2026 U.S. Nationals - St. Louis!

The gentleman who was coordinating tickets for a group (that I'm part of) received an email from someone at USFS about the junior tickets. They essentially said that the junior tickets included in the all-event package were "comped" because they didn't bother to figure out pricing for the junior tickets, and they didn't know where the junior events would be held so they didn't want to let the public know that info before tickets went on sale and apologized for that. The email said that if the public bought separate tickets for each senior event, the price would be more than the all-event ticket. Clearly USFS doesn't care about its fans.:scream:

To answer questions about the schedule, I received an email about the senior events (no info about the junior events because they don't seem to care about them, but I think they start on the 4th):

Official practices for seniors start Tuesday, January 6
Sessions 1 and 2 (pairs and women's short), January 7
Sessions 3 and 4 (rhythm dance and men's short), January 8
Session 5 (pairs and women's free group 1) and Session 6 (pairs and women's free groups 2-3), January 9
Session 7 (free dance and men's group 1) and Session 8 (free dance and men's groups 2-3), January 10
Session 9 (Olympic team announcement), January 11.

MAJOR dislike for splitting up competition for ALL free programs!:angryfire
Well, hopefully they're splitting the pairs and dance the same way they're splitting them men & women, with groups 2-3 in the later session, though I think it's quite possible they'll do the opposite with groups 1-2 of both in the earlier session. They did it with dance this year already and there's a pretty wide gap, IMO, between the obvious top 5 (ChoBat, CarPon, GreenP, ZingKol and Shibs) and the rest of the field (sorry BraSom, NesMark & Brown truthers, lol). It would suck for the pairs teams, though, because there are at least 7 teams in the upper tier - EfiMit, KamO, ChanHowe, PlaFern, McBPark, ShiNagy, and FlorWang).
 
Weekend Package On Sale June 23, per event website.
Tickets go on sale Monday, June 23 at Noon CST.​
The weekend package ticket includes admission to:​
Four (4) championship-level competitions at Enterprise Center (Friday, January 9 – Saturday, January 10)​
Olympic team naming celebration on Sunday, January 11​
Weekend package ticket prices:​
$506 (Rows 2-5) – Limited inventory!​
$368 (Center Sections)​
$286 (Endzones)​
Ticket price includes all fees. Tickets can be purchased online through Ticketmaster.​

Championship Single-Session Tickets on sale in early September.
Junior/Novice Single-Session Tickets on sale in late November.

... To answer questions about the schedule, I received an email about the senior events (no info about the junior events because they don't seem to care about them, but I think they start on the 4th):

Official practices for seniors start Tuesday, January 6
Sessions 1 and 2 (pairs and women's short), January 7
Sessions 3 and 4 (rhythm dance and men's short), January 8
Session 5 (pairs and women's free group 1) and Session 6 (pairs and women's free groups 2-3), January 9
Session 7 (free dance and men's group 1) and Session 8 (free dance and men's groups 2-3), January 10
Session 9 (Olympic team announcement), January 11. ...

No start times in the email I received. It also says "schedule subject to change."

Event website also has twinsmom's Championship (Senior) Schedule (without start times) along with standard disclaimer of "*Schedule subject to change."
Plus website has Novice/Junior Schedule (which is straightforward) at Centene Community Ice Center, with "Times to be announced in September." Sun Jan 4: official practices. Mon Jan 5: Novice PDs; Junior RD; short programs for all other categories. Tue Jan 6: Novice and Junior FD; free skates for all other categories.
.
Just to be super-clear, lest anyone wonder:
On Tuesday, Jan. 6, Championship Official Practices are at Enterprise Center.

Session 9 wording is: "2026 Milan Figure Skating Team Announcement Show".
[I wonder whether or not "Show" means it would be similar to a normal gala with exhibition programs, but in combination with the Olympic team announcement??]

Alysa's vlog gives a sense of Centene, starting at approx. 11:20.
 
Last edited:
So, it seems the split for the free skates/free dance will be as follows:

Friday, Jan. 9
  • Session 5 – Championship Pairs Free Skate (Group 1) & Championship Women Free Skate (Group 1)
  • Session 6 – Championship Pairs Free Skate (Groups 2&3) & Championship Women Free Skate (Groups 2&3)
Saturday, Jan. 10
  • Session 7 – Championship Free Dance (Group 1) & Championship Men Free Skate (Group 1)
  • Session 8 – Championship Free Dance (Groups 2&3) & Championship Men Free Skate (Groups 2&3)

While none of us particularly like the split sessions, this is at least fairer to the contenders in group 2 of each discipline and better than it's been in past years.
 
Wait...I have to pay for a ticket to the "Olympic team naming celebration on Sunday, Jan. 11 " WHAT???? Sorry but imho this is not saying it's a show just a "celebration" (In other words they aren't telling you until SUNDAY any of the teams so you will pay money to be surprised?) I was seriously considering a weekend package but :rofl:

This is probably going to be broadcast live in my living room via Peacock :)
 
Wait...I have to pay for a ticket to the "Olympic team naming celebration on Sunday, Jan. 11 " WHAT???? Sorry but imho this is not saying it's a show just a "celebration" (In other words they aren't telling you until SUNDAY any of the teams so you will pay money to be surprised?) I was seriously considering a weekend package but :rofl:

This is probably going to be broadcast live in my living room via Peacock :)
All I gotta say is they better not make us wait 36+ hours from the conclusion of the Pairs & Women's events to know who has been named to the Olympic team.
 
All I gotta say is they better not make us wait 36+ hours from the conclusion of the Pairs & Women's events to know who has been named to the Olympic team.


I'd bet that's the goal so we will pay for the "celebration" Probably want some "hype" like gymnastics has but I don't see how it would work for them but... LOL!
 
I'd bet that's the goal so we will pay for the "celebration" Probably want some "hype" like gymnastics has but I don't see how it would work for them but... LOL!
I was thinking about gymnastics, actually, and the "Olympic Team Announcement" show they did. I'm going back through the USAG Trials discussion and the Men's team was announced almost immediately after the conclusion of Day 2. Terry et al did fluff/filler for about 15 min after MAG Day 2 ended while the USAG Selection Committee met & formalized the selection of the team. I came across a post of mine saying that NBC needs to make the USFS Int'l Committee do this - they lined the athletes & alternates up & brought them out. Then, the next day, they did the same with the women, but they also brought the men and the trampoliners out again to be recognized as the full Olympic team.

In 2022, there was a formal Olympic team introduction in the arena as part of the gala, IIRC. That's when all the skaters got the custom Gibson guitars. Who knows what will happen, but I can't really see NBC not encouraging the USFS to do something similar with all 4 disciplines as USAG did with the MAG team announcement. There will be an ice resurfacing after the Pairs and Dance Free Skate/Dance which gives the Int'l Committee time to meet & formalize the Oly team selections, then let NBC announce it on-air before the start of the Women's & Men's Free Skates.
 
Is anyone seeing the Weekend Package option on the website? I was just trying to buy tickets just for the weekend, and it looks like the only option is to buy All Event packages.
 
It would suck for the pairs teams, though, because there are at least 7 teams in the upper tier - EfiMit, KamO, ChanHowe, PlaFern, McBPark, ShiNagy, and FlorWang).

Upper tier? Oh dear... :rofl: Whilst I like some things about all those teams, I'd say the depth of US pairs is pretty shallow in comparison to US dance internationally.

I'm just going to hope against hope that Efimova magically gets her citizenship sorted by January.
 
Upper tier? Oh dear... :rofl: Whilst I like some things about all those teams, I'd say the depth of US pairs is pretty shallow in comparison to US dance internationally.

I'm just going to hope against hope that Efimova magically gets her citizenship sorted by January.
By upper tier I mean those teams are a cut above the rest of the US pairs teams. There wasn't any commentary or observation on how competitive that makes them internationally, just that there's a pretty clear division, IMO, between those 7 teams, whose PBs are about 15 points higher than the #8 US team & the rest of the teams who've had int'l assignments the past two seasons.

PBs -
KamO - 201.73 2024 SkAm
EfiMit - 199.29 2025 Worlds
ChanHowe - 201.11 2023 4CCs (178.31 2024-25 SB)
PlaFern - 174.15 2024 Worlds (out all of 2024-25 due to injury)
McBPark - 173.37 2024 John Nicks IPC
ShiNagy - 170.21 2024 Golden Spin
FlorWang - 166.89 2024 Jr Worlds (155.82 2024-25 SB)
----
WilLew - 153.34 2024 Finlandia
DigSad - 147.72 2024 John Nicks IPC
FitzBear - 134.86 2024 John Nicks IPC
Mokhovs - 134.81 2023 CoC
HanNeu - 128.78 2024 John Nicks IPC
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top
Do Not Sell My Personal Information