Best seats to watch FS performances

[mint]

I am terribly sorry if my topic is in the wrong forum or the stuff has been mentioned several times, I just couldn't find either the show thread nor anything similar to my question. Feel free to move it or give me a clue where to ask about it.

I've been a fan of figure skating for a long time, but I've never been on the actual event. I am about to buy my first tickets to Kings on Ice gala and I am currently wondering which seats are the best. I have two options, either second row close to the corner, but veeery close to the ice, or thirteenth row close to the middle of the rink. This might sound like a silly question, but taking overall impression into account, would you rather recommend the farther seat or the closer one to the ice rink?

 

[Mathman]

In my opinion, for a show, the seats in the middle and farther back are better. That way, you can see the whole ice. For solo numbers you can see the performer well throughout, and for group numbers you can see everything at once.

For a competition, though, I like to be right at rinkside if possible. The skaters jump right out at you and you get a better sense of their power and athleticism. The drawback is that you will not be able to see elements performed in the far corners of the rink. There also might be ice-side barriers that you have to see around.

 

[Guru1]

If they are not too pricy, I recommend the 3rd-4th row seats. The 1st and 2nd row may be too close to barriers that could be put in to divide the public from the rink area or to divide the sectors of the arena, so your view could be affected by it. But usually the 3rd-4th row are ok. For competitions and galas, that's what I'd choose

About your choice, I'd choose the middle seats, so that you can see all the rink

 

[mint]

Thank you for your general insight. I will definitely take it into account. Speaking about current choice, have the third option, which is third and fourth row a little more to the centre, but still pretty far right. So that might be quite a good one, might it not?


Edit: I bought the 3rd and 4th row ones. Thank you very much and feel free to discuss any seat related content in this thread! (if admins will allow it of course, I think at times it can be a pretty important yet negected topic )

 

[Alba]

For me the seats in the middle as Mathman suggested, row from 4rth to 6th.

 

[noskates]

We always try to get center ice between rows 8 and 20. We sat in the front row for the exhibitions at Nats this year and really did not enjoy being that close to the ice. It's very difficult to see into the corners, you do not get a sense of the speed, the height of the jumps, the ice covered by jumps and pairs moves, or the flow of ice dance. I would never sit in the front row again. Our tickets for Boston Worlds are in the 16th row a little bit left of center. Perfect. For Nats we were center ice in row 11. Again, perfect.

 

[YesWay]

I understand why some people would not want to be right at rinkside, but not all venues are the same - particularly for international competitions,. "Front row" may in fact be 3 meters (or more ) back from the boards, and 2 meters high... so you get a plenty good "overview" in such seat, and no risk of The Tallest People In The World sitting in front of you (one of the ways I know I am the star of The Truman Show, is the outrageous and unnatural frequency that happens to me...)

But even when front row is right at the boards, I think that is where you truly appreciate the speed of a skater as they whizz past you, and you feel the cold wind that follows them. I don't find front row particularly better or worse for seeing into the corners.

Best thing is like this thread - case by case, ask for advice from people who know the venue...