In what some skating aficionados must consider a no-brainer of a decision, Spokane WA has just been selected as the site of the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Why not? After all, Spokane is just down the road from Vancouver (home of the 2010 Winter Olympics)… and, much more importantly, Spokane really showed the love when Nationals came there in 2007. From the rock-star sized hospitality they showered upon the skaters themselves, to the all-time attendance record, to the awards Spokane received from SportsTravel magazine (for Best Amateur Sports Event), it seems crazy to consider almost anyplace else, especially in an Olympic year.
Oh, to live in a city that appreciated this sport as much as it appreciated basketball, football, and racing! But here in Indianapolis, where construction of the Lucas Oil Stadium is the hot topic, we’re making bids for future Super Bowls… not Skate America. We’re the home to the NCAA headquarters, not USFS. And the one time we did host Nationals, back in 1982, it took place in Market Square Arena—a structure that came down several years ago and has yet to be replaced with anything more than a parking lot. Hmmm.
I guess it’s safe to say I live in a city that loves its sports—too bad skating isn’t one of them. I’d say I need to head north to my hometown of Chicago to catch a good skating event, but it appears they haven’t hosted a Nationals since 1946!!
In honor of Indy’s one-weekend stand with Nationals, the Clip of the Day is Roz Sumners’ “surprise” win from ’82.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=w0Ma1zUiL_0
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