Spokane seat poaching

[CoyoteChris]

Just curious as to how you all feel about seat poaching during the lesser attended competitions at nationals. I have a great seat but at Lake Placid, there was a guy the size of a Mac truck in front of me that I could not see over and around, and I am 6 ft 2" , So I just went and sat with folks I knew. If someone came and claimed my seat, I just moved. But that only happened when Yuna was skating.....

Personally, if someone has bought an all event package and couldnt afford a good seat, I have no problem if they move up during the novice dance comps.
just to see what its like.....although many can successfully argue it is theft.

[Penny]

I have no problem with seat poaching within reason. I am an older adult who can afford good seats, and I sympathize with youngsters who cannot. But let me relate my experience at Worlds in LA.

I had a pretty good aisle seat about 11 rows from the front. I expected a certain amount of discomfort at having to stand up to let people get past me to their seats. However, 3 seats on my row belonged to people I came to refer to as "the Brazilians," (at least the older woman who paid for the seats was Brazilian).

The young men with the older lady were never satisfied, always looking for better seats, which meant constant coming and going. They would go down to the front and take a seat during ladies long, for example, knowing that the owner would eventually show up; then back they would come to my row to take their rightful seats. It was so bad that even a lady in the row opposite me commented on what a nuisance it must be for me.

On the last day of competition, I had finally had enough. One of the young men who had been in an out 5 or 6 times already wanted his seat back on my row. He stared at me. I did nothing. He asked if I could let him pass. I asked if he was finished moving about, and he said "Maybe."

So I would say, seat poaching is okay during less-well-attended sessions, but please keep your seat when the house is nearly full. Your moving about blocks views and inconveniences other attendees.

[mskater93]

We call those folks "bungees" at football - the ones that are up and down all during the game - bathroom, hot dog, hot chocolate, water, coke, bathroom....they are told to stay in the aisle until the play is over in our section (no one around us has qualms with being brutally honest about rudeness).

I have no problem with "seat poaching" so long as you don't irritate me doing it....

[CoyoteChris]

Good point! I dont condone poaching during an event, especially during the major ones. If I have to get up and leave for a bit I try and not disturb people and certainly dont go up and down the isles during a skate. The Brazilian story was interestiong....I wonder if that is part of their culture?

[Tinymavy15]

When me and my friend went to the worlds in LA we had nosebleed seats for the Mens SP but noticed halfway through thr event that the place wasn't near full so we moved down to like the 10th row or so. Nobody bothered us and it was so cool. On the other hand, there was none of that for the ladies freeskate, there were guards at every entrance... if you had the worst seats in the house... too bad.

[CoyoteChris]

I dont blame the seat Nazis at Worlds...they were polite and only doing what they were told...like cram all the fans for some practice sessions into one or two sections, then kick them out for the skating spectacular practice, then let them back in for it. Maybe they should sell poaching tickets...kinda of like flying standby....

[Tonichelle]

well my friends and I did it every year I've been to nationals (they taught me the trade early on lol) most of the time we chose seats that weren't desireable, but were close enough to the action that we enjoyed them. Normally we missed parts of the ice because of TV cameras or judges... but we normally were only a few rows behind the judges, so a lot of the seats were blocked off for other officials not on duty and the tv crews' family. So very rarely were we asked to go back to our seats.

though when events had people we knew in them we normally sat with their families lol or they came and sat with us, which also helped keep us from being booted

because of that I got to sit with some pretty neat people... Johnny Weir's feet were next to the left side of my face (ok that wasn't neat it was annoying) in 2005. The Baldwins sat behind us several times in 05 and 06 (I think they avoided us in 2008... we weren't big fans of their team). Naomi Lang and then her itty bitty little girl and Peter Tchernyshev and friends/family in 2005... Randy Gardner ... Victor Petrenko (that was during a practice session, though). Charlotte Maxwell and Nick Traxler... etc... I enjoyed it more for who we got to sit around than the actual event on the ice most times

[CoyoteChris]

Ever seen skaters and other credentialed folk get booted? I have seen the seat police send them back to the "skater" section even though they weren't hurtin' no one.

[Tammi]

Ever seen skaters and other credentialed folk get booted?

Have not had a problem yet, but those were larger venues and even for the ladies event, there were plenty of seats available close to the ice. I have heard that Spokane is much smaller though, so we'll see what we get. While there is a "skaters section" that is blocked off for those with credentials, there are only a limited number of seats available there as well. Hoping our luck will hold out and that we'll be able to see all the skating again this year.

[Tonichelle]

Ever seen skaters and other credentialed folk get booted? I have seen the seat police send them back to the "skater" section even though they weren't hurtin' no one.

Caroline Zhang got reamed in 2006 when she was still in juniors because she ASKED a seat guard if it would be okay if she could sit in a seat closer to the ice to watch the senior free dance. I felt so incredibly bad for her.

[Nadine]

Lol, I enjoyed reading this thread.

I'm a stickler for manners & politeness & going by the rules, so if I had to give a definitive answer I would say "no, seat poaching should not be allowed".

BUT, that said, I suppose I personally would not be up in arms if it was done in a polite manner. I myself was at a Mariners Baseball game once with my family, and IIRC me & my sister, et al tried to get a better view by moving up a bit, as we noticed some seats that weren't occupied during the beginning of the game, however the occupants were late to the game, so of course we politely apologized and went back to our seats a few rows back.

Seriously, if an event has plenty of seats open, and sometime during the event nobody shows, I would think it would be alright to try, lol, but only if you purchased seats in that section. Otherwise, I feel it is very impolite & no-no to try to move to a whole other level, like up to the ice. And if the event is packed, no way. JMHO.

Lol, I recall this one time I was at a COI show with a good elderly friend of mine, whom has long passed (her mother used to take her to ice skating shows way back in the 30's!). Anyhow, she knew Oksana Baiul was my favorite, so I had planned to run down to the ice when she skated to take a few pics & also to hand her a present. Me & my good friend were seated about 15-20 rows up from the front of the ice, so I had a long dash to make downwards, lol, but I think I was still in my 20's back then so no problem. So I was sweating profusely anticipating my *big* moment, and then off I dashed so fast I honestly almost fell over the rail onto the ice! What a wreck I was so concerned about everyone else, felt like a fugitive on the run, nervously sat on the stair so as not to block anyone's view as I did what I had promised myself!

Nowadays I don't think I would ever do something so rash again, but I've always been known to be a bit wild now & then, so who knows!