CROWDS, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND ATMOSPHERE ALL RECEIVE HIGH MARKS FROM U.S. FIGURE SKATING STARS, STAFF, AND MEDIA
Key Takeaways:
- Total attendance for the week of events was 93,231 (over 11 sessions).
- Region receives glowing feedback from U.S. Figure Skating athletes, officials, and fans.
- Collaboration and communication across public and private organizations were a recipe for success.
ST. LOUIS – Jan. 12, 2026 – All that remains of the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships are the memories – but there are plenty of wonderful moments, historic performances, and meaningful impact to reflect on after a magical week of skating throughout the St. Louis region. The 16 skaters selected for Team USA were introduced and revealed to the world for the first time on the ice at Enterprise Center yesterday, putting an exclamation point on a spectacularly successful event.
St. Louisans once again showed why the Gateway City is a premier sports event destination – with total attendance of 93,231 across the nine championship sessions at Enterprise Center and two junior and novice sessions at Centene Community Ice Center. The St. Louis Sports Commission estimates the event brought 5,000 visitors to the region.
“The joy, excitement and impact of this week’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis surpassed even our greatest expectations,” said St. Louis Sports Commission President Marc Schreiber. “Our crowds were incredible – and not just in terms of numbers, but also quality. Their energy and support were so appreciated by those on the ice. We’re also grateful to all who had a significant role in the event’s success, from our volunteers to our amazing colleagues at Enterprise Center and Centene Community Ice Center to our local contributors to our civic partners including Explore St. Louis, Winterfest, and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Thank you to St. Louis for embracing the event. And thank you to U.S. Figure Skating and to all the competitors for providing us an epic and unforgettable week for our region.”
Several of the top skaters commented about the crowds, hospitality, and support they felt in St. Louis. The Men’s U.S. Champion for the fourth year in a row, Ilia Malinin, described the experience as “his favorite championships ever” because of the support he and his fellow skaters received in St. Louis.
Even the prolific ice dance duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates, veterans of 15 national championships and three previous Olympic Games (now heading to their fourth), were blown away by the energy at Enterprise Center this week. “The feeling that we got from the audience today was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,” Chock said after their Saturday free dance. “It felt so special, I felt so much love and joy and I’m so grateful for this moment to share with everyone here and to share with Evan. Couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
Beyond outstanding attendance, St. Louis met the moment—delivering community engagement and vibrancy, a championship-level atmosphere, and a focus on the legacy of the championships.
“St. Louis, and specifically the St. Louis Sports Commission as the point, is one of the best, if not the best, service-oriented organizations I’ve ever been a part of in 30-plus years in sports,” said U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell during the organization’s State of the Sport press conference yesterday. “They just kill it in that regard – everything from the mayor to the police chief, to the security guard who greeted us with a smile every day, it’s a real differentiator for St. Louis. And then we look at the other aspects of the city – this phenomenal facility that the St. Louis Blues play in, to local kids skating in the park, that continuum of skating is very important to us. A lot of cities can host a great event, but we want to leave a legacy to impact skating and the Olympics for 2030 or Utah 2034. That’s a differentiator and a separator for St. Louis.”
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships were open to all areas of the St. Louis region to experience and enjoy. More than 2,000 complimentary tickets were distributed to those in historically underserved areas who did not have the means to attend otherwise. Area youth also had opportunities to get on the ice and experience ice skating for free, with the goal of sparking an interest in the sport and removing barriers to beginner skating lessons. Through the Sports Commission’s Gateway to Figure Skating initiative, those efforts will continue.