The point of these competitions is not to entertain mass audiences.
To the extent that it's a moneymaker for the host club, the entry fees of all the skaters are the main source of income, as el henry notes, and also fees paid by vendors for lobby space to sell their wares.
For most events at these summer competitions (and others held at other times of year), the point is to provide skaters at all levels and in various disciplines opportunities to compete. Their families and clubmates may fill the stands to cheer them on.
For the NQS portion of those competitions that are hosting NQS, the point is to offer skaters opportunities to qualify for Sectionals (singles) or for the US Pair Final and US Dance Final, which will be held in November. The senior and junior participants who compete at Sectionals will then have the opportunity to qualify for Nationals.
These are not international events and will not include international skaters as participating in the NQS. Some skaters who do compete for other countries or clubs in other countries and who find it convenient to compete at a given summer competition might pay their entry fee to enter the combined event, but they would not be participating in the series.
Some of the NQS events will have large and strong fields; others will attract fewer participants in the qualifying series. Location, timing, and reputation of the competition as a nonqual in earlier years may play a part in the entries. The amount of ice time the host club was able to purchase from the rink might also prompt them to limit total entries.
These are usually held at local rinks with limited seating capacity, and they are staffed primarily by local volunteers who are often already overworked making the competition run smoothly for the paying participants and for the volunteer officials.
If there is space for several hundred spectators, or even a couple thousand in a larger rink, and if there are some well-known skaters entered, then it might be feasible to welcome paying spectators, and even to advertise on a modest level. For smaller clubs or smaller venues, doing so could overburden the available resources.
Offering streaming video could be more feasible and wouldn't risk exceeding fire marshal occupancy allowances. But it would require more upfront expenses and additional volunteer hours from people with the necessary expertise. Some host clubs are better positioned to offer that than others.
To the extent that it's a moneymaker for the host club, the entry fees of all the skaters are the main source of income, as el henry notes, and also fees paid by vendors for lobby space to sell their wares.
For most events at these summer competitions (and others held at other times of year), the point is to provide skaters at all levels and in various disciplines opportunities to compete. Their families and clubmates may fill the stands to cheer them on.
For the NQS portion of those competitions that are hosting NQS, the point is to offer skaters opportunities to qualify for Sectionals (singles) or for the US Pair Final and US Dance Final, which will be held in November. The senior and junior participants who compete at Sectionals will then have the opportunity to qualify for Nationals.
These are not international events and will not include international skaters as participating in the NQS. Some skaters who do compete for other countries or clubs in other countries and who find it convenient to compete at a given summer competition might pay their entry fee to enter the combined event, but they would not be participating in the series.
Some of the NQS events will have large and strong fields; others will attract fewer participants in the qualifying series. Location, timing, and reputation of the competition as a nonqual in earlier years may play a part in the entries. The amount of ice time the host club was able to purchase from the rink might also prompt them to limit total entries.
These are usually held at local rinks with limited seating capacity, and they are staffed primarily by local volunteers who are often already overworked making the competition run smoothly for the paying participants and for the volunteer officials.
If there is space for several hundred spectators, or even a couple thousand in a larger rink, and if there are some well-known skaters entered, then it might be feasible to welcome paying spectators, and even to advertise on a modest level. For smaller clubs or smaller venues, doing so could overburden the available resources.
Offering streaming video could be more feasible and wouldn't risk exceeding fire marshal occupancy allowances. But it would require more upfront expenses and additional volunteer hours from people with the necessary expertise. Some host clubs are better positioned to offer that than others.
