Vancouver to host 2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships

[chantilly]

Are people going to everything.
I will probably do juniors, but not likely novice.
I may just do junior dance.
Not to be negative but do people think juniors as a whole is worth going to?
Any insight would be great.
I've never really got into juniors. It may sound mean but I generally like to wait until they make it to seniors to check them out.

 

[Alilou]

I'll not go to novice. I'll go to most of juniors, especially the dance, but probably nothing too early in the morning. Juniors can be fun - you get to see who's coming up.

 

[jl22aries]

Oh thank you all, super helpful. I tried looking for a print at home option over a month ago and perhaps they hadn't made them available yet, so there was no link avail at the time. But here it is now. Excellent.

I'm not sure that I'll be able to skip out of work. I gather from looking at the schedule that the the higher ranked teams are skating in the later of the two sessions? I might want to aim for just those specific segments. Excited to run into some of you there!

 

[kwanfan1818]

I'm hoping we can have a get-together on Sunday before the gala. It doesn't start until 2pm, and we wouldn't have to rush. (There could be other ones as well.)

 

[puglover]

I'm hoping we can have a get-together on Sunday before the gala. It doesn't start until 2pm, and we wouldn't have to rush. (There could be other ones as well.)

I am flying out right after the gala so before would be great for me. Probably because it is a Sunday there will be less traffic - I'm guessing.

 

[Japanfan]

I'll not go to novice. I'll go to most of juniors, especially the dance, but probably nothing too early in the morning. Juniors can be fun - you get to see who's coming up.

I'm not sure that I'll be able to skip out of work. I gather from looking at the schedule that the the higher ranked teams are skating in the later of the two sessions? I might want to aim for just those specific segments. Excited to run into some of you there!

I'm glad to see I'm not the only who minds early morning sessions and having the whole senior competition stuffed into two days.

If the early morning sessions are largely empty, maybe Skate Canada will rethink the competition schedule.

 

[DFO]

For those who intend to watch Junior pairs, I would say it worth it to get there a little earlier (Novice pairs is just before junior pairs) and watch also the novice pairs. Level of the best novice pairs this year is interesting as the top half of the novice pairs is probably comparable to the bottom half of the juniors... or better!

 

[fsfann]

I love watching the juniors. It's a great opportunity to see the next generation. Seeing Gogolev last year was a highlight, along with Aurora Cotop and some of the other juniors. Definitely attend if you have the chance!

 

[kwanfan1818]

If the early morning sessions are largely empty, maybe Skate Canada will rethink the competition schedule.

The schedule is made-for-TV. For the most part, regardless of the schedule, Junior and Novice crowds are generally sparse and mostly attended by families and friends, unless school kids are invited in. They can be relegated to the practice rink as well.

I wouldn't expect Skate Canada, especially at an event in the West Coast, to make any changes, unless it was to choose East Coast bids instead, where it's a 1pm start instead of a 10am start, or 11am instead of 8am.

 

[I Luv Bulldogs]

I chose the print at home option.

Me too.

 

[jl22aries]

Would love a Vancouver meet up lunch on the Sunday. Keep me posted!

 

[emilieh]

A couple years ago, someone at Skate Canada told me that the schedule is dictated by CTV. They want to show events live, they want it all Fri-Sat, including splitting up the events so it's easier to show two final flights live in one block. They were definitely not interested in any short programs on Thursday. There was a maayyyybe to putting one of the free skates on Sunday again, but that hasn't materialized.

I believe that the last TV bid was competitive--CTV really wanted the domestic events back, CBC managed to hang onto the international events, right? So I imagine that TV rights provided a decent paycheck for Skate Canada. Considering that they haven't been able to hang onto many sponsors lately, I'm not surprised that they let TV call the shots.

 

[manhn]

I chose Will Call, not sure if I can pick them up now in advance or the day I first come to the arena for the event. I am only taking the Friday off. My vacation days are designated during the calendar year and I reserve one week of my holidays to skating. I am taking one day off for Canadians, 1 day off for Skate America in Everett, and 2 or 3 days off for GPF (depending on its schedule). I should be available for evening FSU get together. Sunday after the Gala would be great for me!

