 Archway Anecdotes #2 - St. Louis ArrivalU.S. Figure Skating Correspondent Arrival! I've made it to St. Louis and now the fun begins!
Notes from Saturday, Jan 07
Saturday, 11:37 p.m. CST
I don’t know if this counts as jet lag, but my body thinks it’s 12:37 a.m. And my body wants to say I’ve been up since 4 a.m. (even though it was 5, EST). I just wanted to write a few notes before heading to much-needed sleep. Junior dance practice is at 7 a.m., and I’d actually like to make it there.
I survived my first Fisher Price flip and die plane, although it was not the most enjoyable experience. For some reason, Newark airport had security lines that in some cases literally went outside. Fortunately (I guess), they moved pretty quickly, and I was able to make my flight. Although my camera bag got caught in the escalator and badly mangled, the equipment was safe and I made it to my gate with a few minutes to spare. So then we sit on the runway for 55 minutes. Take off was bouncy and horrible, and it just seemed wrong that one row of seats on the left and two on the right doesn’t put us in a barrel roll.
I must remember to try to change my flight for the trip home. Really could live without getting on that kind of plane again.
St. Louis
airport had incredibly friendly people. Not a single person I encountered was less than helpful. I was waiting for Daphne to get from Terminal E, and they actually held the shuttle to the hotel for us.
It was a crowded shuttle, but a fun one. Our driver played tour guide, and we were shown where Busch Stadium use to be (a new one is being built) and saw streets that honored Mark McGwire and Charles Lindbergh. We saw the arch and learned that the ride over it is in cages that fit four people and they are very swingy. My fellow passengers included senior pairs skater Stephanie Kuban, Amanda Evora’s dad, volunteers and fans. Aside from skating, topics included Dancing with the Stars, a theme that would reintroduce itself at novice ladies practice.
The Renaissance Grand Hotel has perhaps the friendliest staff I’ve ever encountered. Daphne and I checked in and were met with person after person who made us feel welcome. Janice, the woman at the front desk, could not have been more helpful. We were even greeted by Dennis Sveum, the vice president of the local organizing committee, as we crossed paths at the elevator.
The first hiccup in the day was at credentialing. I wasn’t listed as someone they were expecting! Amusing and fairly easily remedied (Web Editor Laura Fawcett’s Note: OK, so everyone is just so used to Michelle covering that we forgot to add her to the media list! Isn’t that kind of a compliment?). Then it was off to find a late lunch or early dinner, depending on how you look at it. Went to Caleco’s, an Italian bar and grill about seven blocks away. Our table had a view of the arch. Enjoyed a yummy appetizer of garlic bread with melted cheese and paprika. I highly recommend it. Walking back after dark, not as recommended.
Then it was back to the hotel to catch the shuttle out to Family Arena for novice practice. From the time the shuttle pulled out until we pulled up at the arena, it was about 30 minutes. There was no traffic. For those who have not yet arrived, plan accordingly.
Family Arena is bright (photographers love bright arenas). The rink boards are mostly white and the ice is not tinted. Some of the skaters were commenting that it makes it hard to judge depth perception. All of the practices we saw had many near misses, although a variety of reasons could be blamed for that. Six dance teams on one session is pretty crowded. Right before Alexe Gilles was to do her runthrough, there was a major collision between Blake Rosenthal and Brittany Rizo. Brittany sort of went under Blake, breaking her fall as they both went down. The girls were tangled up, lying on the ice. Fortunately neither looked injured and they kept asking each other if she was OK.
Near the beginning of Alexe’s program, a critical strap broke on her dress, and she was forced to finish the program holding it up. It was more Kelly Monaco than Janet Jackson (there’s my Dancing with the Stars reference), and rather impressive to see triple jumps completed in a compromised situation.
It’s 12:16 (1:16 according to my internal body clock) and I’m going to crash. Talk to you tomorrow.
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