Organizers of this weekend's Skate America expected to set a record with 30,0000 spectators according to an article in a September issue of the Everett Herald.

Judging by all the empty seats in the small arena, there's now way they broke the record.

Here's what we're saying about the attendance in tomorrow's paper:

EVERETT – Laura Lee, chairman of the Skate America organizing committee, wants Everett to be the next Spokane.

Spokane hosted Skate America in 2002 and used the event to become Skate City USA. (At least, that’s what they’re calling themselves.)

Lee was happy with this weekend’s event, but it’s clear that Everett is no Spokane.

Spokane set attendance records for Skate America in 2002 (28,664) and for the U.S. Championships in 2007 (154,893), but in Everett most of 8,300-seat Comcast Arena’s upper horseshow was empty all weekend.

“Skate America isn’t an event that sells out,” Lee said. “We never expected to sell out.”

But they did publicly set the goal of breaking Spokane’s Skate America attendance record. U.S. Figure Skating did not respond to multiple requests for this weekends attendance figures.

Whether or not Everett can parlay Skate America into future Olympic sporting events remains to be seen. Lee says the goal is to bring the U.S. Championships and even major gymnastic and NCAA events to Everett.

“Spokane is the model we are trying to follow,” Lee said.
Spokane has become the crowned jewel of U.S. Figure Skating over the past six years.

Spokane Arena only seats 10,440, much smaller than regular Figure Skating venues in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and St. Louis.

“But I was just talking to somebody from the ISU (International Skating Union) yesterday who was saying ‘You guys have something special in Washington,’” said Barb Beddor, executive director of the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane.

Perhaps that’s why Spokane was the first city asked to host the U.S. Championships in the same four-year Olympic cycle since Colorado Springs hosted in 1948 and ‘49.

The 2010 Olympic team will determine at the Spokane competition.

Tickets for 2010 went on sale March 31 and are 25 percent ahead of where they were in 2007, said Toby Steward, president of Star USA, the company organizing the championships.

Spokane also plans to host a USA vs. Canada women’s hockey exhibition game a few weeks before the 2010 Olympics.
They have other big plans, including bidding for a future Figure Skating World Championship, but, for now, Beddor says they’re keeping most of their wish list hush-hush.

“We hope Everett has similar success,” Beddor said. “I do think these events build on each other.”

Yu-Na Kim of Korea concluded Skate America by winning the ladies competition. Her win kept Team USA from winning at least one gold medal at its own event for the first time since 1998. It’s the third time (1993 was the other) since the event began in 1979 that the U.S. failed to win a gold.

American skaters finished with three silvers and a bronze.
Defending world junior champ Rachel Flatt, 16, came closest to medaling for the U.S. in the ladies competition Sunday, finishing fourth. Americans Mirai Nagasu and Kimmie Meissner, both of whom fell twice, finished fifth and eighth respectively.

Nagusu, the top American after the short program, aggravated a nagging ankle injury during warm-ups.

She blames too many jumps in practice for her irritating the injury. However, she says she’s glad she didn’t skip the competition even though she’d hoped to contend with the Japanese and Korean skaters for the win.

“Coming here is not a decision I regret,” Nagasu said. “I learned how much work I have to do.”

Japan’s Yukari Nakano and Miki Ando took silver and bronze.

Despite falling just short of their fifth Skate America title, ice dancer Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto where pleased with their first performance under new coaches Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karpanosov.

“There is good recognition of what we need to do (to improve) … and that’s typical of this point in the season,” Belbin said. “… It’s good to get this feedback now so that we have time to work on it.”

The Americans won the free dance Saturday, but it was not enough to claim gold in the three-dance competition. Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder of France took first with 187.64 points. The Americans scored 186.53 points to take silver.

“We are so pleased with the progress we are making under the tutildge of our new coaches,” Belbin said. “… I hope this is a platform we can build on.”

Part of the reason the dancers brought in a new coach was to develop a clear plan for progressing over the next two seasons.
“This is the first step in this season,” Agosto said. “But at the same time it is the first step toward the Olympic games. And the Olympic games is the main goal.”

While Skate America participants are trying to score points to qualify for the Dec. 10-14 Grand Prix Final in Korea, they’re also trying to get paid.

The winner of each event gets $18,000. Second is worth $13,000, third $9,000, fourth $3,000 and fifth pockets $2,000.

Prize money increases by more than 50 percent at finals.