By Megan Sauer
Fans and athletes agree — the energy at Skate America is always special.
Every year international flags decorate the stands, and the arena reverberates with the sound of the spectators’ excitement. Their cheers amplify with every stroke, turn and twizzle.
The annual event is highly anticipated, as it’s often the first public glimpse of that season’s competitive programs. As efforts are taken to protect the skaters, coaches and audience from the spread of COVID-19, however, skating enthusiasts are adapting their traditions to cheer on Team USA from the comfort of their own homes.
While super-fans like Evelyn and Andrew Depew appreciate the precautionary measures, the transition to virtual spectating won’t be easy. The couple, who now lives in Las Vegas, has been traveling to skating events since 1987.
Andrew said they started attending competitions like Skate America and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships because they like to experience performances without commentary.
“We were folding laundry while we were watching, and I was getting upset because I couldn’t hear the music,” he said, describing the last U.S. Championships they saw on television. “I ended up shouting and throwing a ball of socks at the TV.”
That was when Evelyn suggested it was time they make new viewing arrangements.
After nearly 34 years, their “community” has created its own rituals, like eating at a Chinese buffet before the first day of competition. However, the couple and their friends are best known for sporting red, white and blue bowling jackets in the front row of every event.
“We initially [wore the jackets] for our friends, but junior skaters started coming up to us and asking why we weren’t wearing them to their events,” Andrew said. “We don’t wear them for a brand; we wear them for the skaters.”
“People ask us for selfies with [our jackets], too,” Evelyn said, noting that their symbolic attire grabs the attention of skaters and fans from around the world.
Holly and Tom Mintun, who met taking skating lessons outside of San Francisco, also love interacting with the athletes and their families. While they’ve met famous skaters like Jason Brown at Friends of Figure Skating get-togethers, they serendipitously sat next to Zachary Donohue’s mother while he competed at Skate America in 2011.
“We were talking about her son, but she didn’t say who she was,” Tom said. “When he [and Madison Hubbell] came on, we said, ‘Boy, those guys are good!’ His mom slapped my knee and said, ‘That’s what I wanted to hear! That’s my son!’”
While the Mintuns don’t consider themselves to be superstitious, they’re excited about the idea of purchasing fan cutouts to place in the arena’s seats, so they can continue to support athletes both in spirit and in cardboard.
Like the Depews and the Mintuns, Janice and Terry Collins, from Bass Lake, Indiana, are still dedicated, watching and cheering on their favorite athletes remotely. For all the couples, the most rewarding part of attending the competitions is connecting with the skaters and their parents.
“It’s going to be hard for [the skaters], not having an immediate reaction from the fans when they do a really good jump, or when they fall,” Janice said.
She said her favorite part of the event is encouraging the skaters who won’t necessarily medal at their first ISU Grand Prix event or U.S. Championships. The couple has become particularly close with skaters like Akari Nakahara and Emily Chan. After years of also attending qualifying competitions, they feel like they know them and their parents.
“I think the most important part of going is experiencing all of the emotions [with the skaters],” Janice said. “You get disappointed when they’re disappointed, but then you’re on a happy high when they do well. You just kind of ride the trip with them.”
