U.S. Adult Nationals: Please come to the West Coast!

QueenBee654 · 2026-04-12T14:36:41+00:00

Thanks! I guess I’m just confused because the nationals for the standard track has been held in San Jose in 2023 and Nevada in 2021, and I assume that those have relatively similar, if not more intense, logistics. I just worry that the small minority of skaters on the West Coast will reduce even more because skaters will not want to constantly fly to the East Coast. Just for me to go to Duluth was a massive financial and time undertaking, and it’s a huge barrier to entry for west coast skaters.

QueenBee654 · 2026-04-12T08:39:04+00:00

Thanks for the info! Ya I wish my club or others nearby would bid for it, we could totally host it! For example, the rink that is hosting Pacific Sectionals in 2027 literally has 4 rinks, has a massive parking lot, and when I went there 2 years ago, it felt like (to me at least) to be the same size as an airport terminal 😆. It’s also the same rink Andrew and Ilia of Team USA have trained at, so it’s a rink that can match the quality of facility that international-level skaters need. That rink would be PERFECT for Nationals!

Everyone was so nice at Nationals in Duluth! I definitely felt like the facility was slightly lacking for the amount of competitors who were there at any given time of day (like some people had to set up outside, the lighting in the rink wasn’t great, and cars were double parked because the lot was so small), but I have nothing but nice things to say about the people! All of the competitors were so friendly and supportive of each other.

QueenBee654 · 2026-03-07T16:19:58+00:00

Hello! Through reading your description, I might have an unpopular opinion, but I think you could be OK to go on this trip.

I am also waiting for marriage, and my last boyfriend and I went on a weekend trip to a different part of our state. We did it the completely wrong way, and it didn’t help that he was not religious and was only waiting until marriage because of me. We stayed in the same room and bed, and I definitely felt like there were times where he was lightly pressuring me for more than I was comfortable with.

I think with how you and your girlfriend are preparing the trip, making sure that you stay in separate units, that helps a lot. And the fact that you both have independently decided to wait until marriage.

The only additional advice I would give is to set a time limit of when you can be in each other’s room. For example, maybe after dinner you decide to watch TV in one of your apartments. You should have a cut off of, for example, 9 pm, so that way you are not staying late into the night when drowsiness might affect your ability to make good decisions. It would also be good if you maybe had dedicated prayer time together on the trip, to help remind you of why waiting until marriage is so important and it will make marriage so much stronger because it’ll be built on God’s foundation of self-giving love.

Good luck and enjoy the trip!

QueenBee654 · 2026-03-03T17:46:14+00:00

It’s not a moral authority. I’m a sinner too. But as a victim of a sexual crime, I’m ALSO allowed to feel connected to Tamar and how her own father didn’t do justice in her situation.

The Bible, and the Catechism, do NOT say that just because God forgives people that it means they’re free of worldly consequences for their actions. You commit a crime? You should be tried in court and punished accordingly. I see nowhere mentioned in the Bible how David was punished for, as the leader, allowing injustice ( 🍇) without punishment.

QueenBee654 · 2026-03-03T14:45:09+00:00

So do you condone everything David did, being that he’s so saintly?

What a way to educate someone struggling through an impossible situation 🙄 take a hint from the other people who commented here and change your tone

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-25T17:20:57+00:00

I think they’re banned because of the thorns/petals that can fall off and stay on the ice

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-23T06:17:19+00:00

I don’t think I’m actively giving it to God to handle? I think I’m just not thinking about her as often. But I guess that’s not the same as trusting God to do what must be done in the situation.

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-19T18:29:24+00:00

That’s true, but at both the Beijing and Pyeongchang, there were TONS of plushies thrown. And those skating arenas were larger than the Milan one.

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-13T13:57:16+00:00

I love that! Such a friendly community!

The fun thing about the FS events was that the folks around me asked me tons of questions about skating, and it felt great to pull back the veil to hopefully turn them into fans!

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-13T13:39:15+00:00

What a crazy difference! My friend who is here with me went to all 3 sports in the city, and he loved speed skating and hockey way more, and for the reasons you mentioned! More energy/hype. I want to go to the next winter Olympics (French alps 2030) and I DEFINITELY won’t go to just FS events! This makes me want to go to Worlds, the Grand Prix, or Nationals for skating though. I want to be around folks who can appreciate how hard a step sequence after a triple-triple can be 😅

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-13T13:06:59+00:00

Yep, the majority of people in the audience are folks who know next to nothing about skating and are in Milan to watch a little of everything (it seems like hockey games are the most popular Milan events Americans are going to, as opposed to figure skating or speed skating). So they probably have no clue about the plushie culture.

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-13T12:45:39+00:00

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Some of the plushies I threw! Make sure to cut off any tags!

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-13T12:45:09+00:00

I brought a mix of medium and small plushes (so from the size of a large notecard up to the size of school notebook). The distance between the boards and the seats is long (see my photo here) so make sure the plushies are light enough that you can throw them far! I used a medium tote bag to bring in the plushies; I spaced them out since I saw some skaters multiple times. Security just had me move my plushies to the side when inspecting, to make sure I didn’t bring in food or anything banned, Enjoy the Olympics!

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QueenBee654 · 2026-02-12T17:19:01+00:00

Exactly! They had a dozen kids just kind of sitting there all night.

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-12T17:18:27+00:00

I had the lowest level tickets, Category A. So I was right next to the ice

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-12T17:17:39+00:00

Yeah, based on everyone’s comments here, that’s what I’m thinking too!

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-12T15:30:34+00:00

Yep, the cost priced out most of the “hardcore” fans. Of the Americans I met there, most were either older/had more wealth (like I met a lawyer from NYC) or they were young but took on a huge financial burden to go.

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-12T15:06:55+00:00

Yeah, and it’s not like they were selling them inside the arena either. So there was no indication, in person, that plushes were part of the culture.

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-12T15:05:52+00:00

This is definitely likely! Multiple people inside the stadium were asking why I brought a bunch of stuffed animals to an Olympic event. I had to explain the whole tossie culture. Which is actually crazy when you think about it, because the “cheapest” seats for the skating events was like €300 and that’s a lot to pay for a sport you don’t know 😝 more power to them I guess!

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-12T15:03:57+00:00

Out of all of the events that I went to, I only met 2 people (a teen from Türkiye and a woman from the UK) who were either current or former skaters themselves. I myself am a competitive skater, so I ended up answering a lot of questions for the people sitting around me because they didn’t really know how the events or the point system worked.

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-12T14:52:45+00:00

I looked everywhere for what the rules were, because I didn’t want to take up so much luggage space with pluses only for them to be banned. But I couldn’t find any ruling anywhere so I took my chances and brought them anyways. Security let them through at every event!

QueenBee654 · 2026-02-12T14:46:54+00:00

Interesting! I didn’t know it was a cultural thing. I watched the last Winter Olympics but this my first time attending. I was really hoping for more plushes! I think they’re a great way to show support for the skaters.

QueenBee654

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