MEDIA CONTACTS
Kara Raney
Director, Media and Digital Strategy
kraney@usfigureskating.org
C: 719-517-8827
Kristen Henneman
Manager, Communications
khenneman@usfigureskating.org
C: 530-363-8626
Abby Farrell
Coordinator, Communications
afarrell@usfigureskating.org
PRE-EVENT TELECONFERENCES
Madison Chock and Evan Bates – 2022 U.S. ice dance champions
Thursday, October 13, 2022
4:30p ET/3:30p CT/2:30p MT/1:30p PT
Watch the recording
Ilia Malinin – 2022 World Champion & U.S. men’s silver medalist
Saturday, October 15, 2022
11a ET/10a CT/9a MT/8a PT
Watch the recording
STARTING ORDERS
Friday, Oct. 21
Pairs short program
Men's short program
Saturday, Oct. 22
Rhythm dance
Women's short program
Pairs free skate
Men's free skate
Sunday, Oct. 23
Free dance
Women's free skate
Skating Spectacular
COMPETITION SCHEDULE (subject to change, all times local)
Friday, Oct. 21
Pairs short program | 7:24-8:31 p.m.
Men's short program | 8:49-10:22 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 22
Rhythm dance | 2:41-4:01 p.m.
Women's short program | 4:18-5:51 p.m.
Pairs free skate | 7:15-8:33 p.m.
Men's free skate | 9:01-10:50 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 23
Free dance | 1:08-2:30 p.m.
Women's free skate | 2:59-4:48 p.m.
Skating Spectacular | 7:15-9:45 p.m
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PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULE (subject to change, all times local)
Please arrive early. The U.S. Figure Skating communications team will do their best to get athletes to the press conference area as quickly as possible following competition/medal ceremonies.
Friday, Oct. 21
Pairs short program press conference – Approx. 8:45-8:55 p.m.
*We had some technical difficulties with Zoom and are working on getting the full audio restored. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Men’s short program press conference – Approx. 10:35-10:45 p.m.
Watch the press conference.
Saturday, Oct. 22
Rhythm dance press conference – Approx. 4:15-4:25 p.m.
Watch the press conference.
Women’s short program press conference – Approx. 6-6:10 p.m.
Watch the press conference.
Pairs medalists press conference (following event) – Approx. 8:45-8:55 p.m.
Audio
Men’s medalists press conference (following awards ceremony) – Approx. 11-11:10 p.m.
Watch the press conference
Sunday, Oct. 23
Ice dance medalist press conference (following event) – Approx. 2:45-2:55 p.m.
Watch the press conference
Women’s medalist press conference (following awards ceremony) – Approx. 5-5:10 p.m.
Watch the press conference
CREDENTIALING
On-site Media
COVID-19 Protocol
- 2022 Skate America does not require proof of vaccination for accredited persons.
- Antigen testing will NOT be conducted onsite.
- Accredited persons are strongly encouraged but not required to wear facial coverings within arena.
- Facial covering is not required when actively eating or drinking
- Social distancing will not be required/enforced
- Accredited persons showing symptoms must report symptoms to event medical personnel for further guidance and to not enter arena until approved by medical.
- If accredited personnel tests positive, they will be required to isolate in hotel room.
Spectators:
Masks are recommended but not required
Departure Testing:
No departure testing is planned or will be provided by OC. If required, local testing sites do exist in Norwood and will be at the expense of the individual.
Policies are subject to change based on updated Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidance, local and state requirements, as well as guidance from the ISU and U.S. Figure Skating.
Accreditation Hours
The accreditation at the venue will be open daily.
- Thursday, Oct. 20: 8:30a-4:30p
- Friday, Oct. 21: 9a-8p
- Saturday, Oct. 22: 8a-8p
- Sunday, Oct. 23: 8a-4p
If you need to pick up your credential outside of these hours please reach out to Kara Raney (kraney@usfigureskating.org).
Remote Media
Remote media will be notified via email of their acceptance. No other measures are required.
ON-SITE ACCOMMODATIONS
Parking
There is limited parking at the venue, so we encourage any media members to utilize Uber or Lyft if possible.
Additional parking will be available on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday of the event at the neighboring parking lot at 846 University Avenue. Parking spots are available for purchase at scboston.org/tickets.
Overflow parking is available at the Route 128 MBTA train station (50 University Ave, Westwood, MA 02090). A shuttle service will be available to and from the Route 128 station starting 30 minutes before the first practice each day and 30 minutes following the conclusion of the last event.
There will not be transportation available to or from any local hotels.
Additional information on parking, satellite lots and complimentary shuttle service, can be found here.
