Victory on ice: Spokane lands ’07 U.S. Figure Skating championships -Ice skating event expected to carry $30 million punch

Cheers!

Spokane will host the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

The announcement Friday afternoon punctuated Spokane’s hard-won arrival on the national stage as a city ready and able to showcase elite sporting events.

John Stucke
Staff writer

"This is just fantastic," said Mayor Jim West, as the champagne flowed, noisemakers honked and balloons fell.

The skating competition promises to be the single biggest sporting event in the city’s history.

Spanning eight days — Jan. 21-28, 2007 — Spokane will be host to thousands of athletes, coaches, judges and fans.

The cash and enthusiasm flowing through downtown will rival that of Expo ’74.

Toby Steward, who with Star USA business partner Barb Beddor spearheaded Spokane’s bid for the competition, said skating will deliver a $30 million economic punch.

"This is the most exciting thing," he said. "What this should do for Spokane is, well, it’s boundless."

Besides the money, the championships will be a public relations bonanza for Spokane.

There will be 14 hours of national television coverage on ABC. Media from around the world will be looking for feel-good stories and shots of the small city with the gumption to host skating’s premier event.

To land the event, Spokane overcame steep odds. It beat Boston.

But Friday did not pass without drama.

About 45 minutes before the announcement, Steward received a phone call from the U.S. Figure Skating selection committee.

"I just thought, `Oh no, it’s all over,"’ Steward said afterward, his clean-shaven head glistening with sweat and champagne splash. "That’s the time when you don’t want the phone call."

Beddor’s reaction was the same. "I just said, `Oh my God. No."’

But the committee just had a couple of last-minute questions. That was it.

As the party in the Champions Room at the Spokane Arena got under way, skating fan Jan Zwetsch grabbed Steward’s hand and said: "You’re Mr. Cool. Way to go."

Spokane’s selection was a two-year process. The big turning point came in August when Spokane was named among three host finalists with Hershey, Pa., and Boston.

To make Spokane stand out, Washington Trust Bank gave a $150,000 corporate sponsorship.

Paired with other cash contributions and huge in-kind service outlays by the Davenport Hotel and area media companies, Spokane’s bid suddenly had economic muscle.

"We just had a feeling the time was right for Spokane," said Jack Heath of Washington Trust. "What great exposure for Spokane. Can you believe it?"

Still, beating out Boston was a long shot.

Spokane doesn’t share the kind of well-heeled stardom found in the stunning New England city.

Boston has a proud sports tradition, rich history and proven ability to make the competition a success. After all, it was Boston that set an attendance record for the skating championships in 2001.

Furthermore, Beddor said, Boston was risk-free.

"Picking Boston would have been a no-brainer," Beddor said. "It would have guaranteed them success."

Yet, there was something about Spokane that earned the bid.

The local excitement over hosting such an event, the Spokane Arena and other facilities, and the stunning Davenport Hotel — headquarters for the competition — were pluses.

It all just thrills figure skating fans like Bonnie Daugherty.

Hours before the announcement, she was all nerves.

"The waiting … it’s just too exciting," she said. "What a wonderful thing this would be for Spokane."

The championships will be held in Portland next January to further whet Spokane’s anticipation for 2007.

"The thing I love about figure skating is the combination of excitement and romance and smoothness," Daugherty said. "It’s hard to describe, but what else has such tremendous athletes that make something so difficult look effortless and beautiful?"

Beddor knows there are thousands of such fans in Spokane.

The Skate America event held in Spokane in October 2002 drew 28,664 spectators, breaking a 16-year-old attendance record.

"This city’s people and businesses are going to come together to support this," Beddor said.

John Stucke can be reached at (509) 459-5419 or by e-mail at [email protected].