Figure skating nationals moving from San Jose to Orleans Arena
Orleans Arena made such a good impression on U.S. Figure Skating last month, the venue will go big time next year.
The temporary home of the new Henderson Silver Knights will host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which are being moved from San Jose, California, on Jan. 11-21, the governing body announced Monday.
No spectators will allowed at the nationals, as with Skate America. The event will be televised nationally on NBC (KSNV-3) and NBC Sports Network and streamed on Peacock Premium with senior competition taking place from Jan. 11-17 and junior competition Jan. 19-21.
The national federation said Monday the switch was based partly on the successful bubble environment used for Skate America last month at Orleans Arena. The Skate America bubble, which had been approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, will be used as the model for the U.S. Championships.
“This has been a season unlike any other, and we’re appreciative of our local organizers and the skating community in San Jose for their willingness to be flexible during these challenging times,” U.S. Figure Skating President Anne Cammett said in a statement. “We are also confident that the proven bubble concept we will implement at the Orleans Arena will ensure the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships are a successful event for all competitors, coaches and officials.”
Orleans Arena officials did not return calls for comment.
San Jose will now get the 2023 nationals, while the 2022 event, which serves as the Olympic trials, will be in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nathan Chen, a two-time world champion who has won the last four U.S. titles, will lead the field. He won Skate America.
This is not the first national event for the Orleans. The arena has annually hosted the West Coast Conference and Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournaments for more than a decade, as well as U.S. Curling National Championships in recent years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
