Marshalls US Showcase - April 6 - Reading, PA

[nymkfan51]

http://www.usfsa.org/event_story.asp?id=37636

Good group of skaters!

[Spun Silver]

Reading, PA?

[Mathman]

So it will be an exhibition rather than a competition?

[nymkfan51]

It didn't say, so who knows. I guess the fact that it's called a Showcase would probably mean exhibitions, though.

[Mathman]

I doubt if Sasha would be willing to participate if it were a competition. She would have nothing to gain and everything to lose.

[demarinis5]

I hope it is not that American Idol theme again.

[R.D.]

So it will be an exhibition rather than a competition?

It was last year.

[Joesitz]

It's All American. Not an international competition. Ho Hum.

However, Reading,Pa has been chosen for Skate America this Fall.

Joe

[Mathman]

Maybe they are trying to cash in on the success of U.S. Nationals by featuring the American skaters. There hasn't been much interest in international competitions this year. Four Continents was not well attended, for instance, and did not receive much publicity in the U.S.

[iluvtodd]

Well, this is only an hour and a half away from home for us, and it's during the school spring break, so maybe we can go to this!

[Joesitz]

Skate America in Hartford had a decent crowd. Fans of skating will go where there is a good international competition. There is none for this Marshalls. In fact there hasn't been for some time. If you love exhibition skating then enjoy. It will be a mini US COI.

I think the cheesefests as we knew them have bit the dust. Not that they were all that great since the sponsors had a difficult time signing up international skaters who were not already in the US..

Joe

[Mathman]

I think the cheesefests as we knew them have bit the dust.

Yeah, I think so, too. For a while there I thought they had something going. A few did have a good competitive spirit about them, with Michelle, Irina, Sasha, Fumie and Shizuka in the mix. One that I attended on the men's side had Plushenko, Joubert, Weir, Lysacek, Weiss and Griazov.

This year's Campbells team challenge was pretty good, too, with Mao Asada, Miki Ando, Takahashi and Oda representing Japan.

[chuckm]

I think this was was supposed to be an International cheesefest, but now the European and Asian skaters have plenty of shows at home and don't need to come to the US to make money.

I also think the USFS is strapped for cash. They're not sending skaters to Triglav for the first time in years and there will be no NACS any more to start off the season.

[Mathman]

I think this was was supposed to be an International cheesefest, but now the European and Asian skaters have plenty of shows at home and don't need to come to the US to make money.

Actually, that's a very encouraging development for those skaters.

[Joesitz]

It seems the decline in figure skating is not world-wide.

Do watch the Nats Exhibitions on Sunday. Ms. Zhang will grab you and maybe she is the answer to US interest in figure skating.

(btw, I don't want to hear she's too junior, especially if you didn't say that with bubblegum Lipinsky.)

Joe