Ever been to a concert and wonder what's it's like backstage? And wished you can have a peek?
Well, the venue of the last Championships I attended has played host to many a big concert held in Taipei.
The Taipei Arena or affectionately known as 'The little gigantic egg' has seen the likes of Celine Dion, Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok, Jay Chou to name a few.
Sooooo.... let's take a look at what goes on behind all that glamour.
First, you enter via a smallish side entrance.
You can also enter by car via a tunnel but in our case, this is where we enter. You need a accredited pass to go in.
Then you walk down the stairs
Once inside, you turn right and is confronted by a long corridor with rooms on each side.
The rooms are used as various offices, changing rooms, medical rooms, lounges etc... Everything you need to run an event.
Our host in Taipei always provide a great lounge where skaters and officials can have a snack and rest. This is my favourite room.... hahaha....never ending supply of hot food ( from a 5 star hotel, no less! ) and all kinds of fruits , snacks and drinks .
I have been to many a competition internationally but somehow Asian countries do it best in terms of food. Taipei, Korea, Japan.... simply awesome ! Just the varieties of instant noodles are enough to boggle one's mind !
Anyways, moving along that long corridor.... At the very end of it is the entrance to the stage or ice rink in this case.
A little beyond that, is the warm up area.. Which is actually a cordoned off parking space. We were treated to a beauty there.
This belongs to the owner of the company that built the temporary ice rink. Yes, the rink is temporary..... it's taken apart after the competition ! I bet many people are not aware you can do that ! It's similar to what the Disney on Ice people do, except on a much bigger scale.
And..... This is what it looks like while waiting for your turn to go on ice !!
When that curtain in drawn back, you step out and see thousands of people in the arena......not something you can forget easily...
And....after your performance, you go out via a different door and the press will be waiting in what we call the 'mixed zone' for interviews
Such is the life of a competitive skater and his coolie.... hahaha. of course this is a big competition. I have been to some which are no where near as grand and with hardly any audience... And without all the fancy stuff. But this is the path we chose and it's been a great journey so far.
Next stop.... Pyeongchang !!