Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 19, 1993 TAG: 9302190055
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
EVERYONE'S A WINNER, ICE CAPADES DECIDES
Asking a 6-year-old or 7-year-old about the excitement of ice skating before thousands of people, under the spotlights and on the same bill with former Olympic star Christopher Bowman is no easy task.Are you excited?
"I don't know," said Morgan Kitts.
"Maybe," added Kristen Bowen.
Will you feel like a star?
Neither had any concept of what a star is exactly.
Are you nervous?
Morgan shook her head no.
Kristen looked to her skating coach, Rebecca Boyden, for an answer.
"You answer," Boyden told her pupil.
Do you hope to be figure skaters when you grow up?
