‍   ‍On The Edge In Olrando Continued

‍The young man joked with me and said that I could buy a hot dog with my
$5.00 in change. I laughed, and tried to keep everything in my hands, and he told me to
enjoy my show, well the show, but this was my show, my city , well the
closest city I could go to in Florida . I thanked him, while I had my
wallet in my mouth, he chuckled at that.  I still had my hands full, and he
advised me to not to let my itinerary fall out. Don't worry though, I
found a place to  put my stuff down, and put my money in my wallet, and to put my wallet
in my purse. Then, mom and I went into the arena to find our seats. 




Part Two : Getting To Our Seats For On The Edge Was A Long Way Down 


Mom and I walked into the entrance at the top. An usher
was helping other spectators find their seats. When it was our turn, I
showed her our  tickets, as I asked her where F3 was. At first, she made me think we
were on the wrong side. Because, she told us we couldn't cut across the
ice. She also  tried to get me to see something that was way down near the ice.


I couldn't see what she was talking about . I asked her if we were on
the wrong side, and she said, "No. Let me get you someone to help you, I
only  work upstairs." Then, another kind lady had us follow her, and we went
by two more sections. On the way, I looked for an Advanced ticket form,
and I  snatched one from the back of an an empty seat. I just did not want to
get all the way down to my seat, and discover that mine did not have
one, since it  happened that way before.

Then, she told me to walk all the way down the stairs, and then a
gentlemen would help me find my section, row and seat. I followed her
instructions, and I  walked down the stairs, before I paused to wait on my mom. She told me
that her right foot was bothering her, and she had to lead off with her
left foot to  walk. I made it down to the platform, and the man was there waiting
for me. He checked my tickets, and I waited for my mom .  While, I
waited, he said,  "We have an elevator." I kind of laughed, and replied with, "Oh. Now you
tell me." Then, I explained that I was waiting for my mom, after
he told me to climb down the stairs. Once Mom joined us, he led us over  to F3, and row BB.


We found our seats, and I picked up my coupon, before my seat mate for
this year, told me to keep my ticket form . In case that I wanted to
attend next  year's show, which I seriously was thinking of coming back to Orlando
again. I told her in reply, "Yes. I know, I grabbed one from the upper
level, so I am going to let someone else have mine."

She laughed, and then she checked her watch , while I looked at the ice,
once I put my purse down , and other things. I had already noticed some
red boxes on  the ice, while I was walking to my seat. I thought they were
interesting, and I wondered what they were going to be used for. Mom
talked to me about the elevator, she really wanted to know where it was, and she told me that she could not walk all the way up those stairs again.


My seatmate and her daughter talked about that with my mom, while I
looked at the other sections, and the people that were still coming in. I
thought that  there was a pretty good crowd turning out for the show. I also saw the
non stop flashes from cameras. The head ushers reminded us that there
was not going to  be any flash photography while the skating was in progress. I had my
cell phone , and I decided to try taking pictures with it.

My seat mate, had her digital camera with her, so of course I wished I
would have brought mine. I also wondered how I would have snuck it in,
without being  caught. I did  oberserve the way the security checks bags and purses,
the man did not really look inside. So, maybe next year, I will try to
slip it in into  the zipped up compartment of my purse. I thought about that, while I
listened to the music that played.


I was ready for the show to begin, and that was a good thing, because
the lights went down, and people around me , all over the venue started
to scream, and  cheer. I think I did too . While we continued to yell, the monitors
in front of our sections , came roaring to life.

To Be Continued!

 ‍ ‍On The Edge In Orlando Continued

Part Three: Act One Of On The Edge 


We all watched the monitors, as our little star friend came back for a
little visit. While the star skated , and spun very fast on the screen, I
thought it  would be cool if there was a way for that star to come to life in front
of us on the real ice somehow. I don't know why I thought that. The
graphics  were still amazing enough.




Everyone continued to scream and cheer, when the star joined the title,
Stars on Ice. As always I loved being a part of this crowd, they love
the show every  year, they love the cast no matter who is there, and they were the same
supportive, fun loving bunch, no matter what. Which made me very
comfortable, because I always got into the show, and I never had an experience with a crowd in Orlando that was reserved.




I could just stood up and yelled when the mood struck me. I just loved
being in Orlando, and at Amway Arena. After the monitors went dark, I
noticed some figures , and the blades that glistened in the dimmed spotlights. The
silent figures were Sasha Cohen, Ilia Kulik, , Todd Eldredge, Xue Shen
and Hongbo Zhao, Yuka Sato, Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, Michael Weiss, John
Zimmerman, and Jennifer Robinson.


When a spotlight came and landed on the first member of the cast, sorry I
can't recall who was announced first. I found out the reason for the
red boxes,  that were out on the ice when I came in , after I noticed the skaters
were standing on them! The boxes represented podiums! I thought that was
really cool, and  each member of the cast had a spotlight on them, then the spotlight
faded after their introduction, and their great accomplishments were shared with us.




Each cast member gave us a friendly wave, and an appreciative smile,
because the whole place was still applaudin.  Then, all of the
lights went down again, and the skaters got down from their podiums, and pushed them back into
the black skating tunnel. My section was very close the skating tunnel,
and I enjoyed the action that took place there.



