Inside Irvine’s Olympic Watch Party
As the free skate final unfolded at the Milano Cortina Olympic Games, the energy was just as high inside Great Park Ice in Irvine.
At noon on Friday, February 13, a boisterous crowd gathered beneath balloons and streamers. American flags waved. Handmade signs bobbed above heads. Gold pom-poms shimmered in the air. The watch party felt less like a viewing event and more like a family reunion where the relatives just happen to be competing on the Olympic stage.
Many of the skaters being cheered on train daily right here in Irvine.
A Home Base for Olympians
A crowd of Great Park Ice skaters and local fans gathered to cheer on Team USA’s men’s figure skaters, many of whom train at the Irvine ice rink.
Photo credit: The Vine
The crowd came to support athletes who call Great Park Ice home, including those coached by world-renowned coach Rafael Arutyunyan.
Jaqueline Palmore, who helps run Arutyunyan’s elite skating program, has been part of that Olympic journey for more than a decade. A former skater herself, she began as a coach before stepping into a broader leadership role. As High Performance Coordinator, she tackles everything from visa applications to social media oversight.
“It’s been interesting watching the different generations of skaters,” Palmore said when asked how things have evolved over the past 12 years. “I have to keep my eyes on a lot more.”
A program that began with just three coaches — Arutyunyan, his wife (skater and coach Vera Arutyunyan), and Palmore — has grown into a powerhouse operation with more than 15 coaches guiding over 100 skaters. The Samueli family gave Arutyunyan carte blanche to build the program, and the results are now evident on the Olympic stage.
Although the program has grown in size, it still feels like a tight-knit group. Palmore describes the team as a family. Watching the packed room of skaters, parents, and coaches cheering together, it was easy to see why.
She proudly calls herself the program’s “Mother Hen.”
From Temecula to the Olympics (Sort Of)
The Olympic dream begins early, often before sunrise.
Fei Xing drives her 8-year-old daughter, Ella Cao, from Temecula to Irvine three to four times a week. Their mornings begin at 5 a.m.
“She says the ice here is better,” Xing said with a smile.
Ella competes regionally and looked understandably tired after the early start. The relationship between young athletes and their sport is complicated. Passion and exhaustion coexist. So do dreams and 5 a.m. alarms.
Inspired by Those Ahead of Them
Two Junior Nationals finalists, Kirk Haugeto and Violet Ee, watched closely as Team USA’s men’s figure skaters took the Olympic ice.
Photo credit: The Vine
For the next generation of skaters, watching teammates compete at the Olympics is both surreal and motivating.
Junior Nationals competitor Kirk Haugeto moved from Hackensack, New Jersey, to Irvine specifically to train at Great Park Ice. During the watch party, he closely followed the competition on his phone, analyzing every element.
When asked what it’s like to see the people he trains alongside competing on the Olympic stage, Haugeto didn’t hesitate:
“It’s motivating.”
Violet Ee understands that motivation well. She relocated from Georgia with her younger sister in the summer of 2020 to train in Irvine. This year, she placed second at Junior Nationals.
For these young athletes, the Olympic stage isn’t some distant abstraction. They see Olympians skating on the same ice that they train on every day.
More Than a Watch Party
Kayla Navarro and fellow Anaheim Ducks Power Players were on hand to amp up the enthusiastic crowd.
Photo credit: The Vine
The energy inside Great Park Ice reflected something larger than a single competition.
Several Power Players from the Anaheim Ducks also showed up to cheer on Team USA. Kayla Navarro, a former figure skater and Power Player, said the Ducks cheerleaders occasionally train at Great Park Ice. Originally from LA and now living in OC, Navarro joined the crowd to support the athletes and celebrate the community that has grown around the rink.
That camaraderie from elite coaches to elementary school skaters, is what sets Irvine’s ice rink apart. Great Park Ice is not simply a facility or an Olympic pipeline. It is a community.
Not every Olympic story ends in gold. But inside Great Park Ice, the pipeline continues to be fueled by early morning drives from Temecula, cross-country moves from the east coast, and a coaching staff that has built something far bigger than a medal count.