Out of the Closet and to the Ice

Probably no more than half a dozen people know that I am a former figure skating groupie. In the early nineties and for what reason exactly, I do not remember, I wound up in Atlanta at a thing called Skate America. This event is four days of great competition and the name belies the fact that the competitors come from a lot of countries. It was my first experience seeing such, and one must remember, this was some years before figure skating became a rage on TV. Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and I got hooked. Right now, the European Championship is going on in Lyon, France, and the TV coverage here brought back some great memories.

Those were the days before Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan got into it, so the skaters and the fans were co-mingled, rode the same buses to and from the rink, rode the same elevators, ate in the same restaurants, etc. I remember Peggy Fleming being just as gorgeous riding in a bus as she was on the ice, seeing the skaters who were famous and those who were just beginning, and watching them all go through their practice routines. I was impressed at how tiny the girls were, and how both the men and women seemed bigger than life on the ice. My last figure skating live competition was the 1994 World Championship in Detroit, so I haven't had a chance to see how safety and security have changed skaters and fans interaction, but I'll bet it isn't like it was then.

One of the best Skate Americas that I ever saw was in Dallas, TX. The arena was a short block from the hotel where all stayed. I had ordered tickets a year before and had a great rinkside seat. Those were the days of Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, Todd Eldridge, Nancy Kerrigan, and of course Tonya who seemed always to be plagued by mishaps such as broken skates, laces, etc. Skaters and fans walked back and forth to the rink, one could watch the practices and competitions and then go have a drink and talk with the coaches. All in all, a wonderful time. I watched Brian Boitano's parents give him a shirt for his birthday in the hotel restaurant and tyrannical mother of another skater berate her and her coach. Some of today's skaters were still young kids then.

The highlight of my live competitions was the 1994 World's in Detroit, MI. The city has two ice arenas side by side and a nice hotel about two blocks away. This is located on the bank of the Detroit River. It was early January, and I remember the river being a sheet of ice. Cold?? Try 21 BELOW zero Fahrenheit! You didn't walk that two blocks, you took a warm bus. This week long event ticket gets you into all practices and competitions from early morning until late night. The cream of the crop on the world's best skaters are there, and you get to see them practicing without costumes or makeup, as well as see them in their best doing their best. I became even more convinced that no matter where in the placement they are, they are ALL champions.

About ten minutes after leaving Cobo Arena and a practice session to go over to Joe Louis Arena to watch some competition, the word spread about Nancy Kerrigan's attack. That put a damper on things, but the competition continued. After attending some events, you begin to meet people again and again. These groupies follow the contests all year long, and in those days, got to know skaters as well. I miss that here, and I think I'll get tickets to next years European Championships. Who can tell?