Indeed, I remember setting up an account with Fuji TV last year, and being deeply grateful to whoever it was on GS who provided the instructions, as the interface was 100% in Japanese. What a "fun" adventure, and we get to do it all over again in just a few months...
Which negates my assumption that USFS were losing money and makes me wonder what the hell they do with it. Doesn't appear they 'waste' it on fans.
US Figure Skating remains the producer of the best fluff piece ever to this day, imo. I present to you young Kaitlin and Jean Luc lip synching "My Humps". Kaitlin was great, but Jean Luc killed it.
It isn't clear to me from the description whether the skaters will even be at the VIP after-party, let alone accessible. Not that I am minimizing the joy that seeing Keegan skate can bring, but I believe you seek access to the skaters, since you are lamenting the loss of the FOFS breakfast.FOFS makes Scott's event look like a screaming bargain at only $500.
I'm seriously mad enough to take a pass on Nationals (if Gracie is not there) and go to Scott's thing where Gracie AND KEEGAN will be there.
I wonder if the booze is top shelf because I'm a lightweight.
Scott Hamilton & Friends — Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation
www.scottcares.org
I'm wondering if we are talking apples and oranges here when talking about the price increase for FOFS.
1. FOFS membership is a donation to the US Figure Skating, which is a nonprofit organization. (I assume). It comes with certain perks, one of which had been a meet and greet breakfast during US Nats.
It does NOT include, as far as I know, the price of seats.
2. Of course, prices for football in the US are stratospheric, and that's assuming you can get them. The Philadelphia Eagles have a waiting list of 85,000 (yes 85,000) to buy season tickets. You can also buy a stadium builders license for $6,000, for the privilege of trying to buy tickets. Not the actual price of the tickets (I think it may be $4000 for cheap seats).
3. In the Amazon Prime documentary Kelce, which I wholeheartedly recommend for an honest look at the life of a pro athlete even if you don't give a fig about the NFL or the Eagles, tickets to the Super Bowl were $4,000 each for Jason's family. For a player in the Super Bowl who had access to the tickets at face value. Of course normal humans normally don't get that access.
4. Lord only knows what a breakfast meet and greet would cost for the likes of Eagles players, but football players generally do that to raise money for charity. At least IME.
They may be losing money. I have no idea. But (I got all this info off Guidestar; it is public info) interestingly enough, there are two organizations- one is “The United States Figure Skating Foundation” - “that exists for the purpose of supporting the functions and carrying on the purposes of the United States Figure Skating Association” - gross receipts $33,757,951 and assets of $95,566,043. Then there is “United States Figure Skating Association Learn to Skate USA” with gross receipts of $27,990,773 and assets of $14,861,532. I mean it’s not the American Cancer Association but it seems like a lot of money to me.
It's not that simple, and no, most of us are probably not families. In fact, for many of us the skaters we love and follow are in other parts of the world, and/or compete or do shows all over the world. Fans have followed some skaters all over the world, scrimping and saving on what they can to afford the air fares, using up their holiday leave, suffering through the unique and Japanese form of bloodbath torture known as the anti-scalper ticket lottery (and I am not kidding, plane tickets are ordered and hotels in the towns and areas in questions sell out waaaaaaay before the lotteries even start, so people are putting aside the money on the off-chance, even though it's ridiculous hard to even get on the lottery for foreigners).
Ah. That is (and no, I am not being facetious) rather less than I would have expected, especially the gross receipts. But they won't be needing to sell off the silverware any time soon, I guess...
@el henry The high roller levels of FOFS include 2 premium seats at US Nats, Skate America and Us National Synchronized Skating Championships. It also used to include a shuttle. They've taken a good deal of things from the $10,000 crowd as well.I'm wondering if we are talking apples and oranges here when talking about the price increase for FOFS.
1. FOFS membership is a donation to the US Figure Skating, which is a nonprofit organization. (I assume). It comes with certain perks, one of which had been a meet and greet breakfast during US Nats.
It does NOT include, as far as I know, the price of seats.
2. Of course, prices for football in the US are stratospheric, and that's assuming you can get them. The Philadelphia Eagles have a waiting list of 85,000 (yes 85,000) to buy season tickets. You can also buy a stadium builders license for $6,000, for the privilege of trying to buy tickets. Not the actual price of the tickets (I think it may be $4000 for cheap seats).
3. In the Amazon Prime documentary Kelce, which I wholeheartedly recommend for an honest look at the life of a pro athlete even if you don't give a fig about the NFL or the Eagles, tickets to the Super Bowl were $4,000 each for Jason's family. For a player in the Super Bowl who had access to the tickets at face value. Of course normal humans normally don't get that access.
4. Lord only knows what a breakfast meet and greet would cost for the likes of Eagles players, but football players generally do that to raise money for charity. At least IME.
Maybe there is confusion because a lot of us say my child, my children. If I were a newcomer to this board I might be confused. I can't afford $5,000 for anything. There are smaller comps I can go to that cost very little (I think Philly International is $25 for the entire time). I can get a lot of "face time" with skaters there and do not have to give USFS money to do so.
