The voice on the phone, placed on a speaker system in the lobby of the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena Monday afternoon, seemed to be repeating a message Spokane has heard its entire life: Good job for trying so hard. It sounded like the preamble before the letdown, before the “but” sentences began.

But we needed a bigger city for the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating championships. But we were looking for a city with greater name recognition because the Olympics will follow just 18 days later. But please try again.

Instead, those gathered heard the connector word “and.” Good job for trying so hard, and we picked Spokane.

The crowd erupted. The 100 or so men and women – business leaders, elected leaders, skating aficionados – turned into a New Year’s Eve crowd. They blew noisemakers, hugged, hooted, wiped away tears, danced short dances of joy. There was a lot of pent-up history in the celebration. Spokane has strived for so long to step out of the shadow of Seattle, Portland – and sometimes even Boise. And finally it’s happening, in world-watching ways.

Toby Steward and Barb Beddor, husband and wife and owners of Star USA, decided to risk a bit of public embarrassment by inviting the media and dignitaries to the wait-for-the-call gathering. The wait stretched on in slow motion. The call was expected at 2 p.m. By 2:15, Steward held back anxious tears, and Beddor inhaled the deep breaths people inhale to calm themselves, hoping no one will notice.

They role-modeled what you do when you reach beyond a city’s status quo. You invite others to wait with you for the decision whether the “reach” worked. You thank supporters. And if the disappointing news comes, you commit to trying even harder next time.

Spokane’s biggest strivings have always carried deeper significance. Expo ‘74 – disparaged by some as an impossible dream – was urban renewal in a world’s fair disguise. Successfully hosting the national skating championships for a second time will illustrate that the first success, in 2007, was not a fluke. Spokane is ready for prime time. Bring it on.

Some public money will help pay for the 2010 skating championships, just as taxpayer money made Expo ‘74 a reality. It’s an investment in the future of the region, and an investment in the continuing transformation of Spokane’s image from second best to best in show. No buts about it.