Then, everyone yelled and screamed some more, as they all returned to
the ice, and we watched their first number together that was called, Acts of Random
Kindness . More spotlights were on, so I noticed more details, like
the fact that the cast were wearing white. They all looked very elegant, and I really  did not know who to watch. I tried to watch all of them, and at
one point , my mom tapped me on the shoulder and directed my attention
towards Marie  -France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon. I looked at them just in time to
see Patrice lift Marie-France high into the air, as she held onto him
using only one  hand. Wow! I thought that was an amazing lift.


I also watched the men in the cast, as they displayed their powerful jumps, and their impressive death drops.
I was very happy to see a full cast this year, last year was hard. So, seeing everyone in the cast was healthy
and present, just made me happy. It was also cool to see a new face, that I had never
seen before in person , this new addition to the cast was Ilia Kulik.

I had watched him compete on TV, and I saw him win the Olympics in 1998,
and when he was a part of of the SOI cast , before I started attending
the shows in  Orlando. So, it was cool to see Ilia Kulik in person . The cast showed
us their acts of random kindness, by letting us see how much they all
valued our feedback from the year before.


There were more elements, that one participant in the audience told
Jennifer Robinson he wanted to see more of . There were more jumps, spins, throws, and  lifts, that left us spellbounded, pumped, and ready to see more of the On The Edge. At the end of the opening number, we all showed each cast member  our deepest appreciation, with more cheers, shouts, and I even heard some whistles from another section.




I don't think I stood up, or I really can't remember, because I stood up
so many times during the show , that it is all just a blur to me . The
cast left the ice, and the monitors came back to life. We all were told about
the characteristics, and the elements that were involved to make any
great athlete or  skater a champion. Some of the ones that I remember being mentioned
were: determination, perseverance, dedication, drive, skilled, and
simply wanting to rise  above all of the others to be the best.




All of these attributes that were mentioned, also contributed to what
makes up the heart of a champion. After the presentation was over, the
spotlights came  on, and we all gave Jennifer Robinson a warm welcome back to Orlando .
She wore a lovely yellow dress, that flowed with every movement, that
she made on the  ice. I really liked the song that she skated to , too. Everyone was
quiet , as we all watched her perform to Angel. The song was beautfiul and it
talked about taking someone's pain away, and wishing they were their angel.


Jennifer really related well to the music, I really liked her expressions and getures during certain moments in the song. She had
gentle, but fast spins, and  she landed her jumps very cleanly. Everyone screamed at the end, as she
bowed for us, and showed all of us her appreciation. After she left the
ice, the darkness returned , and we watched another presentation on the monitors.


The definitions of art and creativity were displayed, and after the
presentation, we were all surprised when Sasha Cohen was standing at the
opposite end of  the ice. I thought that she looked like an angel. She was dressed in a
pink ensemble , and she had these beautiful angelic wings. She skated
very slowly, and  she spread out her wings, while she glided on one skate.


She was very graceful, and she gently lifted her arms to move her wings,
she looked like she was flying. The whole venue just watched her in
silence, except  for these two girls behind me, they made me want to laugh at other
points in show, but this was not one of them. While Sasha danced on the
ice with her wings,  the first time I heard them, was when they said, "She is not going to
try to jump with those is she?"

Then, at one moment when they thought Sasha was going to try a jump they
said, "Oh she is." Sasha did not jump with the wings, she did not need
to in  my opinion. They were glad too and expressed it when one of them said,
"I was going to say." The rest of us thought that Sasha 's skating was
breathtaking, and she really portrayed the artistic side of skating. She
still had gorgeous spirals , and I loved the way her wings wrapped
around her , while she did beautiful spins, in different positions.




Orlando loved her, and we all clapped for her, but she did not stay out
on the ice, because she was there to provide an amazing distraction , to
keep our  attention off the figures that skated out of the tunnel. She succeeded
too. When the spotlights came back on, Patrice Lauzon was knealing
down on one knee  , right in front of my section.


One of the girls said, "Well hello there." I chuckled right along with
some other people that heard it. Then Marie -France Dubreuil and Patrice
Lauzon skated towards one another, then they skated away from each
other, before they became reunited once again. I thought that Since I've Been Loving
You , was very romantic. I was amazed at the spread eagle Patrice
did, when he sat down, well he was very close to sitting down, while
Marie-France Dubreuil had her legs wrapped around his wasit, and her skimmed the
surface of the ice! Wow! Orlando really loved this number, and I stood
up for them, as I shouted, "Wooooooooo !" I contined to clap, as Patrice Lauzon blew our
section a kiss! 


That was so nice of him, and my section were contenders in the
yelling contest, once they had a chance to warm up. I heard people in my
row and around me screaming and yelling. Then they skated off, after one final wave to
the crowd, and went back into the black tunnel. Our attention was drawn
once again to  the monitors, as all of the members of the cast suddenly appeared.




They told us the reasons why we shouldn't skate. There were many
reasons, one was that it would mess up our hair. I remembered that one,
because  John's hair was roughed up, by some of the cast members, after he
said, "It messes your hair up." Then Sasha said, "It cuts into your
social life." Then, they all yelled, "Don't Skate!"


