L E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I T O R Skaters earn high marks off the ice in Omaha
The 2013 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Omaha, Neb., presented more than its share of memorable moments. The event also showcased a wealth of depth in all fi ve of the competition classes that bodes well for the future of the sport. In listening to athlete interviews and the
general buzz around the concourse, it was ap- parent that most everyone enjoyed their Oma- ha experience. One of the primary reasons that the U.S. Championships is always so successful is the time and eff ort that our athletes put into not only into their performances on the ice, but in making sure that they do everything they can off the ice to make the event special. I promise you that athletes in other sports
don’t always go that extra mile in promoting their major events, and thanking fans every chance they get. Before the U.S. Championships even start-
ed, U.S. Figure Skating’s top athletes conducted TV, radio and newspaper interviews in Omaha. On one morning, I accompanied two-time
U.S. champion Ashley Wagner to a live radio interview on the city’s most popular morning show. Ashley, of course, was wonderful in pro- moting the event as well as explaining some of the sport’s fi ner points. As she walked out of the large communi-
cations building, another radio station caught her in the hallway and asked if she would do a live interview with its station. “No problem,” Wagner told the announcers. From there, we drove across Omaha to a TV station to do a live interview on “The Morning Blend.” Ashley’s in- terview was packaged between the morning news and a live segment on laser hair removal. Again, Ashley served as a splendid ambassador for the event and U.S. Figure Skating. Several more athletes also contributed
their time on the media tour prior to the start of competition. There were many other times during the weeklong event that our athletes stepped up
U.S. silver medalist Ross Miner takes a photograph with one of his fans.
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outside of their main job as competitors. After they fi nished competing, all the
medalists arrived on the concourse to sign au- tographs and take pictures with the fans. The athletes graciously took their time visiting with everyone and thanking them for attending the event.
One of the major highlights of the week
had to be the Friends of Figure Skating break- fast at the CenturyLink Center. Fifty-seven ath- letes turned out to meet and thank more than 150 FOFS members for their continued support of Team USA and the sport of fi gure skating. At the breakfast, each skater took the mi-
crophone and introduced himself/herself, and veteran pairs skater Mark Ladwig talked about the important role FOFS members play in a skater’s career. He also talked about the Des- tination Sochi Family Tree Program, through which fans can help send an Olympic athlete’s family to Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Games. Another one of the neat things that our
athletes volunteered to do was participate in the “Buddies” program, in which senior pairs teams were assigned to mentor juvenile and intermediate pairs teams. It was something that U.S. pairs champions
Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir were think- ing about even between their short program and free skate. “We came out here and everyone had us as
the favorites, but we just want to be good role models for everyone and prove that persever- ance in the sport really pays off ,” Castelli said. “I can’t wait to meet everyone else and talk to the little juveniles and encourage them to skate; that’s really what I came here looking to do, in- spire other people.” U.S. Figure Skating is proud of the product
it puts on the ice, but it’s equally proud of how its athletes represent the sport off the ice.
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4 MARCH 2013
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