2024 US Figure Skating Championships

[TanithandBenFan]

There was a USFS booth tucked away in a dark corner beyond the sales table. There were some giveaways like pins and narrow rubber (?) bracelets. It seemed they had a bit of this and that, not necessarily in very large quantities. I know they ran out of "Skating" magazines before the end of the week.

I lamented to the guy manning the booth that they didn’t have any pens since I love the way they write, and he opened a drawer and gave me one. It was the most gracious thing a USFS employee has ever done for me

 

[Jammers]

Phil Hersch - “Columbus did an excellent job selling tickets to the US figure skating championships. They priced them reasonably and it was affordable for a family of four to attend.”

“The Columbus organizing committee relentlessly publicized this locally.”

“The biggest crowd was for Saturday night for the mediocre Pairs competition.”

he’s being interviewed flying home to Chicago from the Columbus airport.

Hear that USFA the biggest crowd was for Saturday night so get the Ladies final back on the weekend and let the Men not have to skate in the middle of the afternoon on Friday.

 

[honey]

I lamented to the guy manning the booth that they didn’t have any pens since I love the way they write, and he opened a drawer and gave me one. It was the most gracious thing a USFS employee has ever done for me

I had an Ice Network pen for years that was my favorite. It wrote like a dream

 

[mattiecat13]

I lamented to the guy manning the booth that they didn’t have any pens since I love the way they write, and he opened a drawer and gave me one. It was the most gracious thing a USFS employee has ever done for me

I love those pens, too!

The booth did have chip clips and I was glad about that because my old one broke right before I left for Columbus.

 

[acraven]

The pins at the USFS booth were not Nationals pins; they were "Team USA" pins. The Worlds booth was giving out pins for that event, though I suspect the ones sold in Boston next year will be different; the freebies don't look as expensive as the pins usually sold.

 

[AnnM]

I believe folks at the FOFS breakfast have been able to attend the Exhibition practice in the past; I'm not sure whether that has been the policy every year. At one point (decades ago, the year of Denver Nationals) folks with volunteer credentials could get in. I found that out when I complained profusely about a major change in the schedule, postponing the Ex for several hours, after I had already purchased my plane ticket. A kind person gave me a volunteer credential so I could at least see the Ex practice.

It hasn't always been the policy. One year not too long ago someone from USFS yelled at me for taking a picture of the ice from where the FOFS breakfast was being held because "exhibition practice is closed!" I couldn't even tell you who was on the ice; I just thought it was a cool perspective of the ice.

 

[MacMadame]

The biggest downside is that athletes had no goodie bags this year. Not even a keychain or bookmark, LOL. You'd think that the biggest competition in the country would give something to the athletes. The smallest local competitions hand out tokens like towels or Chapstix to athletes, but not at this national.

This is becoming a trend across all athletic competitions. Most of the running events I enter don't give out a goodie bag anymore. Sometimes they hand you one thing with your bib. T-shirts are often optional when they used to be included. (As in you pay more to get one.)

There was a USFS booth tucked away in a dark corner beyond the sales table. There were some giveaways like pins and narrow rubber (?) bracelets. It seemed they had a bit of this and that, not necessarily in very large quantities. I know they ran out of "Skating" magazines before the end of the week.

Probably silicon. You can get them very cheaply and customized online.

 

[lexeoe]

This is probably fifth-hand information, or worse, so it's definitely not reliable.

The rumors floating around Columbus were that the location is still under consideration (no scouting team from a 2025 LOC was spotted), with multiple bids having been submitted from Atlanta and "Florida". I got the impression (which could definitely be wrong) that at least two cities in Florida were in the mix.

January in central or southern Florida would be lovely, but I will not return to the venue used for the earlier Orlando Nationals. The seats were way higher than the ice surface. It was like watching people skate at the bottom of an empty swimming pool. From that experience (and an even worse one in Salt Lake City) I learned to Google for photos of any new arena USFS decides to use before buying tickets.

Thanks. If FL is involved, most likely Sunrise, FL (Miami area) or Tampa since both are NHL markets. But Orlando hosted in 1992 at a different arena. So we'll see.

 

[Carolla5501]

It hasn't always been the policy. One year not too long ago someone from USFS yelled at me for taking a picture of the ice from where the FOFS breakfast was being held because "exhibition practice is closed!" I couldn't even tell you who was on the ice; I just thought it was a cool perspective of the ice.

Yes, that’s always a good way to treat your donors yell at them because you don’t like what they’re doing.

 

[Cayuse]

I was in the arena and thought Friday night for the Women was the biggest crowd. All events on the weekend were very well attended. The Gala had the least attendance. There were so many open seats on the judges side because the high stand for the technical panel and announcers, etc blocks or partially blocks the view for a huge amount of seats. My daughter and I sat over there for the junior events and dance practices to see the choreography better.

