Skating Fridays

Recap from Adult Nationals – Part 1 of 3

I am back from Salt Lake City, where I competed at the 2015 Adult Figure Skating Championships (also known as A.N., or Adult Nationals). There is so much to share that I’ll break this up into several posts. Today I’ll give a brief overview of how I skated and not talk about any specific event.

The Venue
The competition facility was held at the sports complex at the University of Utah, in downtown Salt Lake City. There were two rinks in the complex, as well as an exercise/biking area plus indoor and outdoor pools. The top level of the complex was the walking track, which connected the two rinks. You could be on the walking track and see both rinks. I wish I had taken a picture, but I didn’t.

The Logistics and Scheduling
Hats off to the local organizing committee, because they did a phenomenal job. Almost every event that I attended started on time. Some events even finished early. I know the logistics for organizing an event of this scale is not easy, so a huge kudos to all those involved. The practice facilities were top-notch, and it felt like everything ran really well.

The Skaters
As I stated in last week’s post, all of the skaters I met were extremely supportive of one another. I received hugs and congratulations from people I’d just met, and several people I didn’t know showered me with tossies. It also felt like everyone’s skills were top-notch this year. Skaters were executing more difficult elements, so scores were high. Some of the top level skaters (at the Masters Junior-Senior level) were landing clean double axels and even triples. Wow.

The Experience
AN was such a wonderful experience. Although I was the only one from my rink to attend, I never felt like an orphan. Other skaters adopted me into their circle of friends, and I made new skating friends left and right. I’m excited to see all of my skating friends again, whether it’s at a local competition or next year’s AN.

All in all, I am happy that I attended. I didn’t medal in either of my events, but I definitely made some improvements. That’s definitely something to be proud of and to celebrate.

Photos
Here are just a few photos from AN.