U.S. figure skating spotlight to focus next January on KC area

Brian Boitano, a 1988 Olympic gold medalist, remembers his first national title “vividly:”

It was in Kansas City in 1985, the last time that nationals came to the City of Fountains.

“I can still see the capacity crowd at Kemper Arena,” recalled Boitano, who won his first of four consecutive titles that year. “I can feel the expectation in the air, and I can hear the enthusiastic crowd applause.”

That kind of applause will return next January — this time at the Sprint Center — when the U.S. Figure Skating Championships are held in Kansas City for the first time since Boitano’s win.

On Wednesday, the World Championships will start in Boston, back on U.S. ice for the first time since 2009. And many in the skating world are eyeing Kansas City for the contests set for 10 months from now.

“We’ve had some sports momentum the last couple years,” said Katherine Holland, the executive director for the nationals. “We support big events that come here in the sporting world, and for Kansas City this is a chance for people to experience something new.”

In the case of landing the nationals for Jan. 14 to 22, it was try, try again for Kansas City. Bids were put forth to U.S. Figure Skating in 2011 and 2012, and though Kansas City was a finalist both years, it was not selected.

That changed last year, when the Sprint Center, the Kansas City Sports Commission and Visit KC came together with a collective bid, one that thoroughly impressed Bob Dunlop, the senior director of events for U.S. Figure Skating.

“I think this time they had a stronger sense of how the figure skating community works,” Dunlop said. “They have three backers that partnered locally to go after this event. It was good to slow the process down and give them a little more insight on what we expect. We very much want this event to be successful.”

Key in the bidding was a secondary site for lower-level juvenile and intermediate events. They will be held at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence.

“The secondary venue is stunning,” said John Coughlin, a two-time U.S. champion in pairs who is an honorary co-chairman for the event. “It’s nice enough. … You could almost run the U.S. Championships senior competition there. It’s a big arena with a (practice) rink attached. It’s built for what we do.”

What they do is skate, and skate brilliantly. Former U.S. champions Ashley Wagner, Gracie Gold and Jason Brown, and ice dance teams Maia and Alex Shibutani and Madison Chock and Evan Bates figure to factor into the 2018 Olympic medal conversation. The nationals in Kansas City will give fans a peek at the up-and-coming stars on the rise, such as 16-year-old Nathan Chen, a bronze medalist this year.

“I feel like people will be excited to get into that arena and watch some figure skating,” said Tara Lipinski, the 1998 Olympic champion who is now an NBC commentator.

National tours such as Ice Capades, Champions on Ice and Stars on Ice have made their way through Kansas City over the years, but a U.S.- or international-sanctioned event hasn’t been to the city since 1985.

Officials understand that might present a challenge in getting fans into the arenas, but Holland says ticket projections are “tracking ahead” right now. Officials think that the Power & Light District could help pull traveling fans from around the United States.

“Ultimately we are presenting (the nationals) in a venue where people are used to seeing hockey, basketball or concerts, and now they get to see some of the best skaters in the world,” Dunlop said.

“We have a city that embraces events of all kinds,” Holland added. “Kansas City is really on a roll right now. As an event, we’re not really worried. We’re more excited to show off what we’ve been working toward. This is a middle-market city that can act and feel big-market.”

Gold, a two-time U.S. champion, started her skating in Springfield, while 2011 men’s winner Ryan Bradley picked up the sport in St. Joseph, and Coughlin began in Kansas City.

Could the nationals returning to Kansas City mean a future Olympian is inspired in the area? That’s a hope for that, too.

“I owe my entire skating area to the Kansas City area,” Coughlin said. “It could be a huge kick start for figure skating here.”

And for the event itself. Holland said trying to bid for the nationals in 2018, an Olympic year, wasn’t out of the question. The event will look to emulate or do one better than other cities that have taken on the nationals.

“Spokane, Washington, is now calling itself ‘a skating city’ because of their great hosting of nationals,” said Johnny Weir, a three-time champion and current NBC commentator. “And I believe that Kansas City will do the same. I think that they’ll host a great championship, and I really am excited that (nationals is going) to a city where not a lot of skating has happened before.”

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 4:18 PM with the headline "U.S. figure skating spotlight to focus next January on KC area."