Cleveland seating issue

CoyoteChris · Nov 20, 2008

If you bought a ticket package to go to Cleveland, I would urge you to check out the Cleveland website , check out the schedule, and look at your tickets.
The first three days of competition are now "general seating". I have a seat in row 2, but I will have to fight other fans for my seat on Wednesday to see the Seniors CD. Personally, I don't think this is fair.

I have expressed my displeasure with them and this is what I was told.
(see below). If you too think this is not fair, you might e-mail Christine and also the USFSA

Hi Chris,

Yes, the first 5 sessions of the 2009 Championships are general admission. These earlier events historically have a low attendance record so it should not be difficult to find a great seat during these sessions. I am sorry if this causes any inconvenience and I wish you the best of luck in beating out the other diehard fans for the best seats early in the week!

Please let me know if I can help with anything else.

Thanks,

Christine

Christine Vogelgesang

Administrative Assistant

2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

50 Public Square, Suite 825

Cleveland, Ohio 44113

Phone: (216) 363 1341

Fax: (216) 622-6556

Email: [email protected]

Web Site: www.cleveland2009.com

Mathman · Nov 20, 2008

I can see why you are mad. But actually I think Christine is right. The attendance at the novice and junior sessions and the compulsory dance is usually so sparse that you can sit anywhere you want.

See you there!

just wondering · Nov 20, 2008

Assuming my schedule holds up, I will likely be in Cleveland too. :clap:

I would like nothing more than to be beat out of a great seat by a rabid figure skating fan. :laugh:

It would mean great things for the sport. Sadly, though, I think you, I, and the other attendees to those early events will be able to find amazing seats with relative ease.

I would love to be surprised though and would happily sit nearly anywhere if it meant an increase in fans!

JW

Tonichelle · Nov 20, 2008

you won't have to worry. shoot my group can normally stay in open seats the entire week of competition... I think general seating is a good thing. I always find it silly that people sit in the nose bleeds when there is plenty of room in the bowl.

CoyoteChris · Nov 20, 2008

JW does have an interesting point. If it is advertised that one can see Tan and Ben skate in competition on Wednesday from a close rink side seat for the cost of a really good cheeseburger, would it bring more locals to the rink? Is first come first served the way to go?

Living in Spokane, I have seen what good promotion can do for figure skating.
I didn't get a good seat for NOVICE CD in Spokane in 2007 as it was general seating.....
Going to Colorado Springs for the Four Continents and St. Paul for Nationals,
I have also seen the other side of the coin.

I too want to see the fan base increase. But I saw an elderly lady fall hard in front of my seat at SkateAmerica...we all know that at some arenas it is all too easy to do....and I just don't want to see someone get hurt rushing to get a great seat at the Jr. Men's short, which I think is going to be a very good competition this year.

If there are so many good seats at the Championship CD, then why not just sell them? Or are they planning on giving away tons of General Admission seats to schools, etc and flooding the place with bodies? I guess we shall see!

See you there....

Chris , One of the four fans that showed up at Pacific Coast Sectionals

ref:I would love to be surprised though and would happily sit nearly anywhere if it meant an increase in fans!

JW[/QUOTE]

Mathman · Nov 21, 2008

You're from Spokane? Me, too. Went to Shadle.

Tonichelle · Nov 21, 2008

CoyoteChris said:
Chris , One of the four fans that showed up at Pacific Coast Sectionals

so you saw Keegan Messing skate?

CoyoteChris · Nov 21, 2008

Oh Yeah....and I saw him afterwards outside the arena with his mom.....boy was he happy!!!!!! Good for him!

Yup...I have lived outside of Spokane for 18 years...but I am from the Midwest,
originally. I will never go back!

Tonichelle said:
so you saw Keegan Messing skate?

Tonichelle · Nov 21, 2008

very cool! I just wish his own state/area would recognize his achievements more often.

CoyoteChris · Nov 21, 2008

Was there not anything in the AK newspapers about KM? Once I wrote my local paper and asked why they didn't put anything in the sports section when the US Junior ladies swept the podium at an international event. They basically told me no one cares about the Juniors.
(sigh). Then there is Japan....at Skate America in Everett this year, you couldn't throw a pine cone and not hit a Japanese journalist....

Tonichelle · Nov 21, 2008

Chris - the last time Keegan made headlines (or the newspaper at all) in Anchorage he got an article after he made a splash as a novice at nationals when he hit the 3A... it was a great write up and I thought it would be the start of something, but now two years later we still have nothing on him.. not even a blurb.

I've written to the point where I get very snide comments back from the "sports editor"... in the same vein as what you got.

