Olympic star in Wichita as championship tickets go on sale
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Olympic gold medal winner Brian Boitano is in Wichita this week, sharing his excitement about the city hosting the U.S. Figure Skating Championships this coming January. Tickets went on sale Thursday.
Wichita found out in April that it was chosen to host the championships at Intrust Bank Arena.
“It’s basically the epitome of figure skating in America,” Boitano said on KSN News at Noon. “Everybody who wins that championship is, are a national American U.S. champion.”
Boitano won the honor four years in a row, from 1985 through 1988. He also competed in three Olympics, winning the gold in 1988. He also won multiple world championships, among his many other accomplishments.
CALGARY, CANADA – FEBRUARY 20: Brian Boitano of the USA competes in the final of the Men’s Singles Figure Skating event of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games on February 20, 1988 at the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Boitano was the gold medalist in the event. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) Calgary, Alberta, Canada – 1988: Brian Boitano competing in the Men’s Free skating event at the 1988 Winter Olympics / XIV Olympic Winter Games, Olympic Saddledome. (Photo by American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images) Calgary, Alberta, Canada – 1988: Brian Boitano competing in the Free skating competition at the 1988 Winter Olympics / XV Olympic Winter Games. (Photo by American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images) CALGARY, CANADA – FEBRUARY 20: Brian Boitano of the USA competes in the final of the Men’s Singles Figure Skating event of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games on February 20, 1988 at the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Boitano was the gold medalist in the event. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) CALGARY, CANADA – FEBRUARY 20: Brian Boitano of the USA gives a thumbs up before the awards ceremony for the Men’s Singles Figure Skating event of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games on February 20, 1988 at the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Boitano was the gold medalist in the event. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) CALGARY, CANADA – FEBRUARY 20: Brian Orser (CAN) (left), Brian Boitano (USA) (center) and Viktor Petrenko (URS) (right) wave to the crowd during the awards ceremony for the Men’s Singles Figure Skating event of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games on February 20, 1988 at the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) CALGARY, CANADA – FEBRUARY 1988: Brian Boitano of the USA poses with his gold medal won in the Men’s Singles Figure Skating event of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in February 1988 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) HAMAR, NORWAY – FEBRUARY 19: Brian Boitano of the USA skates in the Men’s Singles event of the figure skating competition of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games held on February 19, 1994 at Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre in Hamar, Norway. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 01: Figure skater Brian Boitano performs during the 2015 Bryant Park Christmas tree lighting at Bryant Park on December 1, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
He says the skaters who win in Wichita will go on to compete in the world championships and possibly the Olympics in 2026.
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Boitona said the current U.S. men’s figure skating champion and world champion Ilia Malinin will be one to watch in January.
“He’s the first guy to complete four and a half revolutions, and he’s working on a five-revolution jump, so he is amazing. He is definitely in front of the pack to get an Olympic gold medal in two years,” he said.
He said another reason to buy tickets is for the in-person experience.
“The thing that you miss on TV is the speed, the power, the sound of the edges, the height in the jumps. It’s just so exciting in person,” Boitano said. “I don’t think people realize, but we travel across the ice, you know, at 15, 20 mph, and then fling ourselves in the air to jumps, so it’s pretty amazing in person.”
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Boitano has skated in Wichita before. He was part of the Champions on Ice Tour for 13 years. He loved the fans here.
“I’ve been here and skated here, so I know that the audiences are really great, and I’m looking forward to the skaters who haven’t performed here to actually experience the audiences,” he said. “We’ve been doing events for two days, and the community is so excited. They’re embracing it, so I think that we’re going to have great crowds, and, you know, we can’t wait for this.”
The tickets that are currently available are all-session tickets. They include access to all 17 skating sessions – championship and junior competition as well as the Prevagen Skating Spectacular – and all practices Tuesday through Sunday, Jan. 20-26. Access to the novice pairs and ice dance competitions is included in the junior sessions.
There is also an option to exclude junior-level sessions and purchase all-session tickets for championship-level events only.
The pricing for all-session tickets is as follows:
P1 Level Seats (with junior competition): $1,080
P1 Level Seats (without junior competition): $1,000
P2 Level Seats (with junior competition): $540
P2 Level Seats (without junior competition): $490
P3 Level Seats (with junior competition): $275
P3 Level Seats (without junior competition): $245
To view the seating map and purchase tickets, click here. All-session ticket buyers will have access to the fan hotel block.
Weekend and single-session tickets will go on sale later this year:
Thursday, July 11: Weekend tickets
Thursday, Sept. 19: Championship single-session tickets
Thursday, Dec. 5: Junior single-session tickets
Click here to learn more about the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and to purchase tickets.
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