Ilia said, "It's cold all of the time." Another cast member talked
about the traveling. Yuka said, "You get an extended family." She
must have been the one to promote skating. During this presentation I
thought to myself, Awwww, I just want to try it, not compete, just see what ice
skating feels like. It was very funny though, especially when Sasha Cohen threw a pie in Todd Eldredge's face! There was some laughter from the
cast, and us.


After that entertaining presentation was over, Ilia came out with a
microphone, and the girls said, "It's Ilia." He introduced Yuka Sato,
and  then he stood off in to the side , or the corner. I just shook my head
after I heard the girls say that, those two were too much ! Anyway, we
all cheered as  Yuka started to skate towards the center of the ice. She wore a
lovely dress, it might have been peach. Her music started , and the it
stopped, when Yuka appeared on the monitor behind her. She was dressed in a casual red
sweater. Her other self wanted to have a conversation with her. She told
her other self  that she was in the middle of skating in a show with Stars on Ice, and
that she really did not have time to talk.

To Be Continued!

  ‍On The Edge In Orlando Continued

‍She also said that she liked skating, because she could wear pretty
dresses, and skate to wonderful music . Well, her other self told her to
let her hair  down and have some fun. She pulled her pony tail holder out of her
hair, and shook it out. Then, she took off the pretty dress , the
audience yelled , when  she revealed a different dress that was underneath the pretty one. The
new look she had showed off her fun side. She skated to 1234,
and I had a lot  of fun , as I got into the music , it was very upbeat, and it was easy
to bop along to. It was great to see the playful side , and she still
displayed powerful jumps, and her graceful spins out on the ice.




I really loved her pose at the end, when she sat down on the ice, with
one leg crossed, and she laughed. She also smiled, and she looked so
carefree. I put my program down, and I stood up for her. She waved, and smiled some
more as she bowed , then she left the ice.



The lead singer from Hard Steele was in front of a little girl. He had
his back to me, but I thought he sounded like Michael Weiss, he shook
his long hair  and asked her if his hair scared her . She shook her head, and then he
told all of us that his band broke up. We all went, "Awwwww." He
said,  "So my buddy Todd got me this gig introducing the next skater, and
then he yelled, "Give it up for Mr. Todddddddd Eldredge!" He kicked his
leg  out and we all screamed.

Todd Eldredge came out to the ice, and we all were very happy to see
him again. It was also nice to see some familiar faces out there on the
ice. He skated  to I'm Gonna Find Another You. I honestly had never heard
that song before. I liked the song, and Todd thrilled us all , with his
power and  grace at the same time. He had improved by leaps and bounds , it was
always cool to see his improvement and growth, as a show stopping
performer. He had an awesome performance out on the ice, and even executed a very
impressive Russian split jump. I stood up for him at the end, and yelled, "Yeah
Todd!"


Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao returned to the ice for their number. I
thought they looked very interesting, certainly a lot different from the
way they looked,  when I watched them compete on TV. Well, the costumes were cool, and
Xue Shen had a different hair style, and it made some people laugh.
Then, the laughter  stopped the minute they skated. Their song was a funky tune called, Ramalama (Bang Bang). I had never heard that song either, that was what made it
exciting . Those two were certainly thrilling, and they had a high triple twist lift  into the air.


He tossed her up into the air, and she made made three twisting
resolutions way above his head , before she landed effortlessly back
into his arms. Orlando  showed them their love and support . We all competed again to see who
could be the loudest section . I thought that my section was one of the
loudest. Hongbo  Zhao blew my section a kiss too, that was really cool! I stood up for them too of course!


After Ramalama (Bang Bang) , Yuka Sato, Michael Weiss, and John Zimmerman performed together. The number or song was called, The Dance
, and all I could really remember was that it was flirtacious. Yuka had
those men trying to dance with one of them alone, but she had fun
flirting with both of  them. So, it was also funny. Then, Jennifer Robinson came along and
John led them off of the ice with a "Come hither" gesture with his
finger. I  heard a lot of screaming after The Dance. I joined right in along with them, because it was contagious.


I knew who was coming out to skate next, because of the girls behind
me. They said, "Ilia's up now," and when they saw him they both
said,  "There's Ilia." I thought that it was the Ilia hour for those two
girls . Anyway, I sat back and watched him skate. Mom whispered to me
at one point, "He's a lot like Alexei." I could not disagree with her,
his style made me think of my favorite skater, Alexei .

However, I also knew that the two men were different and unique in
their way and style. Ilia brought a different attribute to the cast, and
his attribute  really shined in Sixteen Tons, and I really enjoyed the acting abilities he put into his skating . Each skater had shown us the many different
aspects and sides of skating, he really showed us the creative side .

Orlando got into his skating too, and I liked his gestures that he used to bring his role to life. One of the verses of the song said,
"Muscle and blood ." During those verses, he did a muscle man pose . He also had
impressive foot work , his feet were very fast. He acted like he was
shoveling a heavy load of coal , and he resembled a hard working miner.


He just added a theatrical flair, and while I watched him skate, I had
wonderful memories that made me very happy. I also tried to take
pictures of each  skater during the first act. I did not have much luck, and I may have
missed some details , here and there. I stood up again for Ilia, when he
faced my  section. It was very nice of him to blow each section a kiss using
both of his hands. I liked that, and Orlando enjoyed it too. I yelled
for him too, maybe I yelled, "Woooooooooooo, Yeah !" That was my yell for the year .

