The Great Midwest Test
By Lindsey Piel
What does it take to host the biggest synchronized skating competition in the midwest in Kalamazoo? The Midwestern Sectional Championships determine which figure skating teams go on to compete at Nationals in Colorado Springs. The Greater Kalamazoo Skating Association (GKSA) has hosted this important competition many times, including the national championships in 2016. The club hosts sectionals often because of their experience and consistent success.
The chair of the competition usually starts planning many months in advance. It can take this person almost two hundred hours of work to complete the job because there is a lot to do!
Part of hosting a competition like this is ensuring all 32 judges and officials have the proper transportation and hotels between January 28 and February 1st. Volunteers are needed to drive judges from airports, including Detroit and Grand Rapids, to Kalamazoo. Usually, the volunteers for this job are parents of figure skaters who are members at GKSA. This year, it took over 400 volunteer shifts to successfully run sectionals. The whole club participates as there are jobs for kids and adults of all ages. Many younger GKSA skaters love volunteering because they can watch the college teams. This is fun for them, because they can spot familiar faces from previous years at the club on the ice!
With 269 coaches and service personnel for 121 teams, totaling 1,886 skaters, lots of ice is necessary for unofficial practice, official practice, awards, and competition. It took five sheets of ice in the Kalamazoo area at both Wings West and Wings Event Center to keep up with the demand.
To set up for the competition, the glass is taken off of the boards in the Wings Event Center arena and the boards are wrapped in black plastic. A chunk of chairs next to the zamboni entrance is removed and a kiss and cry is put in its place. Trails of rubber mats are placed around some parts of the rink so that teams can walk from place to place without damaging their blades. An extremely long table is placed on a flat surface over a row of seats in the middle of the arena. This is the judges stand, where judges sit on chairs with heaters and blankets at hand. Two hospitality rooms are made for judges and volunteers.
After all is said and done, the plastic on the boards is torn down and everything goes back to normal. The end of a successful competition is a relief to the many volunteers and skaters who make it happen. Once it's over, the GKSA community can relax…until next time!The Great Midwest Test
