- Joined
- Nov 12, 2013
This.
Nebelhorn wasn't my first competition, but I still underestimated the time that souvenir shopping, cable car riding, and exploring the town in general would take, and how that would reflect on the time I wanted to spend watching FS, and in the end, couldn't.
Not to mention I'd miscalculated the time needed to walk from the rink to my hotel and vice versa (for me, it was 20 minutes if walking fast). It seems picking a place to stay downtown, or near downtown, is a good idea. I asked a more experienced acquaintance how early she'd booked her downtown Nebelhorn accommodation (there was practically none avilable one month before the competition), and she said 3 months before the competition.
Having to walk a considerable distance to one's hotel makes staying for events late, i.e. past 10 PM, complicated. I was lucky the weather was so fine! I'm sure I'd hate walking to my accommodation late at night if it was windy and raining.
I wonder how hard it must be to attend events like JGP, where there are so many competitors. It one wants to stay for all of them, it probably takes a hotel within 300 meters from the rink, a sturdy cushion to sit on unless the seats are padded, and resigning oneself to food from the arena cafeteria and the nearest grocery store.
I have to say it's a good thing that the Oberstdorf arena restaurant has long opening hours (IIRC), so it's possible to eat a hot dinner there within 30 minutes, even if it's nothing special.I agree on meeting skaters roaming Oberstdorf. My problem was not recognizing many of them, especially the girls and dancers
The area around the cable car and the bridge in front of the arena is a place you cannot go wrong if one is in the mood for skater spotting. (not that I did that, but that's where skaters passed me the most often). The street leading up to the cable car station, too. I passed Deniss V (downtown), Frangipani, Danny & Elllie, Hamada and others. As I was puffing to get to the restaurant in time for a brief dinner before the gala starts, I found myself walking behind Hanna Yoshida, Kimmy, Isabeau and I think Elyce, for quite a while. They were chatting lightly, so Hana's English must be quite good. (well I already know it is, seeing as she interpreted for Sota at the press conference)Nebelhorn was also a great opportunity for me to brush up my German, and remember words I didn't even know had been buried deep down
The audience was very supportive every time I was at the venue, clapping, and sometimes throwing a plushie or a wrapped flower (rarely also several plushies) on the ice. The older folk were mostly sitting in the seats opposite the cameras because those were much closer to the entrance (and the restrooms, and the cafeteria). The segment behind the KnC was reserved for skaters and officials only, and many of the younger folk and banner waving folk (especially the Japanese) were sitting behind the judges for the best photo opportunities. Those seats were a bit crowded in the lower rows, and were not visible on the stream for the most part.
One thing about the competition organization that I regretted, though, was that there was no official opportunity to take photos with skaters, or get autographs. I think it would have been so nice if the organizers had said after the gala that all fans and skaters who are interested in a little meet & greet, could come up to the main entrance hall. There was much more space than near the KnC where everyone ended up flocking, creating quite a bit of a bottleneck for other spectators who only wanted to push past and go home. There was Sota who was probably in the biggest demand (saying it objectively, not through the rose-colored glasses of a fan). There were also Kimmy, Frangipani, Starostin and others milling around in the same tiny area, and some were taking photos with them and asking for autographs. I would have been glad to do the same, at least for Frangipani, who I admit I didn't really like before, but after this competition I do. But the crowd was too thick, and I headed for the exit instead. I think the line might have moved faster, and the entire commotion would have been much more manageable, if the photo ops had been moved outside the rink. Hopefully a competition starts doing this, and it will take off?