To Be Continued!

 ‍On The Edge In Orlando Continued

Michael Weiss returned to the ice, and he skated to a very familiar song, at least it was for me. I heard Open Arms
on my radio , and I liked the  song too. He showed us the true beauty and power of skating. We all
loved his back flip too, I even yelled more for him, and after the music
faded out, and everything was quiet, those two same girls made us all laugh so hard.

The reason why , was because Michael Weiss was close enough to my
section, when they yelled, "You're hot!" Oh my , we all just started
laughing , and my seat mate said, "That was perfect timing," to her daughter.
We just laughed , and the smile on Michael's face lasted all the way
back  to the black tunnel. I also told my seat mate, "I am putting that in
my review." I think some of us continued laughing , even after they were
silent and he was gone.

Before Sasha Cohen came out , Jennifer skated out from the tunnel,
with a microphone and we all cheered, before she talked about being
nervous, and we all yelled some more to make her feel welcome. She told us that she was
looking for Todd. We all heard his voice, and I looked for him too,
then we all found  him when a single spot light landed on him.

It was funny though, he kept on saying, "I am over here." She was
like, "Where?" He replied, "To the left." She asked, "Your left, or my left?" He replied with, "Here I am ." We all
screamed again , and I looked over at his location. He was standing up
in the upper bowl , way at the top of the section that was on the far
left end. He had a microphone, and at first Jennifer and Todd shared
moments with us that  were very special to them in their careers as skaters. Todd's was the
moment he won Worlds in 1996, and Jennifer said her favortie moment was
also in  1996. She won her first Nationals title . We all clapped and screamed
some more, and I thought about a moment in my life that was one I would
never forget,  and yes it just happened to be in 1996.




My moment was in my junior year of high school, when my show choir, the
Highland Starliters won our first and only Grand Champion title . We
were given gold medallions, I still have all of my medals and gold medallion under my
bed . I felt like an Olympic champion that day, it was one of the
happiest moments of my life, and of course all of the members of Starliters that shared that same exact moment with me.




We all were so happy that day , it was truly special , and it made all
of the hard work, and tears we shared together well worth it. So, I
always celebrated  with the skater on TV, that won their event, because I understood what
they went through to become a champion. After we finished clapping,
Todd had a little contest for three children he picked out of that section.




He asked them a question , and he told them the first person to tell
him the right answer would win a prize. One of the little boys said,
Sasha Cohen, for the answer, to the question that described her titles. Everyone in the
venue congratulated the little boy, Orlando style. Todd gave him the
gold medal, or a medal that the cast wore in the opening number, Acts of Random Kindness, that was really cool . Then Sasha got the music pumping, and my head a
bopping. I loved the song, Don't Stop the Music . We all clapped along, as Sasha not only skated, but danced out on the ice.




She had a lot of fun out there, I heard a comment from behind me,
about Sasha not doing her flexible moves, the person thought she might
have had an injury .  I just thought that she was awesome, and she did another amazing Russian split jump
I thought she was very flexible, and at the end when the music  stopped, I jumped up to my feet to show her my love and support. I
even yelled, "You rule, Sasha!" She looked really happy to me .


The next number provided all of us with non stop laughter . I also
laughed when the two girls thought that one of the other cast members
was Ilia. They all  wore hats , so I understood, and for a second I thought it was him
too, but it turned out to be either Todd , or Michael , or John , Okay I
really couldn't tell . Then when they found him, they said, "There's Ilia."  

I watched each cast member skate out, and highfive, or smack another
cast member's hand , or pat them on the shoulder, and back. They all
looked like  cute street kids from the Swing era. The music reminded me of Swing, or Jazz .
They all followed each other, and it was funny when one  person was not where they were, they all motioned for that person to
join them. The two girls wanted Michael Weiss to do a back flip, and
went crazy after he did. I laughed, because he lost his hat. Then some one at the far
end, where my vantage point was not very good, tried to get the rest of
the gang to do  what he did. They all attempted a turn with a kick , or some kind of
move. I remebered him shaking his head and showing them again .


Then, they gave up on him, and did their own thing, and some had very
high kicks in the air. Mom liked the way their skates looked like sneakers, and she
wondered how they did it. I made an educated guess, thinking maybe
they were some kind of covers for the boots, I really did not know . I
liked it when they linked arms, and twirled around really fast, and we all laughed when
two people tried to join , then they did . I loved that moment, because
it brought back some more great memories. We all enjoyed ,Sock Him in the Jaw. It certainly socked me in my funny bone ! Ha, ha, ha, ha ,ha . I stood up for the
cast, and yelled, "Wooooooooooooooo Yeah !"

To Be Continued!

   ‍On The Edge In Orlando Continued

Part Four : Intermission From On The Edge 
 


The lights were turned on, and Mom asked us about the elevator,
basically where it was. So, we tried to help her out , and I also asked
her to buy a souvenir  for me. Last year I did not know what to buy, but this year I wanted
to buy an autographed picture of one of the cast members. I gave her
$20.00, and while she went to the bathroom, I talked to my seat mate.

She was looking at her pictures, and she tried to take some more
pictures . I tried to again as well, and the lights were still too
bright! She had some nice  pictures of the skaters from the first act, and we looked at them.
Then, she wanted a picture of the sign , that said , Smucker's Stars on Ice.
I tried to get a picture of the huge banner like sign that was on an empty section .


