Got back from the show last night. It was such a great time, even better than I expected. Such a shift from the more commercial "Stars on Ice" to this much more local, volunteer-run event.
Getting there was an adventure in itself, but once I arrived at the complex, the silent auction was already in progress upstairs. The area has two ice rinks, it seems...one were some boys were playing hockey (there was no seating here and it had me wondering a bit), and then I saw the other one which had some seating on on side of the arena along with the on-ice chairs in place. Weiss' daughters were selling programs, people were standing around (a few were bidding on items, donating, etc.)...it was a bit of a madhouse actually. (lots of people in such a small space!) About 20 min to show time, they began letting people into the actual rink area. Boy, folks weren't kidding when they said to dress warm for the on-ice seating...after a while, could definitely feel the chill. At least it was cool outside so I was already in long pants/sleeves. We waited to be seated for the show and once I got up, one of the staff members showed me to the VIP section (I bought the VIP package). Underneath each VIP seat was a red bag which contained a fully-signed program along with a few other goodies. We were seated, waited for everyone else to do so...(kind of funny- the show lights were taped to the side of the ice and the one by us ended up being accidentally kicked away a couple of times by passers-by) then the show began a couple minutes after 5.
THE SHOW
When I saw the cast list on paper first, I wasn't quite sure what to expect- up to this point I've only seen the well-credentialed champion skaters at SOI shows...I've never watched many of the younger up-and-comers on TV, let alone live...
I don't really remember who skated to what- the program as far as I can see does not have such info- but afterwards they gave us the skate order. All the skaters were great- I'll cover the most memorable performances. Before we began, Mike spoke to the audience, thanked us for coming out, etc. Then he introduced long-time family friend and ABC/ESPN reporter Christine Brennan. I believe she was the one to introduce each skater as he/she/they came out.
The 2nd skaters up were the Capitol Steps Synchro Team- I've never seen synchronized skating before- even on TV- so this was definitely an interesting performance for me. They made several ice patterns and it reminded me of dance plays I've been to in the past where a few of the dancers do something similar. Up next was Emmanuel Savary which was another surprise for me. He's a REALLY quick spinner...his talent was definitely apparent. I've actually never watched him compete- I've heard his name thrown around a few times but now I understand the hype and will be looking out for him in the future. The 5th skater up- Nathan Chen- was the biggest surprise of the night for me. He's such a small kid but boy, he really commands your attention on the ice. He definitely has a presence- he can move and he can sure spin as well. Definitely one of the routines I'll remember most from this event. After him were Bert Cording and Natalia Zaitseva- again, I wasn't really familiar with them but it was kinda funny how they played "reverse gender roles" in their routine. Richard Dornbrush was next, and I think this was the first point I saw the difference between the intermediate level and the top level of skating displayed right in front of me. Boy, I just remember his speed (I had difficulty tracking him around the rink with my camera!) and powerful jumps. Seeing that just really brought home how talented the top-level skaters truly are- it's just amazing what they can do.
Next, Weiss' daughter Annie Mae sang Cee-Lo's "Forget You". She was good- what I remember, though, was Ashley Wagner and Agnes Zawadzki coming out on to the ice to dance while she sang. Another skater came out with them that I did not immediately recognize.
The skating resumed with Courtney Hicks- definitely some talent there and I'll be keeping my eye on her for the future. However, her performance, while nice, was not one of the more memorable ones in my mind. After her, Dan Hollander did an entertaining routine to "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. Agnes Zawadzki was up next- she was one of the ones I really wanted to see- and although she did take somewhat of a nasty fall mid-way through her routine, she did not disappoint. I think she has the talent to get to the top- I'm really curious to see what happens this season, and see how her skating progresses over the next 2-3 years. Caryn Kadavy was another highlight for me- I have not seen her live before (although I had watched her in a couple of Disson specials in the past) but she really wows, not with fancy tricks but pure skating skill. The Kerrs were great, too. Ashley Wagner was up next- another one I really wanted to see. The men (Kulik, Boitano and Weiss) know how to entertain- the speed, the jumps, the backflips- got the crowd going crazy. A great end to a really great show. K. Meissner skated to Beyonce's Halo. This is my second time seeing her live- the first time was at 2008 SOI. Is this the same skater I saw jump her way to the world title in 2006? She has a charisma to her skating that I find doesn't really translate to TV.
The show closed with everyone coming out and doing some sort of signature move before taking a final bow and posing in the photographer's section for pics. Kulik (I think?) did something insane- he did 2 or 3 jumps in succession (!) really quickly. It was really amazing to see. I think Boitano did something similar afterwards. They did the traditional lap around the rink giving high-fives to us seated on-ice.
AFTER THE SHOW
As the crowd filed out, A. Wagner stayed out on the ice to greet some folks near where I was (family members? Wasn't sure) and sign a few autographs. I made my way upstairs to the VIP reception area which overlooked the rink (and there was an inner room with some food). I hung out for a little bit...the funny thing was, I was expecting the skaters to be announced or something (I'm used to the Capitol Skating fund pre-SOI reception where they did just that), but it was at some point I began recognizing some faces among the many people and I was like oops, they're already here, better get going! lol. Agnes Z was the first one I saw, actually. A little later, I saw her and Wagner hanging out by the entrance. Was going to try to make my way over to them, then I saw someone I thought looked familiar close by. Turned out to be Meissner. haha. I got to talk to her a little (details are a blur in my mind by this point, honestly), had her sign one of my old SOI programs- I meant to get it signed when I went to her Baltimore Sports Legends museum appearance but I totally forgot to bring it that time, argh. She had to leave early because I think she had an appearance in Illinois the next day.
Next I made my way over to Wagner and Zawadzki. This was such a highlight for me because not only did I really want to meet them, but when I actually did they were soo friendly. I told them I really enjoyed the show, their performances and also that I wish them the best of luck this coming season. I also told them that if I got any good pics, I would try to send it to them.
Other skaters I got to meet/encounter: Michael Weiss, the Kerrs and Brian Boitano. All were very nice and the entire show was a blast. Glad I made the decision to go, it was worth every penny.
