I don’t buy decent seats. I get the cheapest ones I can possibly get. They will move me into handicapped and those are where they are. Worlds 2016 was my first in person event and I was so excited I didn’t care where they were. You should have seen me when I first saw a Zamboni . To your point it’s still a lot more. We stayed way out (Peabody) to save on hotel. I wouldn’t do that by myself with no help (my sister was still alive then and I was a lot more mobile).The prices have gone up drastically. I've been to Boston twice for figure skating and I swear the tickets are 50% more than ever. And you wonder why people are not attending these competitions. Add in airfare and lodging (unless you live in the Boston area) you could spend 10 days in Europe or take a river cruise for about the same amount as an all-event ticket with decent seats.
I wonder how much longer people will attend these comps. I’m sure some will pay anything but there were, for example, many many fans who came there expressly to see Hanyu in 2016. I don’t think we have a skater in the world right now who would draw thousands of people from Asia to the US to see them. And the economy is so bad. I just don’t understand this move.