It turned out okay, but not great . So, I gave up, and I took a picture
of my program . So, she wanted the same picture, and I held it out
for her , on my lap, or her lap. After she took the picture, I asked her if my hand
was in it, she showed me the picture and said, "No, your hand is not in
it." I laughed and said, "Oh good."


I also watched the Zamboni , and we talked about the Zamboni,
I thought she should have taken a picture of it. Then, she showed me
some pictures of a place she went to out west. I thought it looked
beautiful, and she told me she could live there. Then, we talked about
cameras, I noticed that hers was an Easy Share, and I was excited, because my digital camera  was an Easy Share too!




She told me about the settings, and how I could fix my flash , so that
it would not be bright. Hmmmmm. I also looked for my mom, because
it was getting  close to the time for the show to resume. While, I watched out for
her, without being overly concerned, I listened to the cast talk about
the proceeds from  our show , and the Boys and Girls Club of America , it was still cool to be a part of that contribution.




Jennifer talked about how her dad shared the love of reading with her,
since she was a little girl, and how they have their own book club going on now. They still share what books they are reading, or they tell each other what
books to read. That was neat, the cast were trying to connect with us,  and that was really special.


Then, we also learned about the value of having a family meal
together, and I was lucky as a child to have those moments with my family, when we all sat down  and talked about our day. I agreed with everything that each cast
member talked about, and to this day I still eat my vegetables. My mom made it back , and  she apologized for not getting the autographed picture.




I told her that, I would get one after the show. Then, it was time for Act Two.
After I thought that the screen had Act III on it, instead of a II , my mom and seat mate had a discussion with me about needing glasses. I
admitted that the screen looked a little out of focus, but I did not  need glasses. I just blinked my eyes and then I clearly saw the II. Then, Todd
Eldredge, Ilia Kulik, Patrice Lauzon, Michael Weiss , and John Zimmerman came out .

To Be Continued!


‍

 ‍ ‍On The Edge In Orlando Continued

‍Part Five: Act Two Of On The Edge





I heard all of the ladies go crazy, I yelled too, I
thought they looked good. I liked the blue color of their muscle shirts , and the pants were
nice too. The lights were not down yet, so the guys enjoyed the
attention . They all knew we thought they looked good. Ilia even nodded  his head at my
section , as if he were saying, "Yeah . We know , we look really
good ." Okay, now I am moving on , the men also had microphones in their
hands,  and I remembered some of the things they said. Michael Weiss said,
"Come on back to your seats folks, drop what you are doing, if you're in
the  restroom hurry up."


One of the other men, maybe Patriece or John said, "Wash your hands
first ." Then, Ilia said, "You don't want to miss this number."  Todd might have said, "Drop your food." John made us all laugh when he
said, "If you do drop your food, drop your food right down here," as he stood in front of another section. Then he said, "I missed the
catering, I am starving , " then he found a person with popcorn.


He started to eat their popcorn! We all laughed , and the guys were
all like, "Step away from the popcorn John." "Put that popcorn down,
John!" He said, "This is very good." Then the guys pulled the popcorn
out of his hands, and pulled him away from the person with the popcorn. The lights went down, and this number was called, We Got It Going on, and they did too.


There were many exciting moments, however, the two moments that were
burned into my memory, involved John Zimmerman and Michael Weiss . John
Zimmerman spun  around very fast , with Michael Weiss balanced on top of his head !
WHOA! That was an unbelievable moment , and I thought maybe I was
dreaming, but I was not! I was there , I saw them with my own two eyes , and so did all of
the other people!


I screamed louder, and my mom was astounded. Then, the second moment
was when I watched Michael Weiss spray another section on the ice, with
flying snow. I  thought that it would have been cool, if I had that happen to mine
too. Not long after that, John Zimmerman skated really fast towards my
section! Then, he  kicked his skate into the air , and ice flew into the section, and
landed on the people right in front of me . I felt the air ! I thought
that it was a  little chilly, but also very refreshing. I told my seat mate that it
almost hit us . After the music stopped, I stood up for the men and showed them my appreciation.


The air was filled with electricity after the men's number, so we
needed a soothing number to cool it down. Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao
slowed the pace down and calmed us all down, as they skated to lo Ci Sera . I know
that I have used the word beautiful a lot , but that is what they were .
They were a  beautiful pair out on the ice. I really liked the expressions, and
the way their eyes looked at each other. They had lovely lifts, that
once again  demonstrated their power and strength . There was one moment during
the throw jump , where Xue Shen fell.


I said, "Oh no." I heard other people say, "Awwwww." We all
understood that Xue Shen was also a human being , and we still loved
their number regardless of the fall. Xue Shen just picked herself up ,
and went on with the show. I stood up for them and yelled,
"Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"



Jennifer Robinson skated to a different version of Stop . I
liked it, and I thought that she was a wonderful performer . Then, I
couldn't believe it , but there was a corner at the far end that was very slippery.
Jennifer had some trouble too, I felt badly for her, but she kept a
smile on her face , and showed us the true heart of a champion . I stood up for her too,
she smiled and waved to all of us , while we continued our contest to  see which section
was the best .




