2013 PRUDENTIAL U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
LASTING IMPRESSION G
racie Gold’s electrifying free skate. Max Aaron’s soaring quad jumps. Mer- yl Davis and Charlie White celebrating their record-tying fifth U.S. ice dancing title. Tose are just a few of the indelible images left in the minds of those who attended the 2013 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Champion- ships in Omaha, Neb., Jan. 20–27. “I think the people who came really saw a sport that will stick with them
for a while,” Harold Cliff, president and executive director of the Omaha Sports Commission, said. “Te athletic performances were very, very solid and I think any sports enthusiast, regardless of the sport, when they see the best of sport do something, they appreciate it.” Omaha, which has hosted many of the top amateur sporting events in the
country, rolled out the red carpet for the 95th edition of U.S. Figure Skating’s premier event. Fans enjoyed the convenience of having the competition venue, the Cen-
turyLink Center, within walking distance or a short ride from their hotels. Te more than 350 skaters and their families appreciated that they could leave the host hotel, the Hilton Omaha, and walk two minutes across the street to prac- tice and compete. Te CenturyLink Center also hosted the always-popular FanFest as well as much of the skating for the juvenile and intermediate divi- sions, which for the first time were held in conjunc- tion with the U.S. Championships. “Te feedback we received from the skaters, judges and officials has been ex- tremely positive,” Cliff said. “It’s been a pleasure working with all those folks associated with the event.” Te local organizing commit- tee and its volunteers worked seamlessly with the event team from U.S. Figure Skating to make the competition the best it could be. “Tank you to everyone in
Meryl Davis and Charlie White clinch title No. 5 with their powerful free dance.
Omaha,” U.S. pairs champion Simon Shnapir told reporters. “It’s such a great crowd and a great city.”
SKATING MEMORIES CREATED IN AMERICA’S HEARTLAND
Te media in Omaha earned a gold medal with their collective blanket
coverage of the weeklong event. Te local TV and radio stations and the Omaha World-Herald devoted substantial airtime and space leading up to and during the competition. “We had a bit of a first in Omaha with one of the radio sta- tions, Clear Channel, teaming with the Omaha World-Herald, to co-brand sponsor the FanFest,” Cliff said. “It just goes to show the cooperation that’s available here. Just the overall number of mentions and taped [inter- views] going on and the front page coverage, it’s something we don’t take for granted in Omaha but when it comes along we appreciate it. When sports come to town for the first time, they are usually pleasantly surprised with the amount of coverage we get locally.”
Tere was plenty of excitement off
the ice as well, with the induction of skating great Rudy Galindo and cho- reographer Lori Nichol into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Skaters also gave their time after competi- tions to signing autographs, and U.S. Figure Skating’s sponsor partners found a buzz on the concourse that started early in the week and hit a fevered pitch as the senior events took center stage. Having the U.S. Championships in
Omaha, U.S. Figure Skating Executive Director David Raith said, gave the sport exposure to a part of the country that doesn’t have a deeply rooted figure skating history. “It’s about developing an interest and
promoting figure skating,” Raith told the World-Herald, adding he sees potential for future skating events in Omaha.
PHOTO COURTESY OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
Gracie Gold celebrates following her electric free skate.
Max Aaron and his coaches, Becky
Calvin and Tom Zakrajsek, react to the skater's huge scores.
Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir seize the moment during their short program.
12 MARCH 2013
PHOTO COURTESY OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
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