Seeking a ticket to Spokane
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash. – Land jumps with high degrees of difficulty, skate with speed and confidence, wow the judges with fancy footwork and woo them with artistry.
It could be enough for a skater to make it to Spokane.
The biggest competition leading to the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships started this week as the top four skaters in ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dancing attempt to qualify for the Jan. 21-28 event at the Spokane Arena and Convention Center.
Skaters – who made it out of one of nine regionals – are competing at the Pacific Coast Sectional in Mountlake Terrace; the Midwestern Sectional in Pelham, Ala.; or the Eastern Sectional in Alpharetta, Ga.
More than 420 skaters will perform their short and long programs as all three sectionals finish Saturday night to complete the field at nationals.
The numbers do not include junior and senior pairs and ice dancing teams, which received automatic byes into sectionals.
Pacific Coast sectional, held about 25 miles north of Seattle at the Olympicview Training Center, started Thursday morning with the novice ladies short program. Spokane skaters Ashley Beekman and Heidi Nelson are in fifth and 10th place, respectively. The senior men and ladies begin later today.
“You might see some quads (four-revolution jumps), said Steve Baker, skating director of the host rink. “A lot depends on how confident they feel. The main goal is to qualify. “
There are 146 skaters at the Pacific Coast sectional, many from thee traditionally strong Southern California skating clubs.
Nine-time national champion Michelle Kwan is a product of Southern California, as is 1992 winner Kristi Yamaguchi and defending national champion and Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen.
Cohen, one of 53 skaters who received a bye into nationals, competed at this rink in 1998 in the novice ladies division. The skaters who don’t have to skate at sectionals either finished in the top three at last year’s national championships or won an international competition.
The entire Spokane field is expected to be 255, including 11 of the 16 skaters who represented the U.S. at the 2006 Olympics.
Representatives from the Spokane 2007 nationals committee are at each venue where they plan to hand out information about Spokane to all the skaters who qualify. The committee also plans to collect the qualifiers’ music.