 

[jl22aries]

I'm taking the Friday off too. Priorities, right?!

 

[Japanfan]

Go into your Ticketmaster account. There should be a link on your confirmation email. If you can't find it, go to ticketmaster.ca, log in, and from "My Account" choose "Order History," and then click the "See Details" button. From there, it should show delivery method, and there will be a "Print Tickets" button if the shipping method is "Print at Home."

I found it a little wonky: it takes a while for the ticket file to be retrieved to print out, and it errored out on me several times before it worked.

I ended up having to call Ticketmaster (30 minute wait).The representative I spoke with said that the delivery delay on the tickets that was in place in November might not have been extended to December, which could have meant the tickets would not be emailed to me (rep was not sure about this).

The tickets were emailed to me during the phone call.

 

[manhn]

Looking at the schedule for the first time now. The competitions are ending each night pretty early. To accommodate the east coast, I figure. Great! FSU dinners on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights!

 

[Alilou]

^^^^ YES!

 

[jl22aries]

Or lunches too!

 

[IloveFS]

Any hotel near a Skytrain station will do. If on the Canada Line, stop at City Hall Station and take the 99. If on the Expo or Millennium or Evergreen Line, go to Broadway/Commercial Station, then take the 99. Maybe find a hotel in Richmond.

 

[IloveFS]

Is anyone travelling from Robson street area to 2018 Canadians????

 

[kwanfan1818]

Robson Street is very long, but I would check out lyneyuki's post:
https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ting-championships.100436/page-3#post-5201282

 

[lyneyuki]

Robson Street is very long, but I would check out lyneyuki's post:
https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ting-championships.100436/page-3#post-5201282

If you are staying on Robson and you are close to Burrard street, you'll be able to catch bus #44. Do you know where you are exactly IloveFS?

 

[kwanfan1818]

I just got an email from Ticketmaster to announce that Monday, January 8, will start at 9:40am instead of 8am. Tickets are still good, etc.

Second email said that the Induction Ceremony for the Hall of Fame will happen at 3pm. The original time, 1:30pm, was before the Gala. I haven't received a notice that the Gala time has changed, but, either that's coming, or they've decided to make the induction part of the Gala itself.

 

[WanderlustTO]

Really looking forward to this - we'll be there for the skating on Fri/Sat. I'm flying back out (to Toronto) early-ish on Sunday (never been a fan of the exhibition show, so am fine to skip that). I'm flying into Van the Sunday before - still trying to figure out our itinerary...we'll be there Sunday --> Sunday. We'll go up to Whistler for a day (not to ski, just to spend time). We were *thinking* about a day trip to Victoria - but I'm not sure there's that much to see there this time of year (although if anyone thinks it's worth it let me know..we don't mind the travel for the day...just the weather/timing).

We were actually considering a day trip to Seattle - but I think too much time, too much headache - i love Seattle, but not as a day trip from Van in early January, right?

Anyway - 3 cheers to Skate Canada for putting it in Van this year - I don't visit this wonderful city nearly enough...and am looking forward to spending a week there!

 

[emilieh]

We were *thinking* about a day trip to Victoria - but I'm not sure there's that much to see there this time of year (although if anyone thinks it's worth it let me know..we don't mind the travel for the day...just the weather/timing).

We were actually considering a day trip to Seattle - but I think too much time, too much headache - i love Seattle, but not as a day trip from Van in early January, right?

Victoria's winter is less rainy than Vancouver's, so if it looks like you'll have a dry day, go for it. I remember ditching my coat for a couple of days at Nationals in Victoria in 2011. (The locals all had coats, but I was fine in a sweater.) Not sure if that's typical or not. Day tripping to Victoria is difficult without a car, but since you mentioned Whistler, I assume you are renting one. My husband and I are making the trip, but after Nationals is over. I don't think we will spend the money on Butchart Gardens in January, but there's a nice museum in downtown Victoria, tea at the Empress, walking around the Inner Harbor, pretty coastal drives...I think there's enough to do for a day, especially if you haven't been before.

