by ELVIN WALKER
Te Stars on Ice tour has been a staple of the skating world since 1984 Olympic champion Scott Hamilton gave life to the show in 1986. Now in its 29th season, the tour continues to entertain local audiences, providing fans the chance to see their favor- ite skaters up close and in person. Tis year’s tour, titled “Dance for
Joy,” was headlined by Olympic champi- ons Ekaterina Gordeeva, Evan Lysacek and reigning ice dance champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White. For the past two years through Stars
on Ice and U.S. Figure Skating, U.S. Fig- ure Skating members have been invited to take part in the tour in the form of a group number that is performed during their local stop on the tour. On Easter Sunday in San Jose, California, 22 skaters, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years old, took advantage of this unique opportunity to rub elbows with athletes at the top of the sport. Under the tutelage of local synchro-
nized skating coach Lindsey Wolkin, the skaters learned a pre-choreographed num- ber to Shawn Mendes’s “Something Big.” Tough the program is the same from city to city, each local group brings its own spe- cial panache to the number. “We had kids from all over the Bay
Area, and from as far as Lake Tahoe,” Wolkin said. “We had two one-hour re- hearsals for the kids to learn the choreog- raphy and be performance-ready. Our first practice was at 5 a.m. on Saturday before the show, and the kids were quick to learn the routine. We were able to get two run- throughs in before the end of the hour. Tey were all focused and supportive of each other. It made my job so easy.” On show day, those who would per-
form were invited to watch as the tour skaters took to the ice for their preshow warm-up. Emily Clinkscales, a pre-juvenile competitor from Pleasanton, California, was excited to be able to watch as her role models prepared for the show. “It was fun to see how they warm
up and prepare to do their jumps,” the 11-year-old said. “I noticed how focused they are, and how they don’t let anything get in their way.” For 11-year-old juvenile boys compet-
itor Dash Kamriana-Beard, it was a dream come true to watch Lysacek run through his program. “I watched (Lysacek) when he won the
Olympics, and I have met him before,” the Pleasanton resident explained. “He made me want to do this, and now I get to skate in the same show as him.” When warm-ups were over, many of the tour skaters stopped by and took photos and signed autographs for the local contin- gent. In San Jose, the big draw was local Olympian Polina Edmunds, who was skat- ing as a special guest on the tour that day. “Being on the other side of this is so
different,” the 16-year-old said. “Just a few years ago, I was coming to the tour to watch
my favorite skaters, and now I am skating on the tour. I am proud to be able to repre- sent my hometown here, and I understand how important it is to hold myself as a per- son that is being looked up to.” After a quick warm-up on the ice, and
a pep talk from tour members 2011 U.S. champion Ryan Bradley and 2006 Olym- pic silver medalist Ben Agosto, the local athletes were ushered backstage to prepare for the show. “I’m a little nervous,” said 11-year-old
ice dancer Gianna Sasmore, as she waited for the group’s turn to perform. “Tere is going to be a lot of people in the audience. I have some experience performing with my school choir, but there will be lots more people here.” Te Union City, California, resident was also concerned about the show light- ing.
“I’ve never performed with a spotlight,
so it will be interesting to see how that goes. I hope I don’t get stage fright.” Te oldest skater in the group, 18-year-
old Bay Area resident Monica Gomes, was confident that even if mistakes were made, she would be able to draw on her competi- tive experience to pull her through. “I’m not nervous,” said the member
of Tremors, an intermediate-level synchro- nized skating team. “I do worry about for- getting the steps, but I have a lot of experi- ence performing in groups with my team. If I mess up, I’ll probably just laugh and look to my neighbor to remember what to do next.”
Before they knew it, the young per-
formers were taking their starting positions on the ice, and then, it seemed, the experi- ence was all over in the blink of an eye. “It was exhilarating,” 13-year-old
Summer Furrer said afterward. “I was a lit- tle nervous while waiting for the music, but after it started, I was fine. I think that it went pretty good.” Te South Lake Tahoe, California,
resident was all smiles as she unlaced her skates. “It was so much fun.” Samantha Young, from Belmont, Cal- ifornia, took the experience in stride. “It was a good performance,” the
11-year-old said. “I wasn’t really nervous, but I wasn’t really paying attention to the crowd. I skated to have fun.” Moments after the performance was finished, the skates were put away, and they all went on their merry way. But perhaps 13-year-old Ian Ramsey
captured the moment best as he left to meet his parents.
“I had a lot of fun,” the San Jose resi-
dent said. “We pulled it off.” Following the performance in San
Jose, the tour made its final stop in Seattle, where 30 more aspiring Olympians waited to take their turn as part of the Stars on Ice experience.
From top: Meryl Davis and Charlie White perform in the spotlight in San Jose. Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto do the skating limbo in their colorful costumes and skates. More than 20 area skaters take a bow after performing with the headliners of the show. The always-upbeat Ryan Bradley rehearses with a local group of skaters.
SKATING 11
JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING
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