Let me add on because this is what I’m talking about when I say that it isn’t as boring and sad as people think.
I get the feeling that a lot of people are thinking of the banquets as some sort of posh networking event. That’s probably because the name “banquet” sounds so formal, and because Victor mentioned that it’s important for skaters to learn etiquette.
Yes, it’s important to learn etiquette. During their career, a skater might greet a coach, a figure skating judge, or even the president/prime minister/emperor of their country. As a top athlete who is in the public eye, etiquette is important in general, it’s NOT because the banquet itself is super formal.
“Banquet” has a misleading nuance. It’s more like an after-party - the kind for the cast of a play, or an orchestra after a long season. As you can see by these pictures, the banquet - in addition to the gala - is meant for the skaters to wind down after the competition. Remember that this is one of the few times where a skater can meet and chat with other skating friends from around the world.
It’s similar to how the name “Exhibition Gala” makes it sound like some formal figure skating show meant for sponsors after the main competition. Which, if you have ever watched a Gala, you know is VERY far from that (Misha Ge’s Great Balls of Fire . Javier’s Aerobics Class . Plushenko’s Sex Bomb. Yuzuru’s Hello I Love You. Take your pick.). Both the gala and the banquet are a chance for skaters to have fun.
Those pictures above were the skaters playing the game Ninja. This was pretty popular among kids/teens/young adults back in the early 2010′s. (IIRC Misha was the one to approach them to start this?) Among skating fans, Misha Ge is known for his engaging programs and his presence on social media.
He’s the one in the white sweater here:
He’s like the Phichit of the skating world (in terms of social media) - you can count on him for podium selfies, pictures/videos behind the scenes, funny videos, and the latest social media challenge. The Shibutani Siblings (ShibSibs for short) are an Ice Dance pair that are also well known for taking behind-the-scene vlogs of the events. Skating fans rely on these social media savvy skaters to get news on our favorite skaters who don’t have accounts (like Yuzuru who doesn’t have any SNS accounts).
At banquets, exhibitions, and ice shows, figure skaters take photos with each other to post on Instagram and Twitter. They’ll play stupid pranks on each other, eat cake, and give each other birthday presents.
So yes, they need etiquette and need to wear a suit/dress/decent clothes to the banquet, but it’s not as stiff as I’ve seen some people in the fandom believe.
Here’s a couple of the ShibSibs vlogs (Skate Canada 2015 and NHK 2015) to give people a better idea of what the skater’s POV of competitions is like (including brief snippets of the banquet).
I’m sure Chris and Victor have gotten up to some shenanigans in the past. Phichit probably goes around getting everyone to do stupid poses. Leo probably demonstrates his beatboxing skills. Sara probably poses with all the male skaters. Some men probably try to do Pairs moves.
The banquet and gala itself aren’t uptight, lonely events - what would make them lonely is if long-time skating friends retired and you were left at the top unable to make more connections with the younger skaters… But that’s a topic for a different post.
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