Record figures for fans

K. MEISSNER The favorite

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Even though it's the post-Olympic year, when interest in the sport is at its lowest point in the quadrennium, this river city near the Idaho border will break the attendance record for the US Figure Skating Championships (125,000) set by Los Angeles in 2002. After two days, more than 28,000 people had watched novice and junior events that usually are held in echo chambers.

"It's almost like a little Olympic village," said ice dancer Tanith Belbin, who was surprised and delighted to see 6,300 fans at Spokane Arena for yesterday afternoon's compulsories. "The city is so involved. Even the bars have figure skating things on their marquees."

How feverish is the atmosphere? On Monday morning, 4,000 people jammed the downtown Convention Center to watch the junior compulsory dance, which is usually witnessed by parents, reluctant siblings, and the HVAC repairman.

"We have photos," confirmed US Figure Skating spokeswoman Lindsay DeWall.

Spokane, which has never held the nationals before but set a Skate America record in 2002, outbid Boston and Hershey, Pa., for this year's honors. Next year's competition will be in St. Paul, Minn., with Cleveland hosting in 2009.

Why is the women's final being held at 10:40 a.m. Saturday? Because ABC wanted to show it during the afternoon (Eastern time) instead of prime time. It's the first time the event won't be at night since 1999 in Salt Lake City and the first time in memory that it's been held in the morning . . . After the ordeal that John Baldwin went through in Russia last month, defending his pairs title with partner Rena Inoue should be a breeze. Baldwin, who was separated from friends in a St. Petersburg nightclub after the Grand Prix final, ended up being kidnapped, robbed, beaten, and left bloodied and unconscious. "I didn't think people were capable of something like that," Baldwin told the Spokesman-Review. "You always hear about it happening but never think it's going to happen to you. So it's changed the way I live my life."

With Sasha Cohen sitting out the season (and possibly next season as well), there will be a new women's champion crowned for the second straight time. That hasn't happened in a decade, or since Nicole Bobek (1995), Michelle Kwan (1996), and Tara Lipinski (1997) followed each other. The odds-on favorite is world champion Kimmie Meissner , who would be the first woman since Kristi Yamaguchi (1992) to win her first US crown after she'd won the world title. Her biggest challenger will be fellow Olympian Emily Hughes . . . Johnny Weir may be second to Evan Lysacek on the world stage, but he'll be gunning for a fourth straight men's title here. That hasn't been done since Brian Boitano claimed four straight from 1985-88. The victor may be determined by which man is limping less. Both Weir and Lysacek pulled out of the Grand Prix final after hurting their right hip. Weir's injury involves his takeoff leg, Lysacek's his landing leg.