Seattle might be the same-ish amount of travel time as Victoria, but a less relaxing trip, since traffic vs ferry. And rainier. I've done day trips there in January/February because I flew into Seattle and drove up to Vancouver for nationals/4 Continents/Olympics. The first time, the weather was nice, and we walked around by the market, but I didn't really get the best of Seattle until a few years later, when I finally got to visit in summer.

 

[jl22aries]

I've done both as a day trip and it was manageable, with an early start. I agree and feel the weather would make a tremendous difference.

 

[kalamalka]

Victoria's winter is less rainy than Vancouver's, so if it looks like you'll have a dry day, go for it. I remember ditching my coat for a couple of days at Nationals in Victoria in 2011. (The locals all had coats, but I was fine in a sweater.) Not sure if that's typical or not. Day tripping to Victoria is difficult without a car, but since you mentioned Whistler, I assume you are renting one.

One of the things I learned in elementary school that I discovered is true when I moved between the two cities (and saw a lot when I flew over for work): it really does rain twice as much in Vancouver as in Victoria. If it's raining in Vancouver, it's often cloudy in Victoria. (OTOH, it may be raining harder in Seattle). The best thing to do is check the forecasts before you decide.

Myself, I'd probably do a bit less day-tripping and mix my sightseeing/other stuff in Vancouver with a bit of watching the novices/juniors skate. I love the sense of discovery with some of the young skaters, and seeing the skaters who will be going out on the JGP in the next couple of years.

 

[kwanfan1818]

I've lived in Vancouver and now live in Seattle, and for me, Victoria is a great treat. The issue with traveling to Victoria is that you have to get to the ferry terminal in time to get a spot on the boat, and early morning during the week is commuter time. (If they let you reserve a spot, and you know when you want to leave, it's probably worth the money.) The ferry ride itself is 1 hour 35 minutes, and then it's another 20-30 minutes to Victoria, depending on traffic and where you're staying.

It's also possible to take a bus: it takes you to the ferry, you walk on the ferry, and then a bus picks you up at the other end and takes you from Sidney, where the ferry lands, to downtown Victoria, and you can add tours to it. Pacific Coach has buses to Victoria (and to Whistler).

How long it takes to get to Seattle from Vancouver depends on traffic and the border crossing, but there are two outlet malls on the way. Driving is about three hours with clear traffic, even with the few places that are almost always bottle-necks.

If you're going without a car, you can do a Vancouver -> Seattle (train or bus) -> Victoria (Victoria Clipper hydrofoil, leaves downtown early in the morning) -> Vancouver (bus or transit, but transit adds over an hour) triangle. To do it with a car is a long drive from Seattle to Anacortes, and a long ferry to Sidney, if it even runs in the winter.

 

[DFO]

Myself, I'd probably do a bit less day-tripping and mix my sightseeing/other stuff in Vancouver with a bit of watching the novices/juniors skate. I love the sense of discovery with some of the young skaters, and seeing the skaters who will be going out on the JGP in the next couple of years.

Want to Watch future JGP skaters? Don't miss McIntosh/Toste in Novice pairs. Unless something really bad happen, they will be in some JGP if not next year, then a little later. But they will. There are also some other great Novice pairs that I like and may go to ISU evennts, but that one got everything needed and they are the younger of that crowd.

 

[ElizabethAnne]

Want to Watch future JGP skaters? Don't miss McIntosh/Toste in Novice pairs. Unless something really bad happen, they will be in some JGP if not next year, then a little later. But they will. There are also some other great Novice pairs that I like and may go to ISU evennts, but that one got everything needed and they are the younger of that crowd.

Thanks for the tip. Does anyone else has recommendations for up-coming talent to watch? I was planning on going to some part of the novice events but wasn't sure which ones.