Oh no...

[icarus]

I just got the response back from the U.S. Nationals figure skating website. The ticket sales people couldn't tell me the price for the practice session tickets, and I just needed to budget for those.

My reservations are set. I was disappointed at the crappy seats I have, but I figured I'd be closer and get a good feel for the sport during the practice sessions. Those were my main goal, as research for Out Of Bounds.

I've now been informed that only the people who buy the $500 week-long All-Event package are allowed into the practice sessions.

I'm now trying to figure out if that's just what they're telling people who want to buy tickets in advance (because you can't buy them in advance) or if they're really locking people out of the practice sessions unless they come wearing minks. It sounds like the latter.

My entire reason for going has gone up in smoke.



Dismal ETA: We already bought the men's Freeskate ticket and it's non-refundable. We can't get a ticket for WG at the last minute because the seating is assigned and he'd be far away. Basically the whole trip's ruined. I would have done this very differently if the people I asked two weeks ago had known anything about the practice sessions.

So much for my Christmas present.

Comments

[thalia]

Oh, no! I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you're at least able to sell your ticket, if you decide not to go--maybe on craigslist? It's really a shame that it didn't work out.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Wait until it's sold out then sell it at 50% profit? I suck at selling things, I just don't have the patience for it.

I'm hoping that somehow, something will work out that I can go to the practice sessions. Maybe they're just trying to herd people into buying the $500 package and then later they'll do the tickets at the door? Maybe I can tell someone I'm writing a book? They don't need to know it's slash.

Icarus

[terrie01.livejournal.com]

Try it. At the worst, they say no.

[rike-tikki-tavi.livejournal.com]

Ouch. That sucks.

On the selling your ticket idea, on ebay is an auction for the Exhibition Of Champions Tickets. So maybe that'd be another option. Hopefully you'll find a solution.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Ah, those Exhibition Tickets are all sold out. I dunno, I've never bought anything on EBay. *head-scratching* It might make this all work.

Icarus

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

Oh NO! What a letdown. I'm sorry.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I just went to bed for a little bit, bummed. I might still go, I don't know quite what to do atthispoint.

Icarus

[twistedrecesses.livejournal.com]

:( That's pretty wretched. I'm sorry things aren't readily fixable.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I was going for the practice sessions.

The performances I can get a better view on TV, with announcers to clarify what's going on, if the skater just doubled a jump that was supposed to be a triple. Skating's in the details and unless you're an expert it's really hard to tell, say, a triple flip from a triple Lutz.

What I want is the interaction between the coach and the skater, the feel for the tension before a performance. I have lots of performances on video tape.

Icarus

[roaringmice.livejournal.com]

While the practice sessions are a hoot, I agree - they are only open to those with "all event" tickets. However, lots of people with all event tix don't attend the practices.

If you still have your tix, go to www.fsuniverse.net. That's a HUGE figure skating forum - skaters, fans, judges from all countries. There's a forum for US Nationals. Post, explain the situation, and see if anyone would be willing to hand you one of their practice tickets.

There may also be practice reports, which could be of help. There may be practice video, which isn't allowed, but does sometime become magically available there.

Even if you don't see the practices at Nationals, you can do as I do - attend the event live, and tape the event when it airs on tv. During the event, if there are any closer seats available, walk on down (acting very confident) and try to sit in them. Worst comes to worst, they'll tell you to move.

Have you been to a major skating comp before? You'll know it feels quite a bit different, live, than on tv. Live, you can see flow, power and speed - these things don't show up on tv. And you'll get to see the warm ups, which may be of use to you for your story. You'll also get the atmosphere of the rink, which may help.

[roaringmice.livejournal.com]

Will practice video be of any help? Here are some links to videos of various practices at elite-level events. It's not the same as being there, but they give you a sense of it. I've only included videos I think give you the sense of what a practice at one of these events is like, including the atmosphere, and the student-coach interaction you specified.

This first show brief glimpses of coach/skater interaction:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp7jBTZVHNI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4BAzC6UpJQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VON_VQuXOgM

This one is good because Stephane is on music, but you can see how he only does certain elements of the program during this practice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUZcxrAyQOY

This is a much lower level event, but you can see the coach-student thing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrTfJpt21VQ

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh.

Thank you. This is perfect. So far the only vids I have of coach/skater interaction was a famous clip with a blow-up between Christopher Bowman and his coach.

This is just great.

Icarus

[roaringmice.livejournal.com]

Another idea as a source for your story - where do you live? Can you get to another event near you? Even a lower-level competition may give you the feel that you're after.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'm in Seattle. Can you believe I missed the Sectional which took place less than 20 minutes away? On my birthday?

