Obviously I don’t know how skaters are ALL the time, so I am not sure who is exactly what they were like in those moments where I saw/interacted with them. So if anybody who knows more things comes across this and is like, “LOL THEY ARE SO AWFUL IRL THO” then ha, maybe I just caught them on a good hair day!

Most skaters were generally pleasant on the concourse or backstage, the younger ones (new seniors and a lot of juniors) were especially mindful of the “no food out of this room!” rule and also showing me their credentials every time. But people who stuck out at me as very personable beyond being polite, I would say maybe Alissa Czisny and Alex Shibutani. (I also vividly remember Lynn K., Emily Samuelson, Mark Ladwig, and Adam Rippon.)

I have to say, Massimo Scali was kind of one of my favorite people to pay attention to. He was pretty much always charming every time I saw him. Over the week, he thanked me every time he left the lounge (and said hi to me before I even greeted him), I overheard him talking to Yuka and Jason about how he liked the walk to the rink from the hotel because “it’s only 20 minutes, and it’s a BEAUTIFUL day!”; I heard Mark Ladwig compliment him on his suit, to which he replied, “I’m starting to look like a real coach!”; he got into an argument (jokingly) when Pasquale thought he was taking food out of the lounge after which everybody around him laughed; and on top of that he was taking pics like crazy of his team on the junior dance podium.

As for rude skaters, I didn’t really have to deal with diva-y attitudes although some skaters were pretty intense during their own competitions (obviously). The only one I remember as being on the unpleasant side was Dean Copely. Not that he was particularly rude, but he was not really into the niceties and was kind of slumpy. Maybe, with the timing and all, he was not having the best day. I guess I won’t judge him/hold it against him considering the week he had. Mostly, the more official-ish looking people (judges, usfs people i’m guessing) were more on the haughty side.

One of the people I was working with and I kind of had this thing going, where we’d greet people and guess if they’d say hi back or not. Peter Oppegard generally ignored us, but he smiled and said “Hello!” and at the very end of my first shift, so I am just saying, I felt a little bit special after that.