Figure skating fans will have lots to see in Saint John next January as the city hosts the 2019 National Figure Skating Championships.
Co-chair Susan Taylor says it’s the first time the city has hosted this event, which was most recently held in Vancouver and Ottawa.
Taylor says they heard lots of positive comments about the city’s indoor pedway system after hosting an international skating event in 2013.
“Instead of having to wait for a bus and get on a bus and drive for 40 minutes to a venue and wait for a bus to go back to their hotel, they could walk,” she says. “That was pretty awesome for them, they loved being able to walk from their hotel rooms down to Harbour Station.”
About 250 of Canada’s top skaters, ages 13 to 30, will take part in the event from Jan. 13 to 20.
2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships headed to Saint John, N.B. #CTNSC19 https://t.co/INv5F3IA4j
Tenue des Championnats nationaux de patinage Canadian Tire 2019 à Saint John, N.-B. #CNPCT19 https://t.co/ZRuyyzx37j pic.twitter.com/FH15wEqMKy— Skate Canada / Patinage Canada (@SkateCanada) January 11, 2018
They will vie for sports on the Skate Canada National Team and the Canadian teams that will compete at several international events.
“Skaters must qualify through their provincial requirements and from they attend what’s called Skate Canada Challenge in December,” says Taylor. “From there, the top 16 of every discipline — men’s, ladies, pairs and dance — are able to compete at the national championships.”
Taylor says the event is expected to have an economic impact of $2.5 million to the local area.
“This is, of course, most especially in hospitality, hotel, restaurants, and all the influx of people to the downtown core for a full week,” she says. “It’s obviously a good boon for our economy.”
Taylor says the two host hotels are already fully booked, and tickets for the event are expected to go on sale in the coming weeks.
