Same here - hockey is king. We have a lot of rinks in the area, but we also have a lot of hockey teams and they buy huge blocks of ice time before the season even starts. Pushing ANs to later in April or to the first wek of May might help in this area, because April-May tends to be the time when hockey is at low ebb, but during the spring and summer months some rinks take out their ice (or some of it, if there's more than one ice sheet) and convert the facility to indoor soccer or other dryland activity.

Would that interfere with the ISU adult championship or Mountain Cup? First week of May is usually Governing Council.

Rinks also start to close down for the season (or for a month or so) and/or cut back on ice significantly starting in early May. Not an issue in areas where skating is popular (here, the bigger ones stay open or and it's mostly some of the 2-surface facilities that go down to one in early May), but could pose a problem for people in areas with less rinks.

No, they're definitely not. I've lived in a few cities and skated at a crapload of rinks, so I've seen city-owned/operated rinks that were very successful (one of the rinks I skate at that several adults skate out of is city-run and it's one of the best in the area. They actually are hosting a pretty big competition that starts today). But in general, the municipal rinks are the ones that seem to struggle when times get rough since they rely on tax revenue and are subject to budget cuts, and either close down completely or sell/lease to a private company. The rinks run by private companies seem to be doing the best (as well as the ones run by colleges, or in the case of one rink in my area, a private Catholic elementary/high school).

__________________
2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

A few suggestions for how AN is awarded, for the sake of discussion and perhaps maybe something useful here will be taken up as positive change.

Currently, as I have observed it, the model for a locality acquiring AN, is that various clubs show an interest in hosting the event. Their primary motive is fund raising. The club representatives then go to their home rink(s) and try to secure a calendar commitment for those dates and [from the sound of it] are in the position of having to acquire the ice time at full retail rates from otherwise reluctant rink management. The club then rolls this and all of the other costs into a package and tries to pull the event off. Under this approach, the club is the bidder, the holder of all risk, and the rinks seem to be be in a dominant position to hold out for the best deal.

The history of clubs hosting competitions seems to be a tradition that goes way back in history. Maybe it would be a good idea to rethink this from an updated approach.

What if USFS was the primary host of AN every year, instead of a local club and rinks submitted fixed priced bids to USFS to hold the event in their facilities. The bids would be competitive based on a standardized set of specifications that are developed for the task and would represent the optimal number of hours and exclusive use that are needed for an AN event. Their bid would be limited to the use of facilities and any ancillary functions. It would include as many sheets of ice x hours needed for the primary venue and any other local rinks close enough to collaborate with the primary bidder. The number of operating Zamboni's would be considered as well. Practice ice would either be subject to an independent purchaser price ceiling or else bought wholesale under the base contract and re marketed.

This would be more or less an identical process to any municipal/ government bidding procedure and the winning bid would be based on compliance to the specifications but otherwise, the low bid, except where USFS seeks specific annual geographical considerations. The whole bid process would be publicly published on line including a summery of all bid results (just as in government bidding). This process flips around the order of financial motives from what currently seems to exist.

USFS would handle a specific set of administrative functions year after year, as they do now, except perhaps an expanded list of tasks to include scheduling. Ideally scheduling could be done more efficiently by software? Yes, No?

The level of interest of the local club would be a part of the rinks bid instead of the other way around. The local club would have a smaller but far more manageable roll handling all things related to hospitality. Certain concessions could be set aside for the local club to make money with, perhaps including a wide range of higher scale food concession choices on site at the competition arena. This allowance would be stipulated up front with the rinks in the original bid specification. (This would expand competitors choices beyond popcorn and other public-skate type goodies!)

Obviously this process breaks with the tradition of clubs sponsoring the whole event and traditions seem to be near and dear. I think AN would be an idea pilot project to try this approach and maybe other levels of competition may eventually follow suit.

