyway and they were just like "oh yeah we see the crutches you're fine" was i though??

 

[ChillSkate]

Today's practice procedure was extra weird - they said we didn't need to show tickets when we arrived and applied a wrist band. Then some guy came around to each person in the audience and demanded to scan our tickets for Session 2 and 3. He says he'll scan them out when we leave. We'll see I guess.

 

[On My Own]

What kind of dangerous item can be hidden in a wallet??

A tape recording of Dave Lease.

 

[On My Own]

What kind of dangerous item can be hidden in a wallet??

A lock of Eteri's hair.

 

[Karen-W]

A lock of Eteri's hair.

Which is really the source of mojo.

 

[On My Own]

Which is really the source of mojo.

Just add hot water...

 

[ChillSkate]

The arena is legit crowded tonight for the Ladies Short / Mens Free - lines were 20-30 deep to get inside and the arena is about 75% full!

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I was noticing that, and thinking how great would be to have this as a reoccurring venue, it really look like a lot of fans turned out in Texas, instead of the scarcely filled ones of the past

 

[ChillSkate]

Yes!!! The arena wound up more like 85% full - maybe 90-95% when you account for the fact that some seats have to be reserved for skating federations.

To me, this is basically a perfect venue:

• Close to a major international airport
• Perfect size (~6500) & modern arena
• Free parking
• MANY restaurants within walking distance (ranging from fast food to fast casual to mid-high end sit-down (several open late), plus several grocery stores within walking distance)
• Large hotel a 2 minute walk away and several others within a 10 minute uber ride
• Very low risk of inclement weather in Oct
• Enthusiastic local skating community

I've been to many SkAms / Nationals / Worlds and this is by far the most fan-friendly location I have been to. Wonderful to see how full the arena was and how enthusiast the fans were tonight!

Very much hope SkAm returns to Allen, TX!

 

[Lanie]

I was iffy on location but I think it's been great, except the hotel bar closed early tonight and isn't open tomorrow

I had a funny convo with a cop at the arena. He'd never paid much attention to skating and turns out he LOVES it. New fan.

 

[Lizziebeth]

I would think that repeating a venue would help attendance. People who have been there before ae familiar with logistics and would find it much easier to return.

 

[Spikefan]

The skaters supposedly like the venue too, easy to get from the arena to the hotel.

They need to find a similar venue on the East coast and then could rotate: Vegas, Allen, EC location.

They do need to build another hotel on the south side of Stacy, there is empty space behind In and Out for a small footprint hotel. That would make it perfect.

 

[RubySkate]

If anybody has contacts who are looking for a similar good venue for Nationals in Texas, I recommend Dickies Arena in Fort Worth! Brand new, beautiful arena, with LOTS of bathrooms! The staff is extremely kind and friendly, just like here in Allen. They've already had several successful sports events there such as gymnastics nationals, WTA finals, and NCAA basketball tournament.

 

[RubySkate]

If anybody has contacts who are looking for a similar good venue for Nationals in Texas, I recommend Dickies Arena in Fort Worth! Brand new, beautiful arena, with LOTS of bathrooms! The staff is extremely kind and friendly, just like here in Allen. They've already had several successful sports events there such as gymnastics nationals, WTA finals, and NCAA basketball tournament.

Well, you may have to ignore my suggestion. I think they usually have a rodeo booked in late January. Maybe one of those early Olympic years.

 

[skylark]

The staff is extremely kind and friendly, just like here in Allen.

Southern manners; southern charm

 

[Aceon6]

I had a funny convo with a cop at the arena. He'd never paid much attention to skating and turns out he LOVES it. New fan.

The firefighters in Norwood last year were the same. One said that, pound for pound, skaters are the best athletes he’s seen.

 

[peibeck]

I'm glad the attendance has been pretty good. I remember Nationals in Dallas had disappointing crowds (and that was back in the Kwan era!)

 

[kwanfan1818]

Dallas was in the American Airlines arena, which has at least 18K seats. Was attendance low, or did it look low because it is huge?

 

[Debbie S]

Pretty empty in here this afternoon. Last night was really the only session that looked close to full. The thing about last year, the arena was small and not the most conveniently located (although the sight lines were perfect) but IIRC everyone was there in the seats the whole time. It thinned out a bit for the ex on Sunday night, but that's normal.

 

[peibeck]

Dallas was in the American Airlines arena, which has at least 18K seats. Was attendance low, or did it look low because it is huge?

I'm sure the arena size didn't help, but even in the late Kwan era they could usually fill the place up for ladies at the very least.

 

[peibeck]

Pretty empty in here this afternoon. Last night was really the only session that looked close to full. The thing about last year, the arena was small and not the most conveniently located (although the sight lines were perfect) but IIRC everyone was there in the seats the whole time. It thinned out a bit for the ex on Sunday night, but that's normal.

In TX, you're going to be REALLY competing with football on Fridays and Sundays. Football is a second religion in Texas. So if in MA it was mostly full with a 2k arena for all events, it's only going to look a bit less than half full in an arena about twice the size. I've heard the USFS is pretty satisfied with the attendance.

 

[AnnM]

I'll be an outlier and say that I hope Texas isn't a regularly recurring location due to their position on women's bodily autonomy, LGBTQ rights, and the number of race based mass shootings they've had in recent years. Some people may view any or all of these concerns as hypothetical; if so, I'm glad for you. For me, they're not.

 

[overedge]

I'll be an outlier and say that I hope Texas isn't a regularly recurring location due to their position on women's bodily autonomy, LGBTQ rights, and the number of race based mass shootings they've had in recent years. Some people may view any or all of these concerns as hypothetical; if so, I'm glad for you. For me, they're not.

I have the same concerns.

 

[dancefan17]

I am in the venue and last night, was pleasantly surprised how many folks had rainbow flag and how loud the cheering was for Amber. Total love fest here

Having said that, I like the idea of rotating locations so that more people can enjoy the competition. I thought Allen was ok, but thought Boston was terrific as an event site.