Do you know where I can get schedules so that will never, ever happen again? I only learned the date and location of the Nationals by accident.

Icarus

[roaringmice.livejournal.com]

The fsuniverse site is a good one, but there's no neat list there. For a concise summary, you can use the United States Figure Skating Association's website at http://www.usfigureskating.org/Events.asp. The thing that's hard about the USFS list is that it's a list without any qualifications, so you can't tell which are higher and which are lower level competitions.

Something related that may help you is this list of all skating that will be on US tv, and when: http://heatherw.com/mk/sch.htm

[tartanshell.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, hon. *hugs*

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

I was really excited about this. I don't usually let myself get worked up and hopeful, mentally planning for the worst, so I'm really discouraged.

The men's freeskate was... a bonus, a cherry. The whole point of the trip was the practice sessions.

Icarus

[jaelyn.livejournal.com]

You might want to try http://www.stubhub.com/

I havent used them, but I heard about it on the radio here when the DJ said that a concert was sold out. It's a site devoted to the selling/purchasing of tickets by fans (like when you cant go and wanna get rid of the ticket).

I hope that helps.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

That's a good idea, thank you.

I don't know, I'm in denial at this point, still hoping that they just are trying to guide people into buying the expensive tickets-packages and I'll be able to get into the practices somehow.

The practices are the whole point. I'd be better off watching the skating on TV otherwise because then I'd have the commentary, replays, close-ups of how the skates are too far apart on such-and-such landing.

I really want to go to the practices for Out Of Bounds. I was making jokes about it earlier, but honestly, that's my reason for going.

Icarus

[klynie1.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry! Is there anything else that might make the trip salvageable?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I don't know. If I can trade in the ticket I have and get two tickets next to each other (if WG is still willing to go) then I won't be alone in Spokane watching dots on the ice below.

The whole point was the practice sessions. That's what I need for Out Of Bounds.

Icarus

[http://users.livejournal.com/meara_/]

I'm sorry that things aren't going as planned. Hopefully a stroke of wonderful luck will come your way and you'll be allowed into the practice sessions after all.

Is it possible that you could put out a want ad type thing on a website specifically requesting practice session tickets. Someone above mentioned craigslist which you can sell and buy stuff on.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'm still hoping for that stroke of luck. Either that or I'm in denial. :)

a want ad type thing on a website specifically requesting practice session tickets.

What they're telling me is that the people who buy a $500 "all session ticket" are the only ones who can get into the practice sessions. If I have $500, I can buy an all session ticket, yeah.

People who've done this before tell me that they were able to buy practice tickets at the door for $10, so even when they couldn't afford more than one or two big events they could at least go to the practice sessions.

I'm floored. I was just asking for the price. I never thought they'd close them to all but the mink coats.

Icarus

[lherelenfeline.livejournal.com]

Im so sorry.
Is it salvageable at all?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

My options are to sell the tickets -- goodbye Christmas present, ninety bucks isn't the same as a gift -- or to go, alone, to Spokane in January to a trip that's been cut in half and a show I won't be able to see.

This has been eroded one step at a time.

First I got the tickets and the salesperson lied to me about the quality of my seats. I checked out a seating chart and realized how bad they were after the fact, but couldn't change them.

I comforted myself with the thought that I'd be able to see the skaters at the practice sessions, and that was the main point for me anyway. Now that's not going to happen.

I don't know what to do. I hate selling things, it's such a pain in the neck.

All I can do is keep contacting them and see if they're just trying to get people to buy the $500 package. I'm having trouble believing that they're not selling practice tickets.

Icarus

[harveywallbang.livejournal.com]

:( i'm sorry that's crappy. if you bring binoculars, you could still see stuff.....

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yeah. The practice sessions were the point. I can't see myself selling the tickets though.

Icarus

[gyutto.livejournal.com]

that sucks a big one :( maybe you can keep calling until you find an ignorant and/or softhearted operator filled with the christmas spirit?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I don't know what to do. I told WG when we bought the tickets that I didn't need to go to the competition, it would be nice, but it was the practice sessions I need for Out Of Bounds. This isn't something I'd do, I wouldn't bother going to a skating competition if it weren't for the story. That's the point.

Icarus

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

:-( That sucks so much. :-(

Toolman has used StubHub (mentioned above) many times to get tickets to sold out events. They could possibly sell your ticket and find two others for you, as you mentioned you might like to do. It might be worth a shot, anyway. I'm not quite sure how it works.

I hope you find a way.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I've ended up keeping it. And WG gave me binoculars for Christmas. *g*

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

That's a really cool gift. :-) (I did see your Christmas post. WG got the shredder, right? *g* Toolman needs one of those, too. I wish I'd thought of it.)