How to get an autograph

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How to get an autograph
Topic Started: Sep 1 2008, 05:12 AM (207 Views)
kioewen	Sep 1 2008, 05:12 AM Post #1
Novice Posts: 101 Group: Members Member #242 Joined: July 22, 2008	Soon after I became a fan of Emily I started thinking about attending a live skating performance, so I purchased a ticket for the first event that was coming up on her schedule, which was Saturday's Skate for Hope show. Fans on several skating forums bragged about getting autographs from their favourite stars, so I thought, "I wonder if I'll be able get Emily's autograph?" But I didn't want her to sign just any photo. Most of the Emily pictures that I've seen advertised on eBay or wherever are from past years, and since I prefer her more recent look, I wanted a current image. In fact, I had a very specific photo in mind: this one (my favourite): http://sarahbrannen.yellapalooza.com/skating/2008_Ice_Chips/Hughes_1.html The copyright tag identified it as the work of Sarah Brannen, so I browsed through the photographer's Web site, found her contact info, and wrote to her, asking to purchase a print of the picture in question. Just in time for this weekend, a bona-fide, professional, 8x12 print arrived in my mailbox. Price very reasonable. Fast forward to yesterday. There I was, standing in line at the Nationwide Arena before the show with the rest of the crowd, when an arena worker invited anyone who had tickets to the "Pre-show Meet and Greet" to follow her. What was this? "Pre-show Meet and Greet"? I didn't even know there was going to be one, and I certainly didn't have a ticket for it. I figured that that was the end of any chance of getting an autograph. Any "fan" interaction would happen at this Meet and Greet, and afterwards, the performers would just depart. Anyway, the show itself was wonderful, and my only regret is that Emily was scheduled to perform just one number, not two as she did at the 2008 Ice Chips show. But there was a silver lining. The program indicated that Emily would be performing "Low," and while I enjoy that routine, it was actually her "Taking Chances" video from Ice Chips that really transfixed me and made me a fan. Well, guess what? Despite the program listing, she skated to "Taking Chances" after all -- and skated beautifully, I might add. I was mesmerized. And it gets better. After the show the lights came up and the performers started going around the ring, freely interacting with audience members in the front row. My prospects of getting an autograph were looking up. Emily's "lap" took the longest, as almost everyone in the arena moved down to the front row and started jockeying for a position to say a few words to her, or to shake her hand. But she didn't rush. One by one, she acknowledged every one of her fans. Finally, she skated to my section. "Would you sign an autograph," I asked, holding out my 8x12 on a clipboard, and a Sharpee. "Sure," she replied with a smile. Here you go: Incidentally, while I still believe that Emily is a positive force for healthy body image among young women, and a much-needed antidote to the anorexic skater standard, in real life she is actually very, very thin. Surprisingly so. She is definitely skinnier now than she was at Ice Chips. And I have mixed feelings about that fact. It's the look that the skating world mandates, I realize, so I suppose it's necessary, but I have to say, I will always have a special fondness for Emily's ever-so-slightly curvier look from earlier this year. But that's just a minor point. (Oh, and for those who might be wondering, Emily did not wear her Ice Chips dress, seen in the above photo, but an earlier costume -- the one from her December 2007 Christmas show video, if I'm not mistaken.) Bottom line, Emily is even more captivating "live" than on video. There is an elan to her skating that none of the other performers at Skate for Hope possessed, a unique power and solidity and smoothness to her movements, matched with fascinating artistic touches like her hand- and arm-motions. There is just something about her -- something charismatic and magnetic -- and seeing a stadiumfull of fans (especially young girls) crowding the front row to try to get close to her yesterday to exchange a word or a handshake showed me that I was definitely not the only one who was star-struck by her at Skate for Hope. All in all, I had a wonderful time, and I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to Emily "live," and to figure skating. The fact that it was all for a noble cause only made it that much sweeter. Edited by kioewen, Sep 2 2008, 02:30 AM.



Particle Man	Sep 1 2008, 04:31 PM Post #2
Novice Posts: 123 Group: Members Member #44 Joined: January 30, 2007	Congrats. Anyone have tips about how to get autographs at Nationals? As for the weight thing, these are athletes and it isn't just for appearance, I'm sure all the moves are easier to do with less body fat.



svengaliesque	Sep 2 2008, 01:19 AM Post #3
Intermediate Posts: 30 Group: Members Member #243 Joined: July 26, 2008	Particle Man Sep 1 2008, 04:31 PM How nice you got your first autograph. Tips about how to get autographs at Nationals? Piece of cake. After practice sessions, as a skater is exiting, the fans line up in the stands where the skaters exit and can get autographs there. Caveat - the more popular the skater (ex Johnny Weir) the more difficult it is to get an autograph because the line is usually so very, very, very, very long. Another opportunity is after the medal ceremony when the skaters have completed their victory lap, they usually stay on the ice and give autographs to fans at the boards.. A third opportunity - if you see the skater in the concourse you can usually take a photo and get an autograph. Key to this approach - always be ready with a photo or the event booklet. You can get autographs if you stay at the skaters' hotel, but usually, I prefer just chatting with the skaters and their parents rather than getting autographs. At exhibitions and shows there is usually a skate around at the end of the show and after that it's a good time to get an autograph. That seems to be what kioewen did. I almost forgot - Keep an eye out for Meet and Greet or book signings. They provide excellent photo ops as well as great autographs sessions. Edited by svengaliesque, Sep 2 2008, 12:33 PM.



kioewen	Sep 4 2008, 09:42 AM Post #4
Novice Posts: 101 Group: Members Member #242 Joined: July 22, 2008	I'm just so glad that Emily performed at Skate for Hope. After driving six hours from Toronto to Columbus, OH, I would have been devastated if she hadn't been able to perform. I'm so thankful that she did. It really was the best possible show to attend, as an Emily fan, because it really is her event. She appears on the front cover of the program, and on the back too (solo -- a huge picture of her). There's also a lovely picture of her inside the program, one of her best. I'll scan it and post it at some point. Although she was the second-last skater to perform (the Russian pair skated last), she got the biggest introduction, and the announcer even said, "It wouldn't be Skate for Hope without Emily Hughes." She was the last skater to take a bow at the end of the show -- named even after the pairs skaters who performed after her -- so there was no question as to who the main attraction was. The ovation that she received at the end of the show was massive, and, as I said above, she was mobbed by fans -- especially young fans -- afterwards, who really didn't want to let her go. She has a unique charisma that connects with the audience. It's hard to define, but it's just there, in a way that you can't appreciate until you witness it live. It really was The Emily Show, and that made it such a pleasure to be there. It was so fortuitous that this ended up being the first skating show I ever attended.



tara98gold	Oct 22 2008, 05:00 PM Post #5
Senior Posts: 929 Group: Members Member #27 Joined: December 4, 2006	I met Emily at Regionals last Monday. She was super nice. My brother was competing so I was there to watch him and caught Emily too. She skated well and then as we were leaving the rink to grab dinner, there she was. I got to talk to her and got her autograph and a picture. She is a really sweet girl!



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