Media Workroom
The media workroom will be located in the west rink as shown below.
Media Tribune Seating
Due to space constraints, some tabled media seating will be assigned; however, some tabled media seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Media members may only use one seat/space per person.
Tabled: Section 109-112 (Concourse-level: There will be a dedicated media elevator to get to the tribune seating)
Photographer Positions
Photography positions will be assigned by section. Each section will be rink side.
Internet Access
Wireless internet access will be available throughout the competition venue. There will be a dedicated network for the media. You will provided with the network and password on-site.
Hospitality
Water, coffee and tea will be available throughout the competition in the media work room. There will also be grab n’ go dinners available on Saturday and Sunday.
INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES
All interaction with athletes and coaches at 2022 Skate America will take place in the mixed zone (next to the press conference area). Remote media will be able to ask questions only during press conferences.
All competition press conferences will be archived and available for on-demand viewing. Mixed zone interactions will NOT be recorded.
Interview protocol:
- Athletes will be brought through the mixed zone by request only. On-site media can submit their requested athletes in person or via email to the U.S. Figure Skating communications team.
- Please comply with the U.S. Figure Skating Professional Journalism policy
Remote media must adhere to the follow etiquette on all Zoom calls:
- It is suggested that media members use the video option to call into Zoom. Athletes will have the ability to see the media during press conference interactions.
- Media members must use their first and last name, as well as their media outlet, as their Zoom name (ex. Kara Raney, U.S. Figure Skating). There will be a virtual waiting room and you will only be admitted if you use the name from your credential application. Please make sure your name is listed in English so we can easily identify you.
- Once admitted into the Zoom room, media members must have their audio muted. The moderator will only unmute you when it is your turn to speak. Athletes will be able to see you during all interviews held over Zoom.
- Once prompted by the moderator, those wanting to ask a question should tell the moderation via the Zoom chat function. The moderator will call on those wanting to ask a question and unmute them. After the question has been answered, you will be re-muted.
- To "pin" the athlete Zoom box to your main screen, right-click on their Zoom square and then select "pin." This will ensure that the athlete is always visible to you even when other people are speaking.
- You will have to rejoin the press conference call for each discipline. On-demand videos will be timestamped for athletes at the start of the press conference.
Practice Interviews
Those wishing to interview skaters in the mixed zone after a practice session should email Kara Raney (kraney@usfigureskating.org) and Kristen Henneman (khenneman@usfigureskating.org) at least two hours before the practice session. Athletes will be brought in by request only. We cannot guarantee that athletes will attend practice sessions on any given day. U.S. Figure Skating communications staff will facilitate interviews after practice in the mixed zone. Practice session interviews with NOT be recorded. No interviews will be facilitated following warm-up sessions.
Mixed Zone Interviews
Requested athletes will “come through” the mixed zone after receiving scores. A member of the U.S. Figure Skating communications staff will moderate on-site. The moderator will hold the athlete(s) for a minute in the mixed zone. If there are no questions for a certain athlete, the athlete(s) will be permitted to leave. Please be ready to ask a question after the athlete has received scores.
Press Conferences (Access information will be sent via email)
Press conferences will take place after the short program/rhythm dance and free skate/dance (see above schedule). The short program/rhythm dance will feature the top three athletes from the event while the free skate/free dance will feature the medalists. Press conferences will be moderated by a member of the U.S. Figure Skating communications staff. On-site media must raise their hands and wait for a microphone to ask their question. After on-site media are finished, remote media will have an opportunity to ask a question using the chat function on Zoom (see Zoom protocols above). These press conferences will be archived and available for on-demand viewing. The times above are estimates—please be a few minutes early.
One-on-one Interviews
All one-on-one media requests will be facilitated on a case-by-case basis and will be conducted either on-site or virtually. Please email Kara Raney (kraney@usfigureskating.org) AND Kristen Henneman (khenneman@usfigureskating.org) with specific requests.
On-demand Interviews
Mixed zone session from competition days will be available to media members following the event. Videos will be time-stamped.
WATCHING THE EVENT
The competition can be streamed live on Peacock Premium. Peacock is offering a seven-day free trial that you can start at any time. This streaming service will be geoblocked outside of the United States. The competition will also be broadcasted live on USA, E! and NBC.
EVENT PHOTOS
Event Photos
U.S. Figure Skating will make photos available in a timely manner for media use after all official practices and competition events. Photos will be available for download via the Media Photo Bank on SmugMug (Please email Abby Farrell (afarrell@usfigureskating.org) for the password). All photos must be credited to “Melanie Heaney/U.S. Figure Skating” and must adhere to media usage guidelines (editorial use only, credit must be given).
