COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 3, 2008) - All Event Ticket Package sales for the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which went on sale May 31 at 12 p.m. EST, have set an all-time event record for first-reported ticket sales. As of Monday, June 2 at 1 p.m. EST, 2,692 all-event tickets and 2,026 Skating Spectacular tickets have been sold.
Those sales bring the total number of tickets sold for the event to 45,098 (calculating a minimum of 16 individual tickets per All Event Ticket Package plus 2,026 Skating Spectacular tickets). This number betters the old record by 10,684 tickets, set March 15, 2004 when Spokane sold 34,414 tickets for the 2007 U.S. Championships.
Fans took advantage of a special payment plan that allowed them to select the seat of their choice and put down a $200 deposit to secure the seat. The ticket purchaser then pays the remaining balance over three payments.
The news of the record-setting mark did not come as a surprise to U.S. Figure Skating Executive Director David Raith.
"The 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships in Spokane broke attendance records," Raith said. "When we chose Spokane for the 2010 U.S. Championships, we knew fans would respond in a positive way."
"These initial results make us more excited and proud every day," said Toby Steward, president of Star USA. "We are humbled that so many people have shown their support of Spokane hosting these Championships by their actions. By buying tickets, the fans have shown that they want to come back to Spokane, and we are even more thrilled to host them for the Championships during this most important year."
The All Event Ticket Package guarantees access to all competition sessions as well as admission to all practice sessions at Spokane Arena. The package does not include admission to the Skating Spectacular on Jan. 24, the tickets for which may be purchased in addition to the package. The ticket price for an all-event ticket is $595 and price of a ticket to the Skating Spectacular is $75. These are the only tickets available at this time.
The competition begins Friday, Jan. 15, 2010, and ends with the ladies free skate Saturday, Jan. 23. The Skating Spectacular will take place Sunday, Jan. 24, as all the event medalists celebrate with a grand finale performance.
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held annually since 1914, is the nation's most prestigious figure skating event. The 2010 competition will take place Jan. 15-24 at the Spokane Arena in Spokane and be nationally televised live on NBC and webcast on icenetwork.com. Over the course of a week, the event will crown 12 national champions in ladies, men's, pairs and ice dancing on the senior, junior and novice levels.
The Spokane Arena, a 10,500-seat, multi-use facility that opened in 1995, will serve as the sole venue for the event. The arena has been the site for a number of major sporting events including 2002 Smart Ones Skate America, the 1996 U.S. Olympic wrestling trials and the 1998 Memorial Cup (the Canadian Hockey League's championship event). The event was last hosted by Spokane in 2007 and attracted a record crowd of 154,893.
The 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships' web site, www.spokane2010.com, will be the one-stop shop for the most up-to-date information regarding the event. Visitors can book hotel rooms, purchase tickets, reserve rental cars and scout the best restaurants and entertainment.
U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union. U.S. Figure Skating is comprised of more than 1,425 member clubs and Basic Skills Programs representing approximately 184,000 members. U.S. Figure Skating is charged with the development of the sport on all levels within the United States, including athletes, officials, sanctioning of events and exhibitions, and establishing the rules and guidelines by which the sport is governed.
