U.S. Figure Skating Championships encourage local athletes to lace up their skates

When the U.S. Figure Skating Championships last swept through town, the event left more than emotionally charged memories and an economic kick-in-the-pants in its wake.

Across the Inland Northwest following the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships, local ice arenas saw a bump in people interested in lacing up their skates — many for the first time — especially in the dozens of learn-to-skate programs hosted in the area. At the Kootenai Youth Recreation Organization (KYRO) Ice Arena in North Idaho, skating staff and coaches witnessed a noticeable increase in new athletes who wanted to at least try out a skating sport, whether as a hockey player, a figure skater or to simply experience what it’s like to glide across a sheet of ice.

“We really noticed a big jump in 2007,” says Dean Wiles, president of the Spokane Figure Skating Club who also coached at the Kootenai County ice sheet. “It definitely had a really significant increase in helping bring the kids out — we see an increase across all programs and it was the same at other arenas, too. It really helps put a focus on all the ice sports, in general.”

Unfortunately, Mother Nature dealt a heavy blow last winter when the ice sheet’s roof collapsed due to record-setting snowfall, forcing the several hundred skating enthusiasts in the area across the state line to find ice time while the KYRO group works on rebuilding for a possible fall 2010 opening. The final arena design had to be reworked after it was found that the building’s placement on the land did not meet the necessary International Building Code requirements, but should still make next winter’s opening goal . In the months leading up to the collapse, around 2,000 people were visiting the ice sheet every week.

Even with the collapse of the facility, however, it hasn’t dampened the drive of the North Idaho skating fanbase, Wiles adds, citing for example dozens of kids who drive to the Spokane area throughout the week just to practice. Also, he continues, several people have already expressed interest in joining a skating club because of the upcoming Figure Skating Championships taking place in Spokane in January.

Despite the upheaval in North Idaho, the skating programs that were taking place at KYRO, which included everything from beginner skating for toddlers to youth hockey to adult open-ice skating, saw their numbers grow, and, Wiles adds, continue to remain high. Throughout the various ice-based programs and across all ages, such as the several hockey leagues and private lessons, Wiles estimates the amount of participants jumped from roughly 80 to 90 to more than 120 skaters following the 2007 U.S. championships.

“There was a direct correlation between the national championships and the learn-to-skate and public skating sessions at KYRO,” says Matthew Bean, manager at the arena.

While Bean says they are “absolutely losing out on the opportunity” to gather even more new skaters in the coming weeks, he believes KYRO and its supporters will emerge stronger when the pending skating facility is finished.

“There is a demand for a new rink,” Bean says. “I think we will continue to see demand in the area and the need for a family friendly facility to support it.”