Hee! Believe me, if I ever do make it to ANs as a competitor - Interp or anything else - there will be plenty of Champagne to go around. Also caramels, if I can stand to make them again. And, if the venue is within driving distance, there will be lemon squares (I make divine lemon squares) and maybe a chocolate cake or two. I will do it up in STYLE!!! And if the rink won't allow Champagne, well, I have a big duffel bag - and you will all know which room I'm in anyway, so . . .

Yup! And the bottle should be big enough for a small (like group of about 10 people... knowing the time I passed down the bottle to Terri, I was glad I brought a HUGE champagne bottle -- it went FAST!!! And I guarantee you... you will be QUITE popular -- as Terri was then!!!

Funniest part of last year's champagne fest was dcden doing this hand gesturing as he was coming on the ice for his Champ Adult Gold skate to give him a few minutes and he will join us for a drink!!! (Sorry, dcden! It was ALL gone by then!!! Not sure if I remembered to slip him a "nip" either.)

__________________
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!!!

And it's not the fact that we were constantly hounded for credentials, it's that we were not WARNED ahead of time that this would be enforced.

I'm used to having to flash the badge. It's typically enforced at synchro nationals. To the point where team managers keep them all and give them to us as we are on the way to the rink, and collect them all when we leave the rink, so they are not lost (yes, even for our adult team I was on, since we were part of a large club with teams on down through juvenile).

But the issue was that it's NEVER enforced at adult nationals, at least not at any of the 4 I've been to. Sure, we get them, sure, people might be wearing them, and sometimes we are asked for them for the first day or so if we're in street clothes, but that's really it. Like in Lake Placid, they had people at the entrance to the '80 arena asking for the first day or so, or if people were in street clothes. But once it was obvious that someone was a skater--they had a costume on, they had their hair up and a crapload of make-up on, they were wearing a medal around their neck, or after a few days the people checking started to recognize faces--no one asked. Coming off of GR, we were spoiled since the LOC pretty much knew all the "regulars".

So moral of the story I guess is that if you're going to be enforcing us and requiring us to wear it at all times, at least warn us ahead of time so that we know what to expect. A simple email ahead of time would have worked. We're adult skaters, many of whom have been doing ANs for years, and tend to expect that certain things will be a certain way. (Again, this is something that having an adult skater on the LOC would have been able to point out.)

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

Oh man all of us in our posse were on such a roll all week. I wish we had a recorder to pick up some of the stuff we were saying.

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

I know those lifts - we've done some of them at the Mountain Cup.....

Well, we're not fool enough to let ourselves be lifted when we're sober! I did, at one stage, have photos.... (flo, you were there, I think!)


A mirror in the dressing-room? Good grief, I'd think I'd died and gone to heaven if such luxury existed - that's practically unknown here. I've learnt to bring a small one in my make-up bag, and have lent it round to many people in my time....

__________________
Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

We don't usually get them at our adult championships, but one year we did.... and they ended up eating all the judges' sandwiches and got into trouble!

__________________
Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Oh yeah, both GR and LP we had plenty of mirrors, there were little baskets of safety pins, q-tips, hairspray, tissues, safety pins (you know, the little stuff you normally have with you at competitions EXECPT for when you actually need it). I want to say Chicago did too but I don't really remember, I've blocked most of that ANs out of my memory (due to dance partner making my trip miserable, NOT anything the LOC did).

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

LOL, Annabel! Having skated in all the places we've skated over the years, I have to wonder if the AN people realize how spoiled we are in the US as compared to the rest of the world (where having a seat on the toilet is considered a luxury!)

More seriously though, in reading this thread (and the others like it that crop up after every adult competition), I don't wonder why USFS has such a hard time getting clubs to host AN. Adults have an unfortunate reputation of being "difficult" and threads like this only reinforce that. Why should a club bid on a competition as large as AN unless they already have a huge adult membership (and how many of those are there?) or they want to make money? With ice costs in some rinks topping $300 an hour, the clubs have to recoup somehow. And all the people running these things are volunteers, not professional event organizers. I think that as adults, we should be mature enough to recognise that and behave accordingly.

Of course, I also think that as adults, we should be mature enough to act responsibly and keep track of credentials. At kid Nationals, a lost credential can cost $500 to replace. If I lose my company credential, it costs me $100 and half a day's work to drive to HQ to get a new one. And just wearing a jacket and hard hat with the company logo on it won't get me past the guard without an ID. It's not a tough concept.