Marie - France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon turned up the heat once
again, and showed us the chemistry and love that they shared, along with
their amazing  abilities, as a professional team. They had very creative lifts, that
gave us all inspiration , while they skated to , Desire. I was
very happy for   them, they did not have any trouble with that corner. I stood up for
them , and yelled, while I raised my arms way above my head and
clapped. After they  left the ice, our guest star, Kimmie Meissner skated to my mom's
favorite song, Hero . She had an uncharacteristic fall too, it
was in that same corner! She also fell on a jump she had trouble with in the
competitions. We all went, "Awwwwwwww." Then, just as we did for the
others , we  cheered when she stood up, and she smiled when she landed her next jump.

I said, "There ya go!" I heard some one else say, " That's better, or
That's more like it!" She ended her number on a happy note,
and I still thought she was a very impressive skater. I put my program
down, and stood up for her, and yelled, "Yeah, Kimmie!" She smiled some
more  and bowed to each section.

Then, John Zimmerman had his first solo act , and he really got the crowd going . He had some trouble , but I'm Gonna Crawl , was still one of
Orlando's favorites. When Mom made a comment, I explained to her about his partner.
I thought that he was still amazing , and I placed my program onto  the floor, before I hopped up, and stood up for him , as I gave him my
support. He had a  smile on his face, and it was good to see that he was happy too.
Yuka Sato skated after John Zimmerman, and she performed to the song, The Long and
Winding Road . She showed us her soft , gentle side , she had
smooth edges, and she floated across the ice. She also had very lovely
spins , that also displayed great speed and control. I stood up for her, and I bumped
elbows with my seat mate , when she jumped up at the same time.


Then before Michael Weiss cranked up the heat again, when he skated to , You Shook Me All Night Long,
 Jennifer Robinson came skating out , she had on a light gold sequined vest with shorts, and a feather boa,
along with her microphone. She stood in the spotlight and said, "Introducing Michael, " she did not get to finish, because another lady came
skating out , I thought it was Marie -France Dubreuil , and she stood in front of Jennifer.


Jennifer stood in front of her, and then while they both fought to
introduce him, along came Sasha Cohen , and at the end of their little
skit, with the feather boas , they all said, "Introducing Michael Weiss!" So,
Orlando came back to life with more shouts and screams. The ladies loved
this  number, it was filled with action. We all loved it when he went back
on his heels, and skated with his Freedom Blades, and of course his back flip
drove them crazy as well. We were not the only ones that were driven crazy.


After his bow, we all settled down , and Yuka came over to him. She
said, "You were so good." She described what he did, and then she
fainted!  John came out with a towel, and Michael asked her, "Yuka , you
Okay?" John asked her that too, and they helped her stand back up on her
feet." She said, "It's hot." John said, "Yeah it's hot in Orlando,
we are in Orlando." We all screamed and went nuts.

Then, John asked Michael questions about his performance, and
Michael was still catching his breath, he could not talk , and he made
us laugh. John said, "Here, here's a towel , cool yourself off." Michael took the towel ,
and John said, "Oh, You don't want to use that, I brought out the wrong towel. This one has been signed by all of the cast." Then
we really went crazy when he asked, "Anyone want this towel?", before he
wiped his face with it ! Then, Michael wiped his face with it , maybe Yuka did too, but people just screamed. The two men teased us, as
they said, "How about over here?" That section yelled, then Michael went over
to another section, and said, "How about you , do you want this
towel?"


Then, there was a tie between my section and the section across the
way from mine. They went back and forth, and I went up into another
octave , and  screamed higher if that was possible. John picked a cute little girl
with blonde hair. Yuka loved her shoes, and we all went, "Awwwww,"when John put the towel around her shoulders , gave her a hug, and a kiss on the cheek. Michael hugged her too, and Yuka
congratulated her. We all clapped for her, and then there was  something being shown on the monitors again.


There were scenes that showed each skater in the show, practicing,
and they had some frustrating falls. I said, "Awwwwwwww." While I
watched  those moments, my own memories were brought back, of the times when I
had falls, while I was practicing with my show choir. Then, I recalled
times where I  fell during a very important competition. So, I really understood
how it felt, I was frustrated too. Because, I had put so much time and I
practiced at  home and during the practice sessions at school, just for that big
moment. The rest of the girls in Starliters were also counting on me, we
all counted on  each other , so when a mistake, or a fall happened, I really took it
hard. No one is perfect, but all of the skaters that shared their
moments of  imperfections with us on the screen , all made an amazing
contribution to the show's moments of perfection. Life just reminded us,
that no matter who  we are, we all are human , and we all are going to make mistakes. 


To Be Continued!
 


 

 ‍    ‍On The Edge In Orlando Continued

After the presenation was over, Todd came back out, and we all
cheered for him , before we grew silent. He weaved his magic out there
on the ice. He also had a fall in that corner too, but he showed us that he was a true
performer, he moved on from that fall, and we all were very impressed by
his spins. He still had spins that were as fast a spinning top. I stood up for
him after, Is Nothing Sacred ,was over and yelled, "You rule,
Todd!"  He gave us a smile , and reminded us that we should always look on
the bright side of life. He just smiled, as we continued to show him our
love.




The lights went off again, and it was pitch , black dark . I could
not see anything, not even my hand in front of my face. Okay I did not try
to see if I could see my hand, I was just trying to share how black it was. The
only lights that could be seen were little glowing lights on the blades
that were  moving. The blades that belonged to the skates, worn by the skating
figures in black, looked really neat.


Who were these mysterious skaters? Were they men? Were they the women ? It really did not matter to me, and I just thought the lights on the
blades looked very cool . These mysterious figures showed off their illuminated
footwork, as they made patterns on the ice , switched sides with the
other mysterious skaters, and they just created a fascinating light show that I had
never seen before. I also remembered them skating in a circle, and just
making all of  kinds of different designs. I could not stop watching them , and
they distracted all of us from Sasha Cohen's entrance, because she was
just suddenly there when some lights came on .


I don't remember seeing who the mysterious skaters were, maybe they
were revealed, or maybe they remained a mystery that my mind wanted to
keep. She surprised us all, and then she skated to Moonlight Sonata .
I did not hear any comments like the ones I heard before, because she
showed off her  flexibility, and her lines were still stunning. Yet, I felt
terrible, when she chose that ill fated corner to do her jump, because
she fell too ! However,  Orlando did not care , she still was a wonderful skater in all our
eyes and hearts. I sat on the edge of my seat, and popped up the minute
she faced my section. I stood up for her, while she bowed down on one knee , and
waved. I yelled, "You rule, Sasha!"


I also noticed a section close to mine that was empty , at least the
top half was. I turned to see why Sasha suddenly did an about face , when she finished
her bow to our side. I saw that, and found out why, and it was a
shocking sight, but as I mentioned before we still had a very large
crowd. After Sasha left the ice , Ilia returned and as he began to skate, I heard the
girls talking about his marriage to Ekaterina. I knew about it too, I
was happy for her, I watched her TV special about Sergei, and I also watched them
compete together on my Olympic tape that featured every Olympic champion in skating's
history.


Their performance was really neat to watch, but also sad. She is
happy now, and I was glad that Ilia is the reason for her happiness. I
guess they were telling a person sitting beside them, I could not blame them . They
were his fans, it was a little annoying to hear it during the show , but
I tried to  ignore it, and I just enjoyed the final number before the finale
called, Song for the King . I felt that his number was very
moving, and the  perfect way to end the show. He was a well rounded skater, and his
number tied all of the aspects of skating that was mentioned, together. I
stood up  again, and I yelled , "You rule, Ilia!" I wanted all of the skaters
to know that they ruled. They all were my favorite , and they all
made me  very happy. He blew each section a kiss, and waved , as he skated
off to the black tunnel.


Then, Sasha Cohen, Todd Eldredge, Xue Shen, Hongbo Zhao , Yuka Sato,
Marie-France Dubreuil , Patrice Lauzon, Michael Weiss , John Zimmerman,
and Jennifer Robinson came back out. I liked how they had their names on the back
of their shirts. They all gave us one more thrilling look into skating,
with their  jumps, smooth landings, stretched spirals, fast spins, and I heard
the girls ask each other, "Where's Ilia?",  I thought to myself, 
The poor guy just skated, and they really expect him to return back out at the snap of a finger? 

I was tempted to say something , if I would have , I might have
said, "Ilia has left the building." However, I did not say anything, I
just thought silently to myself,Gish, why don't you put a tracking device on him , then you will know where he is all of the time . I guess
I should have turned around and said, "He is changing, he will be  out as soon as he can." Maybe this was their first show , maybe I
should have  showed them the ropes, like politely tell them that talking loudly while the show is going on is not appropriate, but I minded my own
business.

I kept all of my comments and my thoughts to myself, because I
wanted to be nice. They were happy when they saw him appear out with the
cast again. Once again this number, or song, Roll with the Changes was jam packed with a lot of action. Every one worked together and skated as one. Then, I had an
embarrassing moment , when I honestly thought it was time for the cast to shake hands with the fans.


To Be Continued! ‍

‍    ‍On The Edge In Orlando Continued

Jennifer Robinson and John Zimmerman came over to my section. I saw
people stand up, so I jumped up, and stuck my hand out there. John was giving the fans
in the front high fives, while I still waited for my hand shake. The
cast changed gears on me , and I would have probably had a heads up
about it, if I  watched the Stars on Ice special , but this time I didn't. I know shame on me, next year I will ! So, I remained standing , waiting for my
hand shake, and John moved over to some people near me.


Mom told me to sit down, then John started to leave, so I yelled,
"John!" He saw me , and he saw my hand , he could have left me standing
there feeling like a complete idiot, because I felt like a complete idiot.
He knew he could not reach me, or that I could not reach him . So, he
made a little  wave at me, with his hand that was stretched out towards me.
Awwwww.


I thought that was very sweet! I made a mental note to myself, No more hand shakes, next year could be high fives.
The skaters went around the  entire rink and slapped the hands of the people in the very first
row. They all smiled and waved to us, as Ilia played leader of the pack, actually he was
the leader of the pack. We all remained standing, as they circled
around several more times. Then, everyone remained standing, and we all
yelled, and screamed at the top of our lungs some more. At the end , John had a
microphone, and he told us to stay where we were. The cast had something
for us, and we  all yelled, as they tossed stuffed squishy strawberries.



I tried to get one, but they never came my way, and if I did , I
would have hugged it, and given it to one of the little girls that was
trying to catch  one. Then, we all waved, Kimmie came out, and then the cast formed
their famous line, crossed their legs one by one, and bowed their heads.
Orlando gave them some more support, and I screamed, and I waved back at the cast
, then they returned to the tunnel, while they waved at us some more,
and then that was the end. I was left on the edge of a high, that did not last as
long, but it was enough to boost my spirits, and keep me inspired, and
filled with hope.



Part Six : The Return Home After On The Edge 


Mom and I waited for some people to pass us, and my seat mate
along with her daughter offered to take us to the famous elevator. So,
we followed them before we were stopped by Mom's seat mate. She asked me, "Is this
your purse?" I said, "Yes. Thank you so much." She replied, "You're welcome." Oh my goodness, maybe I had a little too much of
a high. Oh well we found the elevator, while we waited in line, I saw some secret areas of the Amway Arena. We were in the VIP area, I thought that was cool. Some people were told about the stairs, so they left.


We waited for the elevator, and then the group of people I was
with, squeezed into the elevator. We all were packed tighter than
sardines in a can. However, the ride up, beat the walk up those stairs. Plus, we
found out the stair case people opted to take, took them outside, and
they could not get  back in. So, we were happy sardines. When we stepped off the
elevator, I went to the souvenir stand, and waited for my turn in line.
Some ladies in front of me, bought some T- shirts , and one of the ladies was
having an issue with the size, then it was solved, and she was happy.

I also tried to help another lady with a question about another
style she liked. She wanted one from the display, or she wanted to see
what the front side looked like. I allowed the sales person to handle that
problem . Then , it was my turn, and I bought an autographed picture of
Ilia Kulik, because  he really impressed me , and I liked his skating, along with his
personality out on the ice.

There were many pictures of the cast members, but I liked Ilia's
picture . However, Alexei Yagudin was still the best , and would be the
best in my  eyes until the end of time. I met my mom in the bathroom, and the
employees were closing everything down, even the fountains were shut
off. Mom and I  followed an attendant out , and I made the attendant laugh when I
said, "Pick a door, any door will do." Because, we kept on looking for
the right door go out, don't ask me why. I also could not find our car, because the fountains were not on, and I thought we came out on
the wrong  side again .




I even reminded my mom of the way we had to go , but don't worry
our red car was the only one parked in our area . Mom said, "There's
our car." So, we walked outside into the sunshine, I was happy because
we had enough daylight left to navigate through and out of Orlando,
getting lost in the dark in Orlando is no fun . I liked the earlier time for
the show, it seemed more intimate . I also really appreciated the superb
effort the cast did to connect with us. While, we walked down those steps by
the fountains, I had a moment of vertigo, because I looked down, and the
concrete steps  all slanted in the same direction!


Maybe I was hungrier than I had thought. I had to grab onto the
railing , whew that was interesting. Mom and I made it to the car, and I
brought the Street Pilot, out, and turned it on. Then, I set our course for
home . Once, Mom and I made it to a point  where we could
talk, we talked about the show. Last year, Mom really acted like
she did not want to come back. So, it was very encouraging to hear her
talk so positively about the show.


We both were still reeling from that amazing spin John did with
Michael on his head, I was so dazed from it, I asked her who did what ,
so that I could keep it fresh for my review. Then, we had to turn our
attention back over to the Street Pilot and I also had some apple slices
to eat, that Mom  brought with her. She is a diabetic , so she had to bring some
food, in case she got low blood sugar. After my snack break, my
attention went right back to watching the Street Pilot, so that we did not miss any
turns, or important exits. At times, we had some doubt, because it
seemed a long way to home. However, I still trusted the Street Pilot, and it guided us
home.

When we arrived home, I got the key and other things from our
neighbor, who got our mail for us, and checked in on Petie, my little
parakeet. He asked me  about the show, and I told him that it was awesome, or amazing. I
also told him that he should go if he ever got the chance. Then, I was
starving, so I had left overs from KFC. After I ate, I came Online, and I talked to a friend about the show.


Then, at church the following day, I gave him the extra Advanced
ticket form, that I had. I grabbed another one on the way out, after Mom
thought she lost our other one. So, we found it, and I told him again at
church that he should think about going. Mom and I have discussed about
returning for next  year's show. I planned on going again next year, because I had a
lot of fun, and I laughed, which I needed. 

 I also thought maybe that year would be my last time to attend the show, but there was
something magical about the Amway Arena in Orlando. The minute I stepped into the building, and felt the excitement in the atmosphere, I just
grabbed the first ticket form I saw for next year, and I told myself, "You are going!"


Earlier the following week, I looked at the prices, and I did some
work on the calculator , to see what I could afford. Well, On ice was
out of the  question, that would have wiped out my checking account. So, I
tried the next section behind the ice, I really love those seats, and
even that price for two tickets was steep, and wiped out my checking account. I
always felt a sense of deep pride when I could pay for the tickets, but
that year I couldn't. So, Mom and I talked about it, and she bought the
tickets for us. I mailed out the form that same day, so I will be going to Orlando the following
year !


Thank you so much for taking the time to read my reviews from this
year and the past. I hope you enjoyed them, and that you will come
again to read my review about the 2010 show !

Until Then!