The action at Skate America isn't all out on the ice.
From live broadcasts on
U.S. Figure Skating's Facebook, to Bridgestone Ice Desk commentary and interviews on YouTube, there are more ways to stay in touch with the competition than ever before.
"There's a lot of figure skating content out there for people to consume on different media and platforms, you just have to know where to look," says journalist and host Nick McCarvel, who is in the center of the action in Everett, Washington.
The gateway to it all is U.S. Figure Skating's recently relaunched and expanded Fan Zone, where fans can peruse feature articles and photo galleries, watch skater vlogs and videos, and check the results of international and U.S. qualifying competitions.
"With the Fan Zone, we are offering exclusive coverage of Team USA figure skaters and providing live coverage and results," says Sora Hwang, digital content & fan engagement manager for U.S. Figure Skating. "We have a lot of exciting projects in the works that will offer different perspectives and views of events throughout the season, be it backstage or on the ice."
The
NBC Sports Gold Figure Skating Pass, on sale now, provides live and on-demand viewing of U.S. (junior and senior levels) and international competitions. The resources on the Fan Zone deepen and enrich the viewing experience, including free video of juvenile-novice competition.
McCarvel is pulling triple duty at Skate America, darting all around Angel Of The Winds Arena to watch practices, take part in mixed zone interviews and hold planning sessions with producers. In addition to reporting for the NBC Sports OlympicTalk blog, he's stockpiling news for Bridgestone Ice Desk's expert panel, including Michael Weiss, Brooke Castile and Sinead Kerr, and gathering insights for a new addition:
Wake Up Skate America presented by Folgers.
"Each morning of the competition, Jackie Wong and I will be talking live on the U.S. Figure Skating Facebook page," McCarvel says of
Wake Up Skate America. "People can tune in, ask questions and talk all things figure skating."
"A lot of fans are able to watch what's happening on the ice, but they don't see what's happening backstage," adds Wong, a figure skating analyst whose website, rockerskating.com, is considered de rigueur reading for stat-oriented fans. "We're looking for questions about what's happening with practices, what skaters are talking about in the mixed zone."
If you're not an early riser, don't worry. Episodes will be archived on U.S. Figure Skating's Facebook and Fan Zone, so you can catch up.
As for the Bridgestone Ice Desk, it will be streamed live on
U.S. Figure Skating's YouTube channel and Facebook, and will feature special guests as well as Weiss, Castile and Kerr.
"Ice Desk will be pre- and post every event, so we will kick off before the pairs short program (beginning 7:30 pm ET on Thursday), we will be in between the pairs and men's short (9 pm ET on Thursday)," McCarvel says. "Whenever there is a break, we will be live to talk about what just happened and what's about to happen. The panel brings such knowledge and experience, and we're going to have some fun, too."
McCarvel and Wong are also taking the next few days at Skate America to book guests for the
Ice Talk podcast, a venture McCarvel started a few years ago with icenetwork.com and is continuing in collaboration with the Fan Zone.
"We're going to get a lot of stuff this weekend," McCarvel says. "We're trying to bring out those cool stories in figure skating across the board."
"We're back under a new feed, so if you subscribe to the old feed on Apple podcast, you need to go subscribe to the new feed," Wong adds. "That's the biggest change. We also have new theme music and a new logo, and we're trying to make things a little faster-paced this year. We want to make sure it's something fans from around the world will be interested in hearing."
The Fan Zone is the premier place to keep pace with U.S. skaters' stories, from
Nathan Chen's studies at Yale University, to
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue's music and choreography choices.Â
"We (post) files to
all Team USA athletes that have earned international assignments, and as younger athletes gain assignments, we're always adding more," Hwang says. "The bios have everything from skaters' training sites to their hometowns to birthplaces and personal notes, as well as links to their social media."
There's also exclusive video content, including a special season-long series following Jason Brown's 2018-19 campaign as he settles into his new training digs in Toronto, Ontario.
"We have really pushed to produce original content to share our athletes' stories, and all of that is available on the Fan Zone," Hwang says. "The
Follow Jason Brown series is a look at how he's making his way through this season, especially with all of the changes he made this summer. He's been so gracious to want to share his journey with his fans."
Check out all of the action by perusing the Fan Zone now.