The Anchorage Daily News isn't well liked here in Alaska anyway. It's run by outsiders and rarely gives a rip about what's actually happening here, much less understanding Alaskans.

essence_of_soy · Nov 22, 2008

CoyoteChris said:
If you bought a ticket package to go to Cleveland, I would urge you to check out the Cleveland website , check out the schedule, and look at your tickets.
The first three days of competition are now "general seating". I have a seat in row 2, but I will have to fight other fans for my seat on Wednesday to see the Seniors CD. Personally, I don't think this is fair.

I have expressed my displeasure with them and this is what I was told.
(see below). If you too think this is not fair, you might e-mail Christine and also the USFSA

Hi Chris,

Yes, the first 5 sessions of the 2009 Championships are general admission. These earlier events historically have a low attendance record so it should not be difficult to find a great seat during these sessions. I am sorry if this causes any inconvenience and I wish you the best of luck in beating out the other diehard fans for the best seats early in the week!

Please let me know if I can help with anything else.

Thanks,

Christine

Christine Vogelgesang

Administrative Assistant

2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

50 Public Square, Suite 825

Cleveland, Ohio 44113

Phone: (216) 363 1341

Fax: (216) 622-6556

Email: [email protected]

Web Site: www.cleveland2009.com

I'm with Coyote Chris on this one.

What a lame thing to do. Changing the rules AFTER people have bought their all - event tickets. If I had known that, I would not have shelled out $970 US for my row 4 seat only to have to bargain with someone else that the seat I purchased is mine. I imagine a few 'scenes' will be caused over this, and rightly so. Allocated seating should be just that.

My issue is, when people think it is a free-for-all, it is a lot harder to shift others who have taken your seat later in the week if you don't say anything from the outset. Even if that means bringing over an usher to explain the situation.

I'm going to write a letter of complaint to US Skating right now.

essence_of_soy · Nov 22, 2008

mightily pissed

Hi Coyote Chris,

This is what I wrote.

Dear Christine,

It is my understanding that for the first three days of the 2009 US Figure Skating Champioships, all allocated seating has been adjusted to a general admission first come - first serve format.

I would like to express my disappointment if this is the case.

Have spent in excess of $1500 AUD for my all event ticket, I see no reason to negotiate with someone who has claimed my seat first and having them stand by that ruling. If it means having to contact an usher, the Quickens Arena manager or our parent company International Figure Skating to advertise this concern, I will be doing that.

Nick Pilgrim
aussieSKATES

Melbourne, Australia

CoyoteChris · Nov 22, 2008

Good for you, Nick! I dont know if this ruling is from the USFSA or the arena but we all need to speak up and be heard by both organizations. Personally, I don't have a problem if they want to bring in folks on a low general admission price on Wednesday and put them six or seven rows up with the understanding that they must move if someone with a dedicated seat ticket comes along. I know what it is like to be poor and to have to scrimp and save for even nosebleed seats....and it might be good for the sport in the long run....but I also saved long and hard to afford those $900 seats...I don't think I should have to run for them when the doors open....

silverfox · Nov 25, 2008

I do understand your concern, but it sounds like it is going to be quite a shock to you to find yourself in a nearly empty arena for the first three days. It won't be necessary to rush to grab a seat since you'll have a wide choice of Section, Row and Seat.

Seats won't start filling up until Thursday - but unfortunately it will still be shockingly underattended. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the best selling days, but I haven't seen a full house since Kwan fans used to pack the house.

lcd · Nov 25, 2008

... and... as long as when they bring in the busload of school kids, they keep them together. I love the energy they bring but keep 'em together! :laugh:

Tonichelle · Nov 26, 2008

lcd said:
... and... as long as when they bring in the busload of school kids, they keep them together. I love the energy they bring but keep 'em together!

I'll never forget them (along with some of the skaters) starting the WAVE in 2006 and it went all the way around and Kurt Browning in the ABC booth played along... by the time everyone was getting into it he even had Terry Gannon and Dick Button joining in :laugh:

The energy is great, and at least the school kids don't float around the whole place... now the club skaters can get annoying at times, but even that's fun (whereelse can you rub shoulders with the stars and just be regular folk with them)

KwanFan1212 · Nov 26, 2008

Tonichelle said:
I'll never forget them (along with some of the skaters) starting the WAVE in 2006 and it went all the way around and Kurt Browning in the ABC booth played along... by the time everyone was getting into it he even had Terry Gannon and Dick Button joining in

LOL!! I forgot about that in St. Louis! That was a total riot and I think I even have a picture somewhere of Dick and Terry during one of the rounds, LOL :laugh:

Tonichelle · Nov 26, 2008

we were overly obsessed with the ABC booth in 05 AND 06... I'll never forget cracking up each morning when Terry and Dick would make their appearance and they were wearing matching ties... Kurt clashed!

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