How do you handle the need for a lot of volunteer hours with USFS bidding?

re: volunteers

That would still be a component of the USFS bid request and the rinks' proposal wherein the rink's bid would include a section describing how the local club has agreed to commit [I]X[I] number of volunteers, as per original bid proposal request.

I think what happens now is that it is essentially a joint venture between club and rink and it would continue to be that in some respects. It's just that the financial incentives need to be reversed from the present structure. Also USFS should commit additional staff organizational functions rather then giving it out to well intentioned but less then experienced volunteers, given that AN is such a large complex event

I'm really hoping that 2011 AN's will be on the west coast Have they ever been in or around San Diego or LA?? Bloomington, MN was really nice... Beautiful city and really nice people... And the Mall of America was tons of fun too I still can't believe the great rates for skaters at the Hilton! 105.00!!

If you want an ANs in your area (West Coast), work with your local club to bid. Oakland to date is the only West Coast ANs although a rumor around Bloomington was Phoenix was bidding.

San Diego doesn't have the facilities to host, at least that's what Lexi said. Which is a shame, they've hosted synchro nationals 3 times and the LOC always did a fantastic job. They used a wonderful hotel over in Hotel Circle where all the teams stayed, which would be perfect for the ANs atmosphere. Only issues were beyond the LOC's control--in both 98 and 04 there were major problems with ice melting in the SD Sports Arena, official practices for senior teams were canceld in 98 because they had to fix it, and 04 resulted in a splatfest during collegiate because it was down to the pavement in one spot.

Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo would be sweet (hotels next door, walking distance to food, not far from LAX, beach 5 mi away). But that's Frank Carroll's kingdom and I can't see him and the other coaches there giving up their elite skaters' ice for the better part of an entire week.

__________________
2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

Actually, Frank is leaving Toyota (he may in fact have already left) and will be moving to a new (about-to-be-built) rink further inland. But there are other elite coaches still there...although April is sort of their down time (end of season).

__________________
Terri C is a Bronze lady!
Gold Moves, here I come!

Bid Packages for 2011 Adult Sectionals and Adult Nationals are officially posted!!

See here!

Discuss!

The proposed date of April 5-9 go very well with me, as my birthday is 4/4, but hey if it's the second week, that's just as good too!!

__________________
Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Apparently, the problem with rinks in Southern California is that the cost of ice is too expensive.

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

Why does the Boston area never host AN? Sure would make my life easier.

__________________
You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

sk8lady: Stormy is in the Boston area, so it looks like they are maybe kinda sorta perhaps considering thinking about bidding one day.

Yeah, my club has tossed the idea around but it defintiely wouldn't be for 2011. In the Boston area and even in all of MA I'd say, there's really only one rink that can handle ANs and for my club to have it in conjunction with that rink a lot of stars would have to align just right.

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

How much, out of curiosity? Our rink in Ft Wayne charges $279/hr.

__________________
"Go wash an elephant if you wanna do something big." -Baby Gramps

Not never. It was in Marlborough in 2001!

I worked at that rink at the time in the skating office, and that was the one that really got me interested in adult skating. I'd been doing some young adult events at the time and seeing ANs and how fun it was really made me want to do it when I turned 25, since that was way before the age changes.

Marlborough really is an ideal venue for ANs, they have 5 surfaces now and are going to build a 6th. It's a huge facility, open and airy upstairs with a ton of parking. There's a hotel right across the street from it now and other hotels nearby. I really hope it works out to have it there again someday.

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

They did a nice job.

__________________
Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

I have fond memories of Marlborough as well. They did a great job.

__________________
Listen to my Figure Skating Podcast!

Rogue Element, Inc

Nobody bid. ETA - or no bids were accepted if someone did.

The new bid packet has gone out.

__________________
"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

No one bid on ANs for next year at all? How about Mids - any bid on Mids, or isn't the bid due yet?

Bids are due June 1, so clubs may be sending in the bid packages now.

Another email went out to clubs with a new due date. I think it was August. At least that is what I was told by someone who would know.

__________________
"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown