Please see below message from U.S. Figure Skating.........................


Dear Adult Skating Committee member,



Due to technical issues with our online system, entry into the 2008 Adult Sectionals and 2008 Adult Nationals competitions will be done via mail only. Later today we will send an email to all members over the age of 21 as well as all clubs notifying them of this change.



There are certain aspects that the skater will be able to complete online and we will communicate that to them when their entry is processed by our staff.



This change was unforeseeable and we apologize for any inconvenience this will cause.



If you have any questions, please contact Kevin Leonardo or Kathy Drevs.



Thank you.



**To ensure a fast and accurate response, please include all previous dialogue.**



Kathy Drevs

Director of Member Services

U.S. Figure Skating

20 First Street

Colorado Springs, CO 80906

O: 719.635.5200 x448

F: 877.514.3471

Yeah, I received this this morning. WTH?? And the deadline is only 2 weeks away!

I know it's going to be a huge amount of work for USFSA to put all of those entries in but, since we JUST found out about this, I think they should give us an extension. JMHO.

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I've got mad salchow disease!

Postmarks are accepted, according to the documents included with Mids. http://www.annarborfsc.com/amids08/0...nformation.pdf I know I've paper filed using the postmark - I sent them certified mail so that I had proof.

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"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

I feel bad for anyone attempting a qualifying event who's already on VACATION/HOLIDAY and doesn't know that we have to file by paper! That will be nerve wracking for some... I wish they would have said start filing by paper when they realized it wasn't going to work at the beginning of December, but maybe they were being optimistic that they could fix it...

That's definitely a good idea. Even if you don't send by certified mail, it's worth standing in line to at least get a stamped mailing receipt.

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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

Am I the only one who thinks this isn't that big of a deal? It's only one form that has to be in by the deadline -- the actual application -- and the rest can be done later online. If anyone on vacation/holiday intended to enter online while away, they obviously have Internet access while away and will see the notice. They can download the form and stick it in the mail. Voila!

and don't forget - this is for qualifying events only.
All non-qual forms still go to the LOC (not to USFSA) with the mid-January deadline.

Our club had this info posted on it's website a while ago(EARLIER THIS MONTH?). I dont know why USFSA waited..maybe they were trying to fix the system?

I am just a lowly silver skater so I dont have to file for sectional, but.....I did like the convenience of the on line for nats....oh well.

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

True... but just b/c they have a computer does not mean that they have access to a printer. That's sorta my case actually... though if I'm really desperate, I can head to a Kinko's or borrow my SIL's brand new printer/fax/scanner that we just installed on their home wireless network (which DH and I also installed too! LOL!!!)

I just PM'ed a couple of people that since I'm non-qualifying that I'll just deal with the AN entry forms when I get back home and just fill out the forms that I already printed out at work...NBD.

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Right, but what I'm saying is, it's not like this is going to be some big surprise to them one day before the deadline. They'll know about it because of the email blast that went out, and from that point on they'll have plenty of time to make arrangements to have something printed out.

Well, unless they're away w/o computer access, and aren't getting home until the 1st or 2nd of Jan, and were planning to just get online to register when they got home. After all, for AN and qual events at Sectionals, the rule is/was that you can only register online. So people might have gone away with the system down, not able to do anything, not knowing that mail-in entry was allowed/required, and end up with a big surprise when they get home (I'm thinking more about Champ events at Sectionals, not so much AN b/c people have a few more weeks to send in their forms).

Another issue to consider is....are the registration forms requiring a signature by a club officer? If so, it could be difficult to near-impossible to track someone down at the last minute. With online reg, no siggies were needed so people wouldn't have planned to get them.

This really should have been decided on and announced earlier.

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

Thank you for clarifying what I meant in my post, DebbieS about qualifying (and jazzpants comment about not having a printer and needing to scramble while on vacay/holiday). I agree that it should have been announced sooner.

That's not true -- online is "preferred" for the adult competitions, not required.

It's obviously just my opinion, but it's foolish to wait until the last minute for your online entry. What if your electricity goes out or your server goes down? What if your computer crashes? Time for plan B. This is plan B.

There is no club-official signature required on the form. It's just fill out, sign check, send. Hence why I think a mountain has been made out of a molehill. YMMV.

Yeah, it was weird... I got the announcement thru our club's treasurer's first right after I got to my in-laws home and unpack DH's laptop. I was thinking at the time "SHOOT!!! Now I really have to find a printer to print the from." The next day, I got noticed from my club's treasurer regarding the email blast, but by then I realized I was non-qualifying for AN and I'm not going to AS, so I don't have to worry about it 'til I get home.

Now if I WAS going to AS, then I would be at one of my SIL's right now printing the forms on their brand new HP 7200 printer/fax/scanner that we just installed on their wireless network. (The wireless network is also set up courtesy of the "Computer Couple" as of last year. We're better than the "Geek Squad!" You get a function computer/network setup AND you also get the entertainment of watching us banter/bicker like a normal husband and wife does as we're setting up the system for 'ya. )

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Sorry that this is OT, but I just can't resist. Jazzpants--you know there are a lot of new reality TV shows getting started because of the writer's strike.... I can just imagine one where you & DH go to people's homes and set up computer stuff...

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Being forced to do this by mail isn't the end of the world, but it is a big ol' pain in the butt. Printing out stuff, going to the post office (which has horrible hours in my town), etc. It's just inconvenient and surprising that, in the 21st century, we're having to do it.

No, you are not. Stuff happens. Technology is not foolproof. It's not the end of the world, IMO. Heck, nowadays you don't necessarily have to go to the post office, if that's an issue for you. Around here, there's plenty of pack and mail places that are open longer hours who will take care of it for you, and the post office will also pick up things like express mail.

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"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

Does your post office have one of those Automated Postal Center kiosks? They're open 24/7 and you can do certified, insured and delivery confirmed mail on them. You can also buy stamps, domestic and international, and ship the majority of packages anywhere in the world.

Last Tuesday, I walked into the post office, right by the line of more than TWENTY people for the counter to the empty kiosk, and mailed all my packages in 5 minutes. I don't get it!!

That thing is a godsend!!! I used it for mailing eBay packages before I realized you can print postage directly from PayPal.

I have to admit, I don't think this is a really big deal myself. We're all used to mailing in paper applications. You don't necessarily have to take it to the Post Office either. You can use FedEx or UPS, right? I can use both from my work (for free, yay!) and the label that prints out mas the shipping date right on it, so USFS will know you've mailed it by the date. And it gives you a tracking number. FedEx and UPS are also open later hours than the PO as well.

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

My understanding of the e mail is that only forms A and H need to be sent by post office mail, and the rest of the forms can be filled out online later. Is this correct? I am planning a PO run tomorrow with a last minute gift anyway.

Correct as far as the email that came to everyone said.

No biggie - did it this way for years.

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Just bumping this thread for anyone who may have been on vacation when the message went out.

If you want to register for AN or AS, you will need to do so by mail.
(See OP or the USFSA site itself.)

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exactly I kinda like doing it by hand and shuffling papers

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