jazzpants... no! Champagne darling... champagne!

I'll be in bronze 3 and interp 3. Two new programs, I'm optimistic

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Champagne in 2005, 2008, 2009 - who's next out of the pre-bronze club...?

Wang chung!

I'll be there! Silver Ladies III Freestyle

I'll be there, starting my "learning year" in my debut in Silver ladies II FS!

I'll be there - Silver Ladies Freeskate 4 and Character Comedy Interp.

Me too! Silver 3 freestyle and gold pairs. And, I hope, championship pairs.

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Where are those knives when I need them?
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I need a detachable left foot!

I already booked my air travel to Chicago and it's really cheap right now on United. My round trip from NYC/La Guardia was only $98.80. Check it out before it goes up!

I will be there assuming I get through Easterns in Championship Master's Men - somebody mentioned something called "wind sprints"? Can you elaborate - I'm sure these could help me - right now my current 'level' of stamina gets me through about 20% of my program!

Southwest is also having a systemwide sale on airfare (but tickets must be purchased before 1/22). The rate from my hometown to Chicago was the same on Southwest as on United. Note that Southwest flies only to Midway, whereas United flights are available to Midway or to O'Hare (O'Hare is much closer to the competition venue).

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Ask me about becoming a bone marrow donor.
http://www.marrow.org
http://www.nmdp.org

But don't you have to already be registered for another event by the deadline in order to compete at AN?

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

That's a question I have too. My friend is entered in Champ Masters Ladies at Easterns, but forgot the deadline to AN and didn't send that form in. If she qualifies through Easterns, does she still get to skate at AN?

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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

You do not register for Championship events at Nationals, only Sectionals. If you qualify through Sectionals, you are given an "Intent to Compete" form that has to be sent to USFSA within one week...that is the registration for Nationals Championship events.

If you qualify for a Championship event and have registered for an Open event at Nationals, you are given the option of competing in the Open event too or receiving a refund for the Open event. However, you are not required to register for an Open event in order to qualify and compete in a Championship event at Nationals.

Kelton

I want to get in on this, too! The only problem is that I don't know about the qualifying rounds- if there is one or not. Anyone know how I can find out? Also, I'm kind of afraid to book anything in light of all of the craziness that went on last year. As this is my first AN, anyone have any insight on when to book the flight/ hotel?

When the schedule is finalized, it'll be posted and you'll know whether there are qual rounds or not. I know the LOC learned its lesson from the craziness from last year. I would highly suggest that if you are in a level that generally has quals, you be here in Chicago for Weds. If you don't compete Weds, then find ice around (there are a million rinks) to practice at, go cheer for others, or do some site seeing.

Silver and Bronze Ladies age groups 2-4 always have qualifying rounds. Since I skate Silver Free and an Interp, I just make a week of it. There is plenty of sight seeing in Chicago and it's fun to watch the Masters when my events are over - and there is a party on Saturday night. I usually arrive Monday night so I have Tuesday to get settled in (and await luggage should a delay happen by airtravel - you never know), and skate the qualifier on Wednesday. If you are driving, you can wait for the final schedule.

Yes. The ANs deadline is for her Open event. So if she does NOT qualify, she does not skate at ANs at all.

Sigh. How many times does this need to be explained?

it is NOT up to the LOC to determine either schedule or number of entries. It;'s up to the referee at USFS. Since entries just closed on Jan 17th, and there is Nationals, and all three Synchro Sectionals happening this week, the LOC may not even get a final headcount of entries from USFS until a good two weeks from now.

The schedule up on the ANs 2007 site is from the referee, and is the only information the LOC has right now. So I suggest you buy your tickets according to that. There's plenty to do in Chicago if you end up having a free day.

Thanks for the advice, everyone! My biggest concern is the hotel costs of staying extra days. (Anyone need a roommate?) Obviously, I would love to make a week out of it and visit the city and watch the competition, but money is a big factor right now. I think I am leaning towards arriving Tuesday afternoon and leaving Friday night.

What about Silver I? Was there a Qual last year? Anyone know?
Thanks again for all the advice!

The Super 8 in Elk Grove Village looks like it's just a couple miles north of the rink and is not expensive. In fact I got a cheap weekly rate and a AAA discount, and it came out to $67.77/night for my 6 nights including all the taxes and my microwave/frig in the room. Now I'm just waiting for a deal on a rental car. You could also stay at a Motel 6 and be even cheaper.

I checked the results of last year's AN, and there were only 6 Silver Ladies 1 competitors. So there were no qualifying rounds for that age group. Ages 2,3 and 4 are really the most popular.

What I meant by my original statement is the LOC learned not to post something on a website (or publish a tentative sched) too early in the game that people take as gospel and then get angry about because the ref does his/her own thing. Everyone assumed last year that the schedule posted in the announcement as a tentative/possible schedule was gospel since most refs over the past several years had followed it -- until Dallas. You waited until you had a tentative schedule from the referree to post it, thus making it more likely to be followed or at least close to what it will be once final numbers are determined.


Silver 1 did not have a qual round last year but they DID skate their final round on Wednesday.

Yes, we (Silver I) didn't have a qualifier last year as there was only 6 of us. I am hoping we don't have a qualifier this year as well. So I only stayed untill I think Thursday afternoon last year, this year I am coming in Tuesday and leaving Sunday. I felt like I missed out on everything last year and I luckily have a friend who's rooming with me to cut that cost.

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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

That was me--I've been doing wind sprints off ice in a huge effort to build stamina (all in the name of being able to skate my program with more stamina and power and speed and not suck...)

What I do is I go jogging down to this field near my house that's roughly the size of a running track. The field has a paved asphalt path around it. I sprint the long portions and walk the short. I've only been able to do about 5 long-short pairs at a time before I'm knackered, but I'm hoping to build on that number. I'm also going to try to do this at a real track near my work, because it has a nice spongy rubberized surface.

__________________
Ask me about becoming a bone marrow donor.
http://www.marrow.org
http://www.nmdp.org

I wasn't there last year, but I think last year Bronze Ladies Age Group 2 only had 10 competitors, so no qualifying round, according to the results posted on the USFS web site. (Of course the number who enter for that event and age class may be different this year.)

__________________
Ask me about becoming a bone marrow donor.
http://www.marrow.org
http://www.nmdp.org

Ok, it's usually age groups 3 and 4 that are the biggest, especially since the division of the old group 1 into the new 1 and 2. At least Bronze and Silver have spread out abit. My first AN was very Bronze heavy. I was in old Bronze 2 (now 3), and there were 75 competitors! We had 5 huge qualifier flights!
All Silver and Bronze would be wise to be ready to skate on Wednesday with qualifying rounds. The final rounds usually go later in the week and are only run if necessary.

No, there wasn't a QR for Silver 1 last year.

I'll be there - Interpretive!

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