And why do we need written instructions for every little thing? As far as I know, drinking alcohol in a public facility that doesn't sell alcohol is against the law almost everywhere in the US. (In France, now, ..... )

Yes, I know AN i s supposed to be fun and yet somehow still a serious competition at the same time. But the ting is, sometimes you can't have everything. If you want a serious competition where skaters are treated like "real skaters" then you'll have stuff like credential checks and schedule issues and clueless/overworked/rude volunteers to deal with. If you want a relaxed, fun event where you can have a good time without too many rules or restrictions, then some of the seriousness is going to fall by the wayside and you might not be treated with the respect you feel adult skaters deserve.

Anyway, if clubs aren't lining up to bid on AN (and Adult Sectionals), I don't think we have to look further than this thread to see why. It's a lot of work, a lot of expense and little potential reward. I know I wouldn't want to bother and reading all the griping and abuse, I can't think of why anyone else would.

But at kiddie Nationals, do they have a practice scheduling system so confusing that the practices get oversold to where the LOC asks skaters to switch practices a few days before everything starts?? They also have their names on their credentials too, right?

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

I don't think it's fair to compare ANs to kid Nationals. We should be so lucky to be treated that well. They have credentials that could $500 in the first place, not pieces of paper in a plastic holder. Having a few replacement credentials on hand for those who are bound to misplace them shouldn't be a huge deal. If we had "real" credentials like the kids have, none of us would be having an issue with being asked for money to replace them. Kid nationals would never, EVER be subjected to the practice ice debacle we had. We don't NEED written instructions for every little thing, but if it's not going to be consistent year after year, all we ask is for a little communication about things that matter, not about a damn blanket. The kids get all sorts of stuff at their nationals that we won't ever get probably, so it's not comparing apples to apples.

I have zero issue with an LOC wanting to make a profit, after all, that is the point of hosting a competition. But past LOCs have made a profit and not charged $20 for a 25 minute practice ice and $25 for the competitors party. We were blatantly being treated as cash cows and that was the major major issue we all have. And then it was all the little things compiled together that just made us all angrier.

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

Bluemoon, how many AN's have you participated in? The skaters are not being "difficult" at all. We realize the effort required to conduct an AN and do appreciate it, as with last year, when that effort is made. It's not that we don't realize that we need to take care of our tags and so on, but do not appreciate being treated so rudely.

__________________
Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

We used very limited vocals in our Silver Pairs music. You can see it and hear the music here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAK1f4QgSFE
There are a few "Go Daddy Go"s

I did hear a Masters Ladies Int/Nov that had "vocals" in it. Not quite Enya, but did have discernible words.

Rob

__________________
Geriatric Figure Skating Crew - President for Life!
Georgia Figure Skating Club - President (again)
Facebook
____________________________________________
"I'm too old to die young, and too smart to be happy" - Kinky Friedman, The Mile High Club

2010 Adult Nationals - earning a gold - "Priceless"
2009 Adult Nationals - competing with a cold is not much fun.
2008 Adult Nationals - Too little sleep, too much vodka!

There was also a woman in Silver II who had vocals in her freeskate music.

__________________
I've got mad salchow disease!

Is it an icenetwork thing, or a problem with the actual recording of the events that's causing all the AN videos to be stretched horizontally? It's not very flattering to the competitors...

(I suppose it could be a problem on my computer, but I've watched in two different browsers on two different computers with different operating systems, so I don't think that's it.)

This is so funny! I am the "mayhap" culprit - I picked it up a while back reading an Arthurian Romance Novel and just can't let it go. I say it way too much and use it in writing too much as well:] Love that it's penetrating and spreading up into the North-East. See Nova, if you come back down to NC you'll expand your already vast vocabulary:]

Most of the stuff we're complaining about (practice ice debacles, having to pay for warm-ups, volunteers not really being able to answer questions, etc) would NEVER EVER EVER be acceptable at a US Nationals or a Junior Nationals. US Figure Skating just wouldn't allow it, and a close enough eye is kept on the LOC to make sure these things do not happen. To even volunteer at US Nationals or JNs, you need to go through a background check and there was a ton of mandatory volunteer training leading up to each competition, especially when it came to US nationals. So really, you can't compare the two.

