Behind the Scenes with NBC as it Prepares For the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships

Although we are living through circumstances that are changing seemingly by the minute, when fans tune in for the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships on NBC, their viewing experience will remain unchanged.
 
Or at least that's the goal, according to Alexa Pritting, a producer at NBC.
 
"We hope that it doesn't look very different," Printing said. "We really hope that the fan experience is what they're used to for an event the magnitude of the U.S. Championships. So coverage-wise, camera-wise, we really hope it looks the same."
 
The dream team of Tara Lipinski, Johnny Weir and Terry Gannon will still be on the call, as always, but it is in the booth where the most noticeable difference will be. While they are normally very close together, this year at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, they'll be socially distanced to follow U.S. Figure Skating and the state of Nevada's health and safety guidelines.
 
"I'll miss, in those big moments, Tara grabbing my arm and looking at me like, 'Did you see that?!'" Gannon said. "I won't have that because we'll be distanced. But other than that, I think for the viewer, I think it'll be pretty much what we do."
 
Coverage of the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships begins on NBCSN on Thursday, Jan. 14 (6-8 p.m.; 10 p.m. - midnight ET) with the pairs and ladies' short programs. On Friday, Jan. 15, the rhythm dance will be televised live on NBCSN (4-6 p.m. ET), and the ladies free skate will air live on NBC (8-11 p.m. ET). On Saturday, Jan. 16, the men's short program will be broadcast live on NBC (4-6 p.m. ET), and the free dance and pairs free skate will be live on NBCSN (9 p.m. – midnight ET). Live U.S. Championships coverage will conclude on Sunday, Jan. 17 on NBC with the men's free skate (3:30-6 p.m. ET).

In addition to the live coverage, NBC will air the free dance on Sunday, Jan. 24 from 5-6 p.m. ET. On Sunday, Jan. 31, fans can relive the best of the 2021 U.S. Championships from 12-2 p.m. ET on NBC. Finally, the Skating Spectacular will air from 4-6 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 14.
 
In addition to Gannon, Lipinski and Weir in the booth, Andrea Joyce will be the reporter backstage, while Tanith White will call the ice dance competitions from her home.
 
The event will be produced remotely, with Pritting and the rest of the production team working out of Stamford, Connecticut.
 
"Several years ago, some very, very brilliant minds at NBC came up with this plan to be able to take all of the cameras back to Stamford, Connecticut, so we are able to produce the event just like we would be able to in Las Vegas," Pritting said. "We were very prepared for this, not knowingly. But I've done several events like this for the last at least five years, with talent on site, production in Stamford, Connecticut, well before the pandemic. So it's something that we're comfortable with. Obviously all the COVID protocols and making sure everybody follows those and is tested and is safe is a new addition to that, but we're very fortunate to have such smart people on our team that we'd already done something similar to this in the past, and now we can just apply it under the current conditions."
 
The one aspect of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships that cannot be replicated, however, is the togetherness that Gannon says makes the event feel like a yearly reunion.
 
In previous years, Gannon would spend his pre- and post-event time grabbing meals or drinks with the figure skating family he's formed since calling his first U.S. Championships in 1996. This year, everyone within the bubble will spend any free time in their hotel rooms and all production meetings will be held virtually, limiting face-to-face contact as much as possible.
 
"That I will miss. There's no question," Gannon said. "But this year, it's a year of adapting, obviously, and figuring out how to do things. And so by now, I think, in terms of the production, we have an idea of what we're doing and we've adapted at this point. It's live TV. Anything can happen any time. But in terms of the way we're doing it, there's a plan in place, a really good plan, and it's worked before."
 
New to even the experienced NBC team, though, was the issue of crowd noise. When producing 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America in October, a silent practice session had Pritting and her director looking for a solution.
 
As soon as they began piping in crowd noise, the effect was immediate.
 
"Immediately after we tested it at Skate America, the athletes gave us feedback that they absolutely needed it and loved it, and it helped them immensely," Pritting said. "So that will be the same for the U.S. Championships, and it's something that we'll work on with U.S. Figure Skating to make sure it's appropriate and follows the flow of the event. But it is kind of a technical change from events where usually you do have a full crowd."
 
The team is also prepared for the difficulties that come with holding an event held under such unique circumstances. Many athletes have only competed once this season -- or not at all -- so Pritting and the production team don't have as many results and performances to study, and Gannon faces the challenge of calling an event against the backdrop of a crisis, when something much larger than skating is happening outside the arena.
 
"The only thing you can even compare, as a broadcaster in what we do, is when world events happen when you're doing a sporting event," Gannon said. "There's an announcement, and you've just come on the air, and now you've got to bring people a sporting event while at the same in your head knowing, 'Okay, this is important, people care about it. It's nowhere near as important as the world event which has just taken place, and there's breaking news.' And so you do it in a way where you are cognizant of that."
 
But even among all the challenges, the U.S. Championships are still the U.S. Championships. And when Gannon, Lipinski and Weir return to the booth, so does just a little bit of normalcy.
 
"I'm excited," Gannon said. "I'm always excited for U.S. Championships. Even with all we have to deal with, I'm ready to go. I cannot wait."

Visit the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Virtual Fan Experience to stay up to date on all of the ways to watch the event on NBC, NBCSN and Peacock Premium.