I heard somewhere that it was a local practice for the arena to give away tickets to fill the unsold seats for events. I think that happened because most of the high up seats in the lower bowl were filled from Friday night on. I've never seen such a section filled before other than at a world event. Around me in row 5, I'm sure the seats were sold as "all event", but the seat owners chose to just attend some of the events. (i.e. the Mullen family attended all the dance events and the Gala from their seats, but not the other events.) The "new to figure skating" people were most impressed by pairs lifts and throws and fast rotational dance lifts. The audience reaction definitely made the event more fun to watch!

 

[tony]

I heard somewhere that it was a local practice for the arena to give away tickets to fill the unsold seats for events. I think that happened because most of the high up seats in the lower bowl were filled from Friday night on. I've never seen such a section filled before other than at a world event. Around me in row 5, I'm sure the seats were sold as "all event", but the seat owners chose to just attend some of the events. (i.e. the Mullen family attended all the dance events and the Gala from their seats, but not the other events.) The "new to figure skating" people were most impressed by pairs lifts and throws and fast rotational dance lifts. The audience reaction definitely made the event more fun to watch!

I’m pretty sure it’s still the case with Nationwide Arena and commented about it earlier in the thread. They did it for a skating event I attended there in 2002, and when I made a quick trip back a few years ago after moving away, I had dinner in the arena district and was handed free tickets to a nearly sold out Pentatonix show.

 

[marshallpond]

the seat owners chose to just attend some of the events. (i.e. the Mullen family attended all the dance events and the Gala from their seats, but not the other events.)

Athletes like the Mullens were given all-event passes (green credentials): 1 parent for free; up to 2 immediate family member (adults) for $150 per; and 2 kids below 18 for $100 each. So pretty much the parties of athletes can watch every event without paying the per event ticket, and they can sit anywhere (as long as no paying person claim the seat). The families were reserved sections 201 to 203 high up the top, but no one bothered to go up there and watch. Instead, the families typically sat anywhere in the lower levels.

 

[BittyBug]

It's really nice to read so many positive comments about the event. I would be surprised if USFS didn't encourage them to host another one (SKAM? 4CC?).

 

[isamelia]

Did Tom Z have any skaters at Nationals? Is he still coaching in Colorado?

 

[emilieh]

Did Tom Z have any skaters at Nationals? Is he still coaching in Colorado?

I can recall him with Nicholas Brooks in junior men. I can't recall if there were others. I believe that yes, he is still in CO.

 

[MacMadame]

Did Tom Z have any skaters at Nationals? Is he still coaching in Colorado?

In addition to Nicholas, he was here with Jessica Jurka, Jr. Woman.

 

[isamelia]

I can recall him with Nicholas Brooks in junior men. I can't recall if there were others. I believe that yes, he is still in CO.

Thank You!

 

[isamelia]

I can recall him with Nicholas Brooks in junior men. I can't recall if there were others. I believe that yes, he is still in CO.

Thank You for the update!

 

[marshallpond]

In addition to Nicholas, he was here with Jessica Jurka, Jr. Woman.

Jurka's skates split apart right before the competition. She skated at the Nationals with a 2-day old new boots. Poor girl couldn't land her jumps as she always does

 

[A.H.Black]

Just a thought. There was a whole lot of ugly crying going on in Kiss and Cry this year - some for joy and some for sadness. And, not a tissue in sight! USFSA really needs a tissue sponsor again. I've always thought that Kleenex (or someone) could do a very effective ad campaign with figure skaters as the subject matter.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Just a thought. There was a whole lot of ugly crying going on in Kiss and Cry this year - some for joy and some for sadness. And, not a tissue in sight! USFSA really needs a tissue sponsor again. I've always thought that Kleenex (or someone) could do a very effective ad campaign with figure skaters as the subject matter.

When Puffs used to be a sponsor, I collected enough travel packs to last me for years of vacations

 

[moonvine]

I'm interested to hear if anyone went to the FOFS breakfast and if so how it was. I did not attend because Gracie was not attending and then look, she was everywhere. I was sad.

 

[moonvine]

Just a thought. There was a whole lot of ugly crying going on in Kiss and Cry this year - some for joy and some for sadness. And, not a tissue in sight! USFSA really needs a tissue sponsor again. I've always thought that Kleenex (or someone) could do a very effective ad campaign with figure skaters as the subject matter.

I want a sponsor for Skate Radio again..I think Prudential used to sponsor it maybe?

