Will there be a US Nationals in 2025?

[Aceon6]

Maybe have a contest. We fans show up at various locations. Anyone who gets it right gets their preferred seats comped and they get a badge that allows them to bring I outside food.

 

[Gayo]

Maybe have a contest. We fans show up at various locations. Anyone who gets it right gets their preferred seats comped and they get a badge that allows them to bring I outside food.

I’m still betting on Peoria based upon the hints previously given. Maybe we should have a contest but what would the prize be for the correct location?

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

but what would the prize be for the correct location?

An evening with ANL

 

[Rukia]

but I am gonna drive there if it is in some smaller place where I won't get too lost

well i hope you have a self-driving car they can program the location into

 

[overedge]

At this point I believe they will never announce it and you will just have to buy a mystery package deal. You'll find out where it is when the plane lands.

This is actually a genius idea hire me.

This would generate more interest in Nationals that USFS has been able to generate in some years

Roll up....roll up for the mystery tour.....

 

[Rhumba d’Amour]

Anyone who gets it right gets their preferred seats comped and they get a badge that allows them to bring I outside food.

Being allowed to bring in outside food would be a powerful inducement! Especially for a week-long event, like Nationals or Worlds.

And if you could bring in food for your fellow sufferers too, you could easily recoup the costs of the trip in tips!

 

[peibeck]

An evening with ANL

And an appointment to get antibiotics the next morning?

 

[peibeck]

I've since heard that the announcement(s) will happen later in the month.

I hear the last minute dumping of Florida created some tensions.

 

[A.H.Black]

It's been one month and one day since I got frustrated enough to start this thread. I'm still frustrated and I never expected for Nationals to STILL not have an announcement.

I DO love all the snarky comments though. Keep em coming.

 

[Debbie S]

I hear the last minute dumping of Florida created some tensions.

I wouldn't have minded going to FL. If they could have SA in TX....

It's hard enough to find mid-size arenas in mid-size cities that aren't too pricey, which seems to be USFS' preference. If they limit themselves to only blue states, it's going to be even harder. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic don't have a ton of options that fit the bill...arenas and cities tend to be bigger and more expensive. Same with the West Coast states...they have some smaller cities which have hosted events in the past but ticket sales are usually lower b/c they are more expensive and not easy to get to (San Jose is in the middle of a large skating community and they couldn't fill the arena even halfway).

That pretty much leaves the Upper Midwest...MI, IL, WI, MN...and I guess AZ and NV. But those areas aren't always cheap or easy to get to and how many arenas fit USFS criteria?

 

[Frau Muller]

I was first guessing Greensboro or Spokane. I’m wondering now if it may be in the DC area…as in the Ion Arena in Leesburg, VA, where Ilia’s Gold show will be held? It may be the right size, with comfy seats, somewhat like the Boston area facilities that held Skate Am and Cranberry.

 

[peibeck]

I was first guessing Greensboro or Spokane. I’m wondering now if it may be in the DC area…as in the Ion Arena in Leesburg, VA, where Ilia’s Gold show will be held? It may be the right size, with comfy seats, somewhat like the Boston area facilities that held Skate Am and Cranberry.

Both Nats and SKAM are going to be in the same state in the midwest. So no D.C. are for next skating season. I loved Worlds in D.C. though (venue and the great skating), and would love them to return there sometime.

 

[Frau Muller]

Both Nats and SKAM are going to be in the same state in the midwest. So no D.C. are for next skating season. I loved Worlds in D.C. though (venue and the great skating), and would love them to return there sometime.

Oh, I know that it won’t be in expensive downtown DC. I thought of Leesburg as a suburb of DC, although there’s nothing cheap about it. They won’t be going there to save money, as they would in Greensburg & Spokane.

 

[Katyaever]

I was first guessing Greensboro or Spokane. I’m wondering now if it may be in the DC area…as in the Ion Arena in Leesburg, VA, where Ilia’s Gold show will be held? It may be the right size, with comfy seats, somewhat like the Boston area facilities that held Skate Am and Cranberry.

I don’t think ION is large enough to host Nationals. It seems smaller than Boston.

Hmm, I just looked up the seating capacity, ION has 5,500, while Boston only holds 2,500. Having been to both, I am surprised. ION feels a lot more cramped, maybe because Boston has so much more light…

 

[Frau Muller]

I don’t think ION is large enough to host Nationals. It seems smaller than Boston.

Hmm, I just looked up the seating capacity, ION has 5,500, while Boston only holds 2,500. Having been to both, I am surprised. ION feels a lot more cramped, maybe because Boston has so much more light…

5,500 seats in Ion vs 2,500 in Boston. That’s what drove me to this.

 

[Sylvia]

This would generate more interest in Nationals that USFS has been able to generate in some years

Excluding Columbus this year, you mean.

I don’t think ION is large enough to host Nationals. It seems smaller than Boston.

Hmm, I just looked up the seating capacity, ION has 5,500

"The ice arena has a capacity of 3,500 seats but can be converted into a 5,500-seat venue for concerts and other such types of events that don’t require ice." https://cywpfund.com/portfolio/ion-international-training-center/

USFS Governing Council is April 27… Maybe they are holding the announcement to make a fuss then???

Possibly before the start of GC, I heard.

 

[PRlady]

One thing about Ion is that it is like ten minutes from Dulles, convenient for both domestic and international flights. Leesburg itself isn’t large but NoVa is dense and affluent and lots of skaters there.

 

[Debbie S]

Ion would be a great location for a Challenger or Senior B, or even Sectionals, but I'm told that when they hosted a Nats qualifying event a few years ago, there were some issues with the setup and infrastructure, and it wasn't ideal for a large comp. Maybe there is a way for those issues to be addressed? I'm sure Wash FSC is aware of the concerns.

 

[MacMadame]

If they limit themselves to only blue states, it's going to be even harder.

I haven't seen any evidence they intend to do that though. We don't know why FL fell through but there is more going on in FL than just being a red state so I doubt that was the only reason.

 

[Carolla5501]

So I had to dig this up to see if we had a clue...

(Personally I doubt "red or blue" is the driving color here.... it's GREEN as in $$$ LOL!)

 

[Karen-W]

LMAO - okay, so, let's look at the facts:

2023-24 season -
SkAm - Texas - red state
Nats - Ohio - purplish-red state

2022-23 season -
SkAm - Massachusetts - blue state
Nats - California - blue state
4CCs - Colorado - purplish-blue state

2021-22 season -
SkAm - Nevada - purple state
Nats - Tennessee - red state

Can we please just put this whole notion that the USFS cares about the political make up of any of the states where it holds its premier events to rest?

 

[Aaron MB Fan]

Going to either a US Nats and/or Skate America have long been on my bucket list, and I am finally making progress on checking things off my bucket list in the past year including Worlds with Montreal 2024!

I was holding out to see where Skate Canada would be in case it is driving distance from the GTA/Toronto. Now that we know it's Halifax where I have visited before and would have to pay for a hotel/flight, I'd much rather spend money on a hotel/flight and travel to US Nats and possibly Skate America. Skate America might be easier logistically with work and time off since it is looking highly likely I will go to Worlds again with it being so close in Boston 2025!

 

[Coco]

Maybe we'll know by 4th of July.

 

[Kathryn2001]

I attended Gold on Ice at the ION complex in Leesburg last Friday. I sat there and thought to myself, hey, they could hold Skate America here. I felt sure there were at least as many seats as Norwood in 2022 and now I see there are even more seats at ION. I thought perhaps they had covered one end of the ice with some kind of platform for 3 or 4 rows of on-ice VIP seats which would have made the ice surface plenty large enough for SkAm. What Norwood had was a fairly large walkway around the arena above the seats and lighting making it plenty light, which the ION arena may not have. But oh boy does ION have a gigantic parking lot plus eating places across the road and a very large Walmart 1 min down the road. And 15 minutes away in Ashburn (where I live) there is a large arena with 2 ice rinks for practice sessions or whatever. I think the main thing ION doesn't have is a concourse you can walk around which handles crowds better.

 

[Debbie S]

I attended Gold on Ice at the ION complex in Leesburg last Friday. I sat there and thought to myself, hey, they could hold Skate America here. I felt sure there were at least as many seats as Norwood in 2022 and now I see there are even more seats at ION. I thought perhaps they had covered one end of the ice with some kind of platform for 3 or 4 rows of on-ice VIP seats which would have made the ice surface plenty large enough for SkAm. What Norwood had was a fairly large walkway around the arena above the seats and lighting making it plenty light, which the ION arena may not have. But oh boy does ION have a gigantic parking lot plus eating places across the road and a very large Walmart 1 min down the road. And 15 minutes away in Ashburn (where I live) there is a large arena with 2 ice rinks for practice sessions or whatever. I think the main thing ION doesn't have is a concourse you can walk around which handles crowds better.

Yes, w/o the platform for the VIP seats, the ice size would have been fine. But as you said, no concourse above the seats, the access is at the bottom, which would be impossible to manage with the TV cameras, judging platform, etc. They had a Nats qual event there in 2021 and I've been told there were logistics/setup issues and having been there, I can see why. It's too bad it wasn't built differently, b/c it would otherwise be a good place to have an event (close to airport, a second rink surface for practice, although they only need 1 surface for SA).

 

[Frau Muller]

I attended Gold on Ice at the ION complex in Leesburg last Friday. I sat there and thought to myself, hey, they could hold Skate America here. I felt sure there were at least as many seats as Norwood in 2022 and now I see there are even more seats at ION. I thought perhaps they had covered one end of the ice with some kind of platform for 3 or 4 rows of on-ice VIP seats which would have made the ice surface plenty large enough for SkAm. What Norwood had was a fairly large walkway around the arena above the seats and lighting making it plenty light, which the ION arena may not have. But oh boy does ION have a gigantic parking lot plus eating places across the road and a very large Walmart 1 min down the road. And 15 minutes away in Ashburn (where I live) there is a large arena with 2 ice rinks for practice sessions or whatever. I think the main thing ION doesn't have is a concourse you can walk around which handles crowds better.

That’s why I mentioned it earlier, Kathryn. The big difference is that ION doesn’t have a walkway above the highest rows of seats, like Norwood. OK for SkAm but somewhat small for Natls.

 

[Vagabond]

2023-24 season -
SkAm - Texas - red state
Nats - Ohio - purplish-red state

2022-23 season -
SkAm - Massachusetts - blue state
Nats - California - blue state
4CCs - Colorado - purplish-blue state

2021-22 season -
SkAm - Nevada - purple state
Nats - Tennessee - red state

Red states
Blue states
Purple states

It's time for some Baltic States to liven things up!

 

[Debbie S]

Red states
Blue states
Purple states

It's time for some Baltic States to liven things up!

You really want to go to Talinn, don't you?

 

[Vagabond]

You really want to go to Talinn, don't you?

Kaunas would do.

 

[Debbie S]

Kaunas would do.