Part of the reason for all of that at US Nationals/JNs is obvious...you've got children/teenagers competing and, when it comes to the senior level, some "famous" athletes competing. So of course you need to do background checks on volunteers and be strict about credentials for the skaters, coaches, chaperones, etc to be sure that everyone who has access to the child/teenage skaters who are in the locker rooms or other restricted areas of the arena without parents/coaches around all the time, or who has access to press areas (and therefore Scott, Dick, Peggy, and whomever else they have commentating) is not some crazed psychopath. There is a legit security reason.

As for adult nationals...come on...we don't need that. We're all adults. No one is famous, we are not some high profile event. Heck, some of the skaters themselves are a little nuts. The whole reason they were being picky about credentials (when again, no other ANs in recent years has) was for monetary reasons.

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

Indeed! I'll bring a notepad next year so I can jot down all of our "silly-isms" :]

A traveling "Quote Board"! That's exactly what we need! Although that's going to be a long list after 4 days. =)

Stormy and I want a camera crew to follow us around at competitions because we feel we'd make for some really exciting reality TV.

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

Well put, and my sentiments exactly. I went at the practice ice cost and did another at the extra charge for warmup ice, then was at the cost of the competitors' party (which I paid for, then was too tired to attend), but I let all that slide. When I reached the end of my tether was when I asked for my protocol sheet after my IJS event and was told it would cost me $5.00!! And I didn't even have the option of buying just MY protocol sheet. Ethically, that's along the lines of taking someone on an "all inclusive" desert tour, then charging them an exhorbitant price for water once they're in the middle of the Sahara.
As Daisies pointed out, it is the right of every skater competing under IJS to get a copy of her own protocol sheet when the scores come out, and the poor, clueless volunteer to whom I was trying to explain this probably thought I was kind of a b*tch (I could tell that her defensive supervisor did!).
USFSA really needs to set limits on what the LOC is allowed to charge for anything that they have a monopoly on.

Now, on a positive note, the sweeper girls were the best thing about the event and I am glad I had a chance to praise them to the sweeper organizer. They were awesome.

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

OMG--that would be brilliant! In this day and age it's totally feasible. The real question might be: how much bleeping bleep! would it take bleep! to get an authentic bleep! of the goings-on?!! And most importantly, do participants share their drinking-recipes?

If my husband competes in AN before I do, I'm all too happy to be the sidelines camera-girl. Ha ha

We're difficult?! Have you ever met a "skating mom"?? With whom do adults have a "difficult" reputation, exactly? If you think we're being difficult, that's a whole separate thing than accusing adults of having a bad reputation across the board. In my experience, adult skaters are the most knowledgeable and conscientious skaters out there. Of course there are a few crazies, but there are crazies everywhere.

Uh, what? Where did you get that information? I worked the registration desk at 2000 US Nationals and they printed out your credential on a plastic card right there - I got the same kind of credential as a volunteer that the competitors did. It was the same system still in place at the 2005 Junior Worlds. My rink does the same kind of credentials for its town residency cards for under 5 bucks. There is no way that replacing one lost credential costs anywhere near $500.

Actually, I've heard that too from people who have been involved in running clubs/competitions. May be more rumor than fact (like the one where Adult Sectionals lose money, which they don't), but it is a perception in some parts of skating.

__________________
"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

In her defense, Blue111Moon has been to ANs, and the adult competitions overseas, and runs a yearly club competition and a LOT more. As for the replacement fee for the credentials, her info is likely accurate. She's been involved in skating a lot longer than most of us have. She does know of what she speaks.

And like 1964 said, I've also heard that we're considered difficult sometimes. And hopefully it is more rumor than fact. But I didn't hear complaints about last year's ANs, so all the LOC has to do is get it right in the first place and we'll all be happy.

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

I wasn't surprised we were charged $5 for the Official WU. Ann Dougherty told me years ago that at the first ANs there was extra ice so they decided to give everyone an extra 15-20 minutes. Over time it became expected, and as the schedule got tighter and busier it became expensive to give that ice away for free. So I knew that was coming. And the party has always been a loss leader, so I wasn't surprised they charged more for that too (though they could have gone for $20 over $25). I will say was surprised that the protocols cost $5, especially when I was competing against myself! $5 for four pieces of paper?

For me, it was more the lack of communication about it all. Having run an ANs before, I knew about the potential costs. But nobody else did! They all showed up and it was $5 for this, $20 for that, $25 for this, $5 more for that, $xx to replace a credential, etc etc etc.

Next time there should be something in the Announcement or on the website about cost breakdowns for all these items.

__________________
Listen to my Figure Skating Podcast!

Rogue Element, Inc