2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championships moved to Las Vegas; no audience

[annie720]

Actually studies have shown that travel really isn't as dangerous as you might imagine as long as everyone plays by the rules. I have friends who are flight attendants for Delta and fly at least once a week. Their only " crisis" came when a fellow flight attendant discovered when she got to some town in the middle of nowhere that her husband had just been diagnosed. She called in and they took her off the schedule (she drove back to Atlanta). My friend never developed any problems (probably because her coworker did the right thing!)

I understand that and it makes sense, but the last time I flew, 22 months ago, I came down with the flu two days after landing and was certain it came from the person in the seat next to me who was obviously sick. I vowed at that time never to fly again during the winter. Not a great loss since I don't enjoy flying or airports. Hotels are different. We did a major road trip in September and felt perfectly safe in hotels and getting takeout food, but finding bathrooms on the road could be tricky. Anyway, wishing safe travels to all the skaters making the trip to Vegas, however they travel.

 

[concorde]

My work colleague is convinced she caught the crud on the plane. According to her, passengers were not properly wearing their masks and the flight attendants allowed it. Not to mention, lots of passengers were eating on the plane.

 

[Carolla5501]

Personally if I was going I would probably go get myself tested a day or two before I left just to make sure that at least I didn’t know I was going to get there and get rejected.

But where I live it’s pretty easy to find a testing place and the results come back fairly quickly. I know other people are having different experiences

 

[Carolla5501]

I understand that and it makes sense, but the last time I flew, 22 months ago, I came down with the flu two days after landing and was certain it came from the person in the seat next to me who was obviously sick. I vowed at that time never to fly again during the winter. Not a great loss since I don't enjoy flying or airports. Hotels are different. We did a major road trip in September and felt perfectly safe in hotels and getting takeout food, but finding bathrooms on the road could be tricky. Anyway, wishing safe travels to all the skaters making the trip to Vegas, however they travel.

Yeah always read the stories, but this is a person who used to travel every week, and I never got sick. And that was before people were wearing masks. Now granted I do fly Delta and they are strict about mask wearing. If you don’t wear a mask when you get off the plane you’re handed a refund for any remaining flights and told to have a nice life until this is all over. So if you want those idiots who thinks masks are not required don’t fly Delta

On my last flight the flight attendant actually walked up to a passenger and said “if I see you without a mask again sir I will report you when we land and you will not be flying Delta again”. He didn’t take his mask down to even take a sip of water for the rest of the flight.

 

[misskarne]

TCC isn't closed as far as I know, so Jason should still be able to train. The Ontario lockdown rules permit sports facilities to stay open just for high performance athletes, as long as safe protocols are in place. Toronto has been in this grey zone (lockdown) for a while, and I've seen recent videos of skaters training at TCC.

Jason's problem will be getting back into Canada after Nationals. He had a hard enough time in June, and that was before the post-Thanksgiving spike.

 

[Debbie S]

My work colleague is convinced she caught the crud on the plane. According to her, passengers were not properly wearing their masks and the flight attendants allowed it. Not to mention, lots of passengers were eating on the plane.

This year has made it clear that not everyone plays by the rules. (If everyone wore a mask, social-distanced and isolated if experiencing symptoms or around someone who did, we would probably be in a different place right now.) In terms of air travel, there's no way people can stay 6 feet apart, esp since airlines are no longer blocking middle seats. People are going to take off their masks to eat/drink, and there is likely at least one idiot on every flight who will have their mask pulled down. Given the videos we've seen of flight attendants being attacked for asking people to wear masks, I'm not surprised they stopped enforcing it. Maybe Delta is an island of sanity but they're not an option for everybody (I wouldn't mind flying Delta, I had good experiences with them in the past, but they only fly to about 6 cities from my airport).

I have no doubt that USFS has worked hard to create a safe bubble in Vegas and no doubt that the skaters have been taking every precaution and will continue to do what they need to. But no matter how careful you are, you're still dependent on other people.

Jason's problem will be getting back into Canada after Nationals. He had a hard enough time in June, and that was before the post-Thanksgiving spike.

I had forgotten about that. Yes, it could be a problem for skaters returning to Canada, particularly with the more contagious variant now running around. The skaters were able to get back after SA; hopefully, they'll still be OK.

 

[Carolla5501]

Jason, just like all the other skaters, has to decide if the risk is worth the reward. He may decide that it’s not and he’s going to stay in Canada and petition for a spot on the worlds team or just not compete this year. This is the reality, there’s nothing they can do that’s going to be fair to everyone.

It was very evident that the qualification skates were not equally done, some people had the advantage of having a much better video set up, some skaters who apparently don’t compete well under pressure skated in a practice session so maybe they would feel less pressure etc.

It is what it is, and expecting it to be perfect and fair for everyone and accommodate everyone isn’t going to be realistic. USFS just like all other sporting bodies just has to do the best they can

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Jason was on the Ice Talk podcast this week and is planning on being in Vegas.

 

[PairSkater12345]

Partners are NOT Sorry for the mistake.

 

[PairSkater12345]

Not sure what you mean. So partners ARE allowed in the same room? I think that you mean “cannot”...
Understand the frustration. Somehow, Russia and Japan just held fabulous National

 

[Frau Muller]

PairSkater12345 above said (blank)???


In my opinion, it would be very “Non-SafeSport” to allow unmarried pairs/dance partners to shack up in the same hotel room. In the rare instance that pairs/dance partners happen to be married (thus already living together in the same home), like the Knierims when they were skating together, then fine! Your original wording gave me pause for a moment.

 

[concorde]

The news has recently announced that a 20-year old man in Colorado has the UK variant. There is a second presumed case. The 20-year old man has not travelled so it is assumed that he got it through community spread. The Colorado man is from Elbert County which is adjacent to El Paso County (where Colorado Springs is located).

Since Colorado Springs is the home of USFS and many skaters/coaches come from that area, does new development change the likelihood that the "live" event will occur? I think it does.

 

[SpeedySucks]

The news has recently announced that a 20-year old man in Colorado has the UK variant. There is a second presumed case. The 20-year old man has not travelled so it is assumed that he got it through community spread. The Colorado man is from Elbert County which is adjacent to El Paso County (where Colorado Springs is located).

Since Colorado Springs is the home of USFS and many skaters/coaches come from that area, does new development change the likelihood that the "live" event will occur? I think it does.

I don’t. Given the amount of money USFS has had to spend moving the event from San Jose to Las Vegas, I assume going virtual or cancelling altogether will be an absolute last resort. I’m sure USFS desperately needs the NBC and advertising revenue from Nationals as well. Like so many other sports events these days, I assume money will win out unless there is a massive surge of cases in the next few weeks. Skating should be safer than most of the other sports events that are still taking place right now.

 

[annie720]

The news has recently announced that a 20-year old man in Colorado has the UK variant. There is a second presumed case. The 20-year old man has not travelled so it is assumed that he got it through community spread. The Colorado man is from Elbert County which is adjacent to El Paso County (where Colorado Springs is located).

Since Colorado Springs is the home of USFS and many skaters/coaches come from that area, does new development change the likelihood that the "live" event will occur? I think it does.

I don't think the Colorado connection will have anything to do with that decision. Colorado's state laboratory has been sort of patting themselves on the back because they had been proactive about looking for mutations and came up with the advanced diagnostics that discovered these cases. I believe the mutation is probably present in most states but hasn't been detected yet. That will happen very soon.

 

[concorde]

I believe the mutation is probably present in most states but hasn't been detected yet. That will happen very soon.

100% agree with that comment!

That is exactly why I hope that USFS rethinks the decision to hold a "live" Nationals. The time is Las Vegas is not the issue but rather getting to/from the venue is.

But on the flip side, I can fully understand why those involved (USFS and the competitors/coaches) want a "live" event. If my kid qualified, then we would be going since there is no guarantee that "next year" my kid would have a chance to skate at Nationals.

Glad I am not making the decision because I can see the pros and cons for both "live" and "virtual."

Good luck to all those skating!

 

[Anita18]

I don't think the Colorado connection will have anything to do with that decision. Colorado's state laboratory has been sort of patting themselves on the back because they had been proactive about looking for mutations and came up with the advanced diagnostics that discovered these cases. I believe the mutation is probably present in most states but hasn't been detected yet. That will happen very soon.

Yup. A respiratory virus that's now more transmissible? Once we detected it anywhere, it's already everywhere.

Functionally, it doesn't change the public health guidance. But hopefully it scares people a little more into being really careful about what they do.

 

[Carolla5501]

100% agree with that comment!

That is exactly why I hope that USFS rethinks the decision to hold a "live" Nationals. The time is Las Vegas is not the issue but rather getting to/from the venue is.

But on the flip side, I can fully understand why those involved (USFS and the competitors/coaches) want a "live" event. If my kid qualified, then we would be going since there is no guarantee that "next year" my kid would have a chance to skate at Nationals.

Glad I am not making the decision because I can see the pros and cons for both "live" and "virtual."

Good luck to all those skating!

Actually you seem to be pretty set on only seeing the "cons" for live.

 

[Debbie S]

I didn't see this posted yet - Nats website: https://www.uschampionshipseries.com/2021uschampionships

(Below the sched links, there is a list of arrival and testing times for each discipline.)

Colored event/practice sched: https://cdn1.sportngin.com/attachme...00.420289054.1609445295-1648150352.1605834465

Have we heard whether Peacock or Fan Zone will be televising any practices?

 

[Sylvia]

Thanks, @Debbie S! I was waiting for the detailed schedule before starting a 2021 U.S. Nationals event thread in the Kiss & Cry section (eta: plan to do it by this weekend).

ETA:

Have we heard whether Peacock or Fan Zone will be televising any practices?

I haven't seen or heard anything yet.

 

[Japanfan]

We did a major road trip in September and felt perfectly safe in hotels and getting takeout food, but finding bathrooms on the road could be tricky.

I forgot about the bathroom issue when we did a short trip in summer. Most public washrooms in parks were closed, and restaurants closed their bathrooms as well, due to inadequate cleaning stuff. I had to use the side of the road a fair bit -

 

[concorde]

Actually you seem to be pretty set on only seeing the "cons" for live.

Not sure why you think that.

 

[Sylvia]

For Nationals there will be a live video wall (like we've seen for other pro sports) in the Kiss & Cry. USFS' Friends of Figure Skating members were invited to participate.

 

[Bob Mc]

Thanks, @Debbie S! I was waiting for the detailed schedule before starting a 2021 U.S. Nationals event thread in the Kiss & Cry section (plan to do it by later today).

ETA:

I haven't seen or heard anything yet.

We always go to practices. Hope that they show them on Peacock.

 

[PairSkater12345]

PairSkater12345 above said (blank)???


In my opinion, it would be very “Non-SafeSport” to allow unmarried pairs/dance partners to shack up in the same hotel room. In the rare instance that pairs/dance partners happen to be married (thus already living together in the same home), like the Knierims when they were skating together, then fine! Your original wording gave me pause for a moment.

I'm not sure what you mean by "non-safe Sport" However many of the ADULT pairs and dance skaters Live together in rented or owned homes either as a couple or in separate rooms of one house. Housing can be a major expense for these athletes. When a particular pairs or dance team travels to nationals the cost of the event is paid by the competitors. I believe it's perfectly ok for those competitors to stay together. Especially since they train together in close proximity every day and may live in the same house.

 

[sk8nlizard]

I'm not sure what you mean by "non-safe Sport" However many of the ADULT pairs and dance skaters Live together in rented or owned homes either as a couple or in separate rooms of one house. Housing can be a major expense for these athletes. When a particular pairs or dance team travels to nationals the cost of the event is paid by the competitors. I believe it's perfectly ok for those competitors to stay together. Especially since they train together in close proximity every day and may live in the same house.

I do understand that Nationals is a huge expense for these skaters. But, if you read the form that is available on the US Nationals 2021 site, it says
Two participants attending in an approved role that live in the same household currently will be allowed to share a hotel room at the event (i.e., spouses/partners/roommates that currently live together, etc.)
I copied that directly from the site. So it seems as if they can stay in the same room at Nationals. But I may be misinterpreting what it says?

 

[PairSkater12345]

I do understand that Nationals is a huge expense for these skaters. But, if you read the form that is available on the US Nationals 2021 site, it says
Two participants attending in an approved role that live in the same household currently will be allowed to share a hotel room at the event (i.e., spouses/partners/roommates that currently live together, etc.)
I copied that directly from the site. So it seems as if they can stay in the same room at Nationals. But I may be misinterpreting what it says?

Ok so Pairs and Dance partners can't stay in the same room at nationals if they don't live in the same house? Seems strange as they are not following the six foot rule....lol during all their close contact training of some 20-25 hours a week? LOL

 

[PairSkater12345]

OK I don't know how they enforce all this stuff. There is a lot of cost management that goes on.

 

[Karen-W]

Ok so Pairs and Dance partners can't stay in the same room at nationals if they don't live in the same house? Seems strange as they are not following the six foot rule....lol during all their close contact training of some 20-25 hours a week? LOL

Why would a pairs or dance team want to share the same hotel room if they aren't already living together? I assume that, like co-workers in any job, they probably appreciate their downtime and space from each other if they aren't married or a romantic couple. Even platonic friends would, if living in the same house/apartment, have separate bedrooms. I can't imagine anything more stressful than having to spend the entirety of what will likely be the most important competition any of them have this season in the same hotel room as my pairs or dance partner, especially if they are confined to their rooms apart from practices, meals and the actual competition.

 

[Lemonade20]

Why would a pairs or dance team want to share the same hotel room if they aren't already living together? I assume that, like co-workers in any job, they probably appreciate their downtime and space from each other if they aren't married or a romantic couple. Even platonic friends would, if living in the same house/apartment, have separate bedrooms. I can't imagine anything more stressful than having to spend the entirety of what will likely be the most important competition any of them have this season in the same hotel room as my pairs or dance partner, especially if they are confined to their rooms apart from practices, meals and the actual competition.

I don't see why we have to worry about something like this. That's up to each skating couple to decide if it's easier to room together or have separate rooms despite the "household" bubbles. Personally I would rather have my own room just for that extra space and peace of mind. Let's focus on the actual skating instead!

 

[barbk]

The news has recently announced that a 20-year old man in Colorado has the UK variant. There is a second presumed case. The 20-year old man has not travelled so it is assumed that he got it through community spread. The Colorado man is from Elbert County which is adjacent to El Paso County (where Colorado Springs is located).

Since Colorado Springs is the home of USFS and many skaters/coaches come from that area, does new development change the likelihood that the "live" event will occur? I think it does.

Colorado counties are huge. Elbert County (the location where the first case was found) is a largely rural, agricultural area that stretches far to the eastern part of the state. I doubt that specific case would directly affect Colorado Springs or Denver. However, I'd guess that the new variant is a lot more widespread than currently known. (Elbert County is larger than Rhode Island. The population is 26K vs. more than a million for Rhode Island.)