THIS MORNING.
THE EVENT IS ALL DAY UNTIL
ABOUT 5:00.
WE'RE ALSO GETTING CLOSER
TO THE KICKOFF FOR THE 2016
PRUDENTIAL U.S. FIGURE SKATING
CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ST. PAUL.
THE TWIN CITIES WELCOMES
OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST SCOTT
HAMILTON.
SO GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE.
WELCOME BACK.
ATE TO BE HERE.
THIS IS FUN.
WHY ARE YOU IN TOWN?
WHAT IS THE MAIN REASON?
I'M HERE TO HELP U.S. FIGURE
SKATING PROMOTE THEIR NATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIPS.
I COMPETED IN A LOT OF THEM
OVER THE YEARS.
BACK WHEN I WAS IN -- AN
ATHLETE.
IT'S JUST THE MOST EXCITING
TIME.
NOT ONLY FOR THE ATHLETES AND
THEIR FAMILIES BUT THE
COMMUNITIES THAT HOST THESE
CHAMPIONSHIPS.
AND FOR THE PEOPLE THAT GET TO
WITNESS THEM.
NOT ONLY IS THAT HAPPENING
BUT TODAY YOU'RE IN TOWN TO DO
SOMETHING AS WELL?
I'M JUST HERE TO DRUM UP AS
MUCH SUPPORT AND ATTENTION.
I'LL BE IN MAPLE GROVE IN
PLYMOUTH AND MEETING EVERYBODY
AND JUST, AGAIN, JUST TRYING TO
LET EVERYBODY KNOW THEY CAN
COME OUT AND SEE THE SKATERS
AND PARTICIPATE IN THE
FESTIVITIES AND EVENTS AROUND
THE U.S. FIGURE SKATING
CHAMPIONSHIPS.
I'M TRYING TO MAKE AS MUCH
NOISE AS I POSSIBLY CAN.
THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO TALK
ABOUT FIGURE SKATING.
IT'S A PRETTY GOOD PLACE.
I CALL IT THE CAPITAL OF
WINTER.
DEFINITELY.
NO ONE DOES WINTER BETTER
THAN THE TWIN CITIES.
HOCKEY IS A HUGE -- I MEAN,
COME ON.
IT'S THE STATE OF HOCKEY.
WE'RE THE STATE OF HOCKEY.
THEN GET INTO FIGURE SKATING
AND EVERYBODY DOES EITHER,
RIGHT?
SO FIGURE SKATING IS JUST --
IT'S SO GREAT TO BE ABLE TO
HAVE THE CHAMPIONSHIPS HERE.
MY VERY FIRST NATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIPS WERE IN THE OLD
MET CENTER IN BLOOMINGTON.
NO KIDDING.
YEAH, I CAME IN DEAD LAST.
THAT MEANS YOU STILL HAVE
HOPE.
I WANT TO MEET THE GUY THAT
COMES IN CLOSE TO THE BOTTOM
BECAUSE I'M GOING TO SAY HEY,
THIS IS WHERE YOU LEARN.
IF YOU WIN ALL THE TIME, YOU
HAVE NOTHING TO COMPARE IT TO.
BEING AT THE BOTTOM, WORKING
YOUR WAY UP IS DEFINITELY THE
WAY TO GO.
11 LOCAL SKATERS REPRESENT
MINNESOTA.
SO EXCITING.
YES.
AS POPULAR AS HOCKEY AND FIGURE
SKATING HAS BEEN HERE ANYWAY IS
IT GROWING IN POPULARITY WOULD
YOU SAY?
WE HOPE.
THE INDUSTRY HAD A BIT OF A
RECESSION, AND NOW I REALLY SEE
THEM COMING OUT OF IT.
GREAT CHAMPIONSHIPS.
ON THE LADIES SIDE GRACIE GOLD
AND ASHLEY WAGNER, THEY ARE
BECOMING WORLD BEATERS.
THIS IS THE, KIND OF THE BRIDGE
YEAR ON THE WAY TO THE RAMPUP
FOR THE NEXT OLYMPIC GAMES IN
KOREA.
THEN THE MEN'S SIDE IT'S WIDE
OPEN.
EVERY ONE OF THESE EVENTS, IT'S
GOING TO BE SO COMPETITIVE AND
SO BEAUTIFULLY CHALLENGED.
HE WAS EVERYONE OUT THERE IS
GOING TO BE -- EVERYONE OUT
THERE IS GOING TO TRY TO WIN
THE NATIONAL TITLE.
IT'S A BIG DEAL, REALLY IS.
WHAT IS IT LIKE IF YOU'VE
NEVER SEEN FIGURE SKATING LIVE?
THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS
IS --
YES.
YOU SEE IT ON TV AND IT'S
ONE THING.
IF YOU'RE STANDING IN FRONT OF
IT AND YOU SEE THE SPEED, YOU
SEE THE AGILITY, THE EXPLOSIVE
NATURE OF THE JUMPS.
I MEAN, IT'S VERY ATHLETIC,
IT'S VERY DRAMATIC, BECAUSE
YOU'VE GOT THIS SHEET OF ICE,
YOU'RE USED TO SEEING 12 PEOPLE
ON IN A HOCKEY GAME.
NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN IT'S ONE
YOUNG PERSON, WHETHER IT BE A
LITTLE GIRL OR BOY AND THEY ARE
OUT THERE AND -- THEY ARE
THROWING EVERYTHING THEY'VE
GOT, ALL THEIR TRAINING,
EVERYTHING AT THIS ONE MOMENT
AND HOPING IT REPRESENTS
EVERYTHING THAT THEY'VE
PREPARED.
IT'S EXCITING.
I MEAN, YOU FEEL FOR EVERYBODY
OUT THERE.
I HAVE A DEAR FRIEND, A TOTAL
SPORTS FANATIC, NOW STARTS
GOING TO FIGURE SKATING EVENTS
BECAUSE HE SAYS THERE'S NOTHING
LIKE IT.
SOME DRAMA?
ALL DRAMA.
YOU SEE THE POINTS GOING UP,
YOU SEE THE SKATERS.
THEY ARE --
I CAN BARELY STANDS UP.
TELL ME ABOUT IT.
LAST WEEK WE WERE TRYING TO
FIGURE SKATE, IT WAS LIKE TWO
BABY DEER ON THE ICE.
PIGS ON LINOLEUM.
YES.
YOU ARE LOVELY, AND EVEN
MORE LOVELY IN PERSON [THANK
YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING
OUT.
WE WANT TO TELL FOLKS YOU CAN
MEET SCOTT TODAY AT CUB FOODS
IN MAPLE GROVE, 10:30 A.M.
THEN HE'S GOING TO THE CUB IN
PLYMOUTH AT 11:45.
THE U.S. FIGURE SKATING
CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE JANUARY 15th
THROUGH THE 25th AT THE XCEL
ENERGY CENTER.
WCCO.COM/LINKS TO CHECK IT OUT.
IT'S ALL ABOUT STAYING
VERTICAL.
THAT'S IT.