Wow

I'll put my foot in my mouth now! I just received this Press Release from the Spokane 2010 Organizing comittee:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 3, 2008) - With approximately a year and a half until the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships take place in Spokane, Wash., the event has already eclipsed the previous initial weekend ticket sales record, with 2,692 All Event Ticket Packages and 2,026 Skating Spectacular tickets being sold in the first 48 hours.

Tickets for the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships went on sale May 31 at noon EST. As of Monday, June 2, organizers report an increase of 25 percent over the past record that was set March 15, 2004 for the initial ticket launch of the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships, which were also held in Spokane.

Fans took advantage of a special payment plan that allowed them to select the seat of their choice and put down a $200 deposit to secure the seat. The ticket purchaser then pays the remaining balance over three payments.

"The 2007 U.S. Championships in Spokane set the all-time attendance record for the Championships," said David Raith, executive director of U.S. Figure Skating. "When Spokane was selected to again host in 2010, it was done with the mission to provide our athletes and fans an exciting atmosphere for the week. Spokane raised the bar in 2007, and we fully expected the city to do it again. I think the initial results show that our fans are excited about 2010."

"These initial results make us more excited and proud every day," said Toby Steward, president of Star USA. "We are humbled that so many people have shown their support of Spokane hosting these Championships by their actions. By buying tickets, the fans have shown that they want to come back to Spokane, and we are even more thrilled to host them for the Championships during this most important year."

The All Event Ticket Package guarantees access to all competition sessions as well as admission to all practice sessions at Spokane Arena. The package does not include admission to the Skating Spectacular on Jan. 24, tickets for which may be purchased separately. The ticket price for an all-event ticket is $595 and the price of a ticket to the Skating Spectacular is $75. These are the only tickets available at this time.

The competition begins Friday, Jan. 15, 2010, and ends with the ladies free skate Saturday, Jan. 23. The Skating Spectacular will take place Sunday, Jan. 24, as all the event medalists celebrate with a grand finale performance.