 

[ice coverage]

Breaking the Ice, Sunday, January 28 at 12:30 p.m.​

Join us at the Lincoln Theater for Breaking the Ice: Exploring Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in Figure Skating, a panel discussion hosted by U.S. Figure Skating DEI Director, Kadari Taylor-Watson. The panelists, including founders of diverse ice-skating programs, coaches, choreographers, parents, athletes, and officials, will share their unique experiences and insights on advancing DEI within the sport. This engaging conversation will take place at the Lincoln Theatre, a cultural landmark with a rich history of incubating talented emerging artists in the African-American community.​

Video of the DEI panel discussion at Nats is on YouTube channel of City of Columbus:

Breaking the Ice: Exploring Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in Figure Skating

The Lincoln Theatre Presents US Figure Skaters ConversationJanuary 28, 2024The Lincoln Theatre Association, CAPA, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, U.S...

www.youtube.com

(1:18:25, posted Jan 29)​

ETA:​

On Thu Feb 1, USFS e-mailed me a post-Nats e-mail survey. Deadline to respond is Thu Feb 8.
Hope most others in this thread received the survey too.​

 

[Mitch29]

Yes the Kia Center opened in 2010. I would love an Orlando Nats after the bitter wind cut right through me in Columbus! It’s also a nonstop flight for me, one of the few available here.

Good thing the competition wasn't held the week before when it was REALLY cold! (Single digits, windy)

 

[ice coverage]

... Athletes were also not given opportunities to buy videos or photos. However, a photographer said she was the official photographer, but no communication was made to the athletes that they could purchase photos. ...

The photographer posted on Instagram today about continuing to work on Nats orders.
Seems to me that it would be a pretty safe assumption that some (most?) of the orders are from athletes and/or their families?

... In San Jose, the USFS booth gave away gloves, stickers, etc., to the fans and whoever asked for them. No such thing this year.

I visited the USFS booth in Columbus -- maybe twice? (The busy week already has become a blur for me.)
Gloves were among the available freebies when I visited. [Similar to the gloves from USFS booth in San Jose, although not identical.]
Stickers too.
As previously mentioned in the thread: not-current pins. I took one for Team USA/Beijing. Also saw some for a non-current synchro event.
Other stuff previously mentioned.
Bubble liquid for blowing bubbles.
Plus stuff that I surely am forgetting ...

Excerpts from Feb 1 blog post from Columbus Sports Commission:

More than 60,000 people saw the power, grace and athleticism of figure skating in Columbus last week.

The Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships is projected to have created $8 million in direct visitor spend for Columbus. The community value extends further than that ...

... Columbus hosting the U.S. Figure Skating Championships was a result of hard work and perseverance. This was 26 years in the making.

COLUMBUS’ PATH TO THE PODIUM
1998 – Linda Logan travels to Colorado Springs for first meeting with U.S. Figure Skating
2001 – Columbus submits its first bid to host a U.S. Figure Skating event. Over the next 20 years, the city pursued events including the National Collegiate Championships, Skate America and the Synchronized Skating Championships
2005 – Columbus hosts 400 members of U.S. Figure Skating for their annual Governing Council Meeting
2016 – The U.S. Figure Skating Governing Council Meeting returns to Columbus
2019 – Columbus officials attend 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit
2022 – Columbus submits bid to host U.S. Figure Skating Championships
2024 – Columbus hosts the 2024 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships

Columbus' Path to the Podium

More than 60,000 people saw the power, grace and athleticism of figure skating in Columbus last week. The Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships is projected to have created $8 million in direct visitor spend for Columbus. The community value extends further than that.

www.columbussports.org

 

[marshallpond]

Seems to me that it would be a pretty safe assumption that some (most?) of the orders are from athletes and/or their families?

The photographer sent an email to her customers, whom she knows and previously ordered from her, that she is offering the photos for sale and sent the order link. In the email, she asked the recipients to forward to other competitors they know. Seems like USFS did not share with her the contact info of the competitors

 

[nylynnr]

Seems like USFS did not share with her the contact info of the competitors

Why would you think sharing contact info with a vendor would be appropriate?

 

[Debbie S]

Why would you think sharing contact info with a vendor would be appropriate?

At most comps, qual and non-qual, the LOC/USFS provides contact info for the photo/video vendor in the event announcement, plus the vendor takes orders at the event. Agree USFS shouldn't be providing personal info w/o people's permission but it does seem like they and the vendor dropped the ball here.

 

[nylynnr]

At most comps, qual and non-qual, the LOC/USFS provides contact info for the photo/video vendor in the event announcement, plus the vendor takes orders at the event. Agree USFS shouldn't be providing personal info w/o people's permission but it does seem like they and the vendor dropped the ball here.

Giving photog contact to competitors, yes -- if the vendor is properly registered. Not, as marshallpond suggests, distributing competitors' contacts to a photog.