Ontario, CA - Toyota Arena (formerly Citizens Business Bank Arena)
I was only listing the cities that have two arenas in the metropolitan area that meet the requirements of 1 with at least 10k capacity and 1 with at least 2k capacity. I'm not sure if the Ontario Convention Center has ice-making capacity, though I'd guess there's something somewhat nearby that could accommodate the lower levels.
Portland, OR has Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the same complex. Nationals was held there in 2005. I know the weather was miserable for that event with ice and snow, but that was an outlier. As I recall, attendance was good, even for the novice and junior events.
The weather was great for most of that week. The ice storm came in on Friday overnight and made it impossible to get around on the weekend. I live in the SW PDX suburbs and missed out on the weekend competitions because I couldn't get over to the Rose Quarter - driving was out of the question and public transit from my neck of the woods was a mess.
Yeah it was absolutely DEAD in there. And they blocked off the whole judges' side so it wouldn't look totally pathetic on TV. I had to bumrush past a security guard just to get over there to take photos of the dance podium lol.
I can assure you that, much as I would love a skating competition to be here, Richmond does not have 2 facilities to host national or international skating events - the 2 standard ice facilities (1 within a mile of where I live, and 1 at least 10 miles away) are nowhere near capacity for even practice events. The Richmond Coliseum has been closed to the public for many years, and there are no viable plans yet to replace or refurbish it, sadly,
Skate America in Las Vegas was great. I’d be happy to return there.
Philly?
I really enjoyed when Nats was in Portland. Even the ice storm didn't impact us much as we were staying at a VRBO right on the Light Rail line that went to the arena. It just made the whole thing more memorable.
They could have the lower level events at the suburban rink where they had Pacific Coast Sectionals this year. I'm not sure how far it is from Vegas proper, though.
It's in Henderson, which is on SE of Las Vegas proper. A quick check of Google Maps says it's a 25 min drive between Tropicana Ave where the Orleans Arena, MGM Grand Arena & T-Mobile Arena are located (Orleans doesn't have the capacity the USFS wants for the main arena though).
It's longer at rush hour though.
I figured as much.It's longer at rush hour though.
That’s what we saw. So worth it. DH left the US last Friday, I follow after Xmas, and the exhibit closes in early March so it was our last chance to see it. It was featured on PBS NewsHour and it really is special.
I wonder how many of these cities would be interested in hosting a Skate America. I'll set the over/under at 2.
I wish I'd known you were coming. I would have been able to get you free tickets with my membership and meet you there. Next exhibition maybe
- it will apparently have to go far to top this one.
I don't believe Mobile, AL has any ice at the moment - the Civic Center was demolished in 2024 and the replacement facility won't be finished until sometime in 2027.
And Providence has good restaurants, particularly Italian ones.Providence, RI - The Amp/Dunkin Donuts Center/Providence Civic Center has hosted Nationals before. The Convention Center next door could serve as a secondary arena. Brown & PC both have on-campus arenas. Best of all, would be a local event for me.
I suspect that parking and food will still continue to be an issue. Without a continuous shuttle to University Park, it’s a challenge.
Would it work for the T-Mobile Arena be the primary arena and the Orleans the secondary?
Per the timeline in the RFP, the Board was scheduled to approve the winning bid in November 2025, so yes, they should know already.
Yes, there is a rink nearby, Ontario Ice Center, owned by the Kwan Family. It may need some additional seating brought in, however, but there is ample room for it.
