Personal pics and final thoughts | Golden Skate

Personal pics and final thoughts

CoyoteChris

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 4, 2004
I am adding to my personal GB pics every day...got two pages here so far...
http://s1217.photobucket.com/user/CoyoteChris303/library/Greensboro 2015?sort=3&page=1
I am not labeling any pics with personal names of folk here or anywhere else of my friends....if you do not
want any of your pics here, even unlabeled, let me know. I am holding them back till I hear from you.
I will also add a few personal comments about mostly fan related things and things I learned from the technical controller ear bug commentators,
who were all too happy to take some questions in the concourse....
(Who is this young lady with her mom on crutches? She looks like Paige Rydberg)
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd385/CoyoteChris303/Greensboro 2015/W16_zpsa6bfecc4.jpg

Some random thoughts on the venue. The complex is great. Practice ice, extensive fan fest, and arena under the same roof with real seats and good pitch. Maybe someone saw a line to a bathroom but I didn’t. And if you got tired of people or just wanted to be alone and take a nap, you could take an elevator or walk upstairs to the upper concourse and even eat in peace. And a ton of empty new bathrooms up there. The only time the locals seemed to have poured in en masse was for the ladies free and they raised the curtain in the nose bleeds and man, was the newly redone arena huge! Typical arena food but Moe’s would build you a soft taco like Subway would for $4 and you could load it up with veggies….
Everyone smuggled in food and water and no one cared.
The sound system was fine.
There were a few good inexpensive eateries close by if you knew where to look.
Don’t know how the attendance went but I suspect it wasn’t spectacular and I can tell you that ice dance Judge Richard Dalley, 2010 US Oly team leader, told Yasa, Yuri and I that Omaha, which had a great venue, lost money in 2013 and wont put in for Nats again. Lots of cities wont. A rumor going around the arena, that I heard from a pretty good sourse, is that there is a new arena going in somewhere in Vegas that would be great for SkateAmerica/4CCs and the USFS thinks the stigma of having skating there is gone and many more people would come and make it a dual vacation. I know I would like that.
The shuttle only ran every hour for us mortals which made for a few issues. They changed the way the buses traveled and had ones dedicated to certain hotels…It wasn’t a big thing for me personally but it wasn’t as good as last time. One could have probably taken cabs for the cost of the pass. I fast walked the mile to my hotel a couple of times but was told NOT to do that at night…in fact, a few locals told me to not walk north of the Olive Garden/Chilis. I saw a few folk walk around but not many.
This is one event that could have been done on the cheep for some economically strapped fans. One didn’t have to pay $130 a day for a hotel as there were cheep ones and one could have shared a cab. An all event ticket in the nosebleeds could have in fact got you a seat almost anywhere in the lower bowl.
No one ever asked to see my ticket once I was in the arena part.
I booked on United for $460 R/T from Spokane, but when my flights were canceled going home (when I was at dinner with Doris and her husband, and MFarone) it cost me hours on hold to get them rebooked for Wednesday instead of leaving on Monday so I said the heck with it and got the last seat on a Delta flight for $760 Monday afternoon. At least I got a partial refund from United and didn’t have to pay two days of hotel charges and food. Being stuck is never fun. And the plane was full of ice dancers going to Detroit. Man can those ladies stretch! I have never seen someone put their stockinged foot on the ceiling of an aircraft before.
Funny story…I am usually dragged off to some room by TSA and have to prove to them that my back brace and knee braces aren’t bombs…no biggie….but this time at Spokane at 4:30 am, I had gathered up all my stuff from the room after the pat down/brace inspection and I carried it off to some quiet place to put everything back together and found 3 each, .30 cal lead lubricated bullets (not cartridges) in my backpack that must have dropped out of a ziplock bag of them I had in there at one time….:shocked:
 
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CoyoteChris

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 4, 2004
Acutally, you CAN just right click on the pics and take them...no problem...but if you want a bigger copy, you don't have to buy them...I can just email the JPGs to you....
Sitting next to Doris for awhile, I could shoot right down onto the judge's screens, and the tech specialists'. Now, to figure out how to tap into the computer network
and change the results! Now THAT would be funny! Wow! 4T-3A Karen Chen! :dance:

My response exactly :rofl:

Can I take a copy and frame it for Mrs P's next birthday present?
 

yyyskate

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 1, 2013
Thanks so much for the report and photos. Funny read :laugh: please share more in the future.
 

MFarone

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 20, 2003
Country
United-States
Thanks for the photos Chris. I also liked the venue with practice and competition rinks in the same complex. I've heard the complaints about not making money forever. Isn't the money issue the reason Spokane moved their fanfest from the Convention Center to the Mall? I recall Mall merchants and restaurants were not happy at the 2007 Nationals and felt they were not seeing the increase in business that they were told to expect. I can see that most of the money USFS probably talks about goes to hotels, the arena, food vendors in the arena, maybe a little to taxi companies, a little to restaurants. Gosh, the schedule is so packed that most of us only eat at local restaurants (outside of hotels) at the end of the competition.

I know that if Greensboro hosts again, I will plan a very different trip. I've already made some "outside the LOC box" decisions about St. Paul which I think will work just fine.

I really enjoyed the skating in Greensboro - it was spectacular actually. The ushers, hotel personnel, shuttle drivers, volunteers (with one exception) were all very helpful and kind.
 

mnm464

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 15, 2014
Thanks for the in depth description of the venue. I have never been to a nationals(yet), and it was cool to see other pics that weren't released from the USFSA. Do you go to other competitions held in the US like Skate America or the upcoming Worlds 2016? It would be awesome to see some content from the great internationals!
 

CoyoteChris

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 4, 2004
Thank you. I have been to two worlds and many SkateAmericas and a couple of 4 Conts. Wont be doing Worlds at Boston. Glad I did LA and London Ont. Now that you mention it, I do have a few interesting pics from all those comps that you wont see in the media....not high quality but interesting...might think about starting a thread on interesting behind the scene pics. Here is one of my favorites....
four conts, Colo Springs...gala....
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd385/CoyoteChris303/skating/z.jpg

Guess the three skaters

http://s1217.photobucket.com/user/CoyoteChris303/media/skating/one.jpg.html?sort=3&o=8

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd385/CoyoteChris303/skating/x.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd385/CoyoteChris303/Omaha2013/agnes_zpsc01015a1.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd385/CoyoteChris303/Cleveland/P1020624.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd385/CoyoteChris303/nats 2012/greypants.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd385/CoyoteChris303/nats 2012/sisters.jpg

Thanks for the in depth description of the venue. I have never been to a nationals(yet), and it was cool to see other pics that weren't released from the USFSA. Do you go to other competitions held in the US like Skate America or the upcoming Worlds 2016? It would be awesome to see some content from the great internationals!
 
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mnm464

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 15, 2014
Wow that is really cool, so I assume that you are with a federation like ice network or GS or work with this USA? Thanks for the other pics, too! Is that Mirai and Douglas R.? I can't recognize the middle skater.
 

CoyoteChris

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 4, 2004
I think that is Daisuke Murakami . I am no one special. I donate to the USFS and to some skaters. You meet people over the years and at the smaller events, there is more time to talk with them as they aren't so busy or inaccessable. At Pac Secs, this season, my friend K. showed Todd Sands her sweatshirt from a Pac secs long ago with his name on it...He explained he really didn't make it to the event. His partner at the time was injured, I think....nice guy....
Wow that is really cool, so I assume that you are with a federation like ice network or GS or work with this USA? Thanks for the other pics, too! Is that Mirai and Douglas R.? I can't recognize the middle skater.
 

yyyskate

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 1, 2013
^^ yes indeed, when you go to comps more often, especially smaller ones, you got to talk with those skaters and gradually, you got more and more attached, feels them as more of friend than a super star in the figure skating community, then you want to go to more live comps...:biggrin:
you went LA and London Ont.!!! two of the best worlds ever!!!!!!. but you totally deserved it for all your dedications/donations to figure skating over all these years.
And very nice camera skills as well:cheer2::cheer:
 

CoyoteChris

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 4, 2004
You are very kind. Yes, after going to my first comp. (SkateAmerica 2002) and seeing MK win in Spokane, I was hooked. Suddenly, those front row "on ice" , ice show seats didn't seem so important compared to the drama of competition.....
I am not so sure exactly what I deserve and life is after all unfair, but I do feel good when I give to humane societies and figure skaters....I have only regretted one figure skating event...Portland 2005. I had just retired and wasn't quite sure how financially secure I would be . I had scrimped for 15 years...sleeping in my truck on vacations or splurging on a Motel 6, to retire at 55. I decided to not go and not spend the money.....:bang: How dumb was that?
^^ yes indeed, when you go to comps more often, especially smaller ones, you got to talk with those skaters and gradually, you got more and more attached, feels them as more of friend than a super star in the figure skating community, then you want to go to more live comps you went LA and London Ont.!!! two of the best worlds ever!!!!!!. but you totally deserved it for all your dedications/donations to figure skating over all these years.
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
Hm...I want to retire early too, CC. :) Maybe by 50? Or 45? LOL. Live off Mr. P's money. :) Thanks for the photos....:)
 

CoyoteChris

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 4, 2004
Ha! After your first little bundle of joy you will have triplets!!!! No retirement for you!!!! :laugh2:
Honestly, it would be very tough to implement my long term retirement plan in this econonmy.....money was easy to save and easy to make and easy to put to work for many years of my 30 year working life.....
I feel sorry for youngins trying to save for retirement today..... 47 percent of the country is one paycheck away from disaster....:shocked:
Good thing Mr. P is a billionaire!!!

Hm...I want to retire early too, CC. :) Maybe by 50? Or 45? LOL. Live off Mr. P's money. :) Thanks for the photos....:)
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
Ha! After your first little bundle of joy you will have triplets!!!! No retirement for you!!!! :laugh2:
Honestly, it would be very tough to implement my long term retirement plan in this econonmy.....money was easy to save and easy to make and easy to put to work for many years of my 30 year working life.....
I feel sorry for youngins trying to save for retirement today..... 47 percent of the country is one paycheck away from disaster....:shocked:
Good thing Mr. P is a billionaire!!!

Not a billionaire at all. :) He does have, however, a pension!! (So old school. :) ) I have a 401(k). I put 15 percent of my paycheck. :) And we have no debt, so that helps.

But yeah, having a kid is not cheap! :D
 

CoyoteChris

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 4, 2004
Good for you! No debt is one of my first priciples of how to retire early....my pension is only $300 a month but in my long range plan, I never counted on a pension as a sourse of income anyway....you and Mr. P gonna be just fine!

Not a billionaire at all. :) He does have, however, a pension!! (So old school. :) ) I have a 401(k). I put 15 percent of my paycheck. :) And we have no debt, so that helps.

But yeah, having a kid is not cheap! :D
 
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