Team Challenge Cup Red Carpet

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Jason Brown greeting yours truly

Here’s my long-overdue reporting on the inaugural Team Challenge Cup in Spokane. The first event was a red-carpet press conference and meet and greet held at the Northern Quest Casino.

Fellow adult skater Diane Rudnick picked me up from the bus stop in her sporty convertible. She whisked me to the event where the press conference was just ending. The skaters, fashionably dressed and looking fine, began to walk by and greet the crowd from local skating clubs.

You can see how happy I was to get to talk to Jason Brown. I recalled how I’d met him the last time he’d competed in Spokane when he won Juniors at 15. He said he, too, was really remembering being here for that competition and so excited to be competing here again, as excited as the fans.

I was pleased to see Canadian ice dancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, favorites of mine since I fell in love with their skating at a Detroit Skating Club Ice Show.

Poje and Weaver

My camera ran out of juice after only a few snaps but I got more pictures with my phone.

Two of the skaters my family had really wanted to see the most at this competition were Shoma Uno and Rika Hongo. Both of them have so much fire and energy when they skate. And here they were!

Shoma Uno

Rika Hongo

Elena Radionova was looking particularly beautiful:

Elena Radionova

I had not heard of the Chinese ice dancers Shiyue Wang and Xinyu Liu, but they looked so elegant that I asked them to pose:

Shiyue Wang and Xinyu Liu

Many of the top Americans and Canadians were there including Adam Rippon, Ashley Wagner, Gracie Gold, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates.

An unexpected and fun start to my weekend! Thanks to Diane for letting me know about the event and schlepping me around!