It's never too cold to sit in an arena!

Though today's subzero temps kept many indoors, I trucked on down to the Xcel Energy Center to meet with Scottie Bibb, my "boss" for the week. She showed me around the arena...including the USFS media room, the press conference room, and the "mixed zone" (where the athletes talk to the press after leaving the kiss-and-cry, and where I'll be spending a lot of my time!).

She calmed some of my fears and told me what to expect, which calmed my nerves a bit. Now, if I could only remember how to manuever my way "behind the scenes" without getting lost!

I also recieved my credential at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Though the four-block walk was NOT fun in -30 degree weather, I was more than willing to go! Doing so kind of marked the official beginning of nationals for me - something I've waited for forever!!
After my meeting with Scottie, I stuck around to watch the novice pairs practice. Carman/Kneirim, Chase/Speroff, and Bautista/Hopson all looked really, really strong. Bautista/Hopson even landed two perfect throw triple loop jumps - something very rare for novice-level skaters! It was definitely cool to see in person, and drew some "ooohs!" from the other parents and skaters watching practice.

The arena looks great, too. As of 1:30 today, crews were still setting up the judges stand, NBC booth, and kiss-and-cry area for the first competitions which start tomorrow morning. The "St. Paul 2008" logo is pretty huge, but the royal blue does look great against the white ice and boards.

Finally here!

So...the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships officially begin tomorrow at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN! It's so surreal to believe that they're almost here! I'll be interning for the U.S. Figure Skating media team throughout the week, working backstage, in the mixed zone, the media room, etc. getting great hands-on journalism experience!

This is the biggest annual skating event in the country, and I'm thrilled that it's finally back in Minnesota! The last time it was here was 1991 in Minneapolis, where Tonya Harding won her national title. Today's generation of skaters, however, are ready to step up into the spotlight. In addition to winning medals, these skaters are also vying for spots on the World, Jr. World, and Four Continents Championships teams. The world championships are in Gothenburg, Sweden this year, and the U.S. is able to send 3 ladies, 3 men, 2 pairs teams, and 3 ice dance teams.

Here are my early predictions:
Ladies - 1. Kimmie Meissner, 2. Ashley Wagner, 3. Caroline Zhang, 4. Rachael Flatt
Men - 1. Evan Lysacek, 2. Johnny Weir, 3. Stephen Carriere, 4. Ryan Bradley
Pairs - 1. McLaughlin/Brubaker, 2. Castile/Okolski, 3. Inoue/Baldwin, 4. Evora/Ladwig
Dance - 1. Belbin/Agosto, 2. Davis/White, 3. Samuelson/Bates, 4. Navarro/Bommentre

Anyway, it should be a great week of skating in St. Paul! I'll definitely update on the daily adventures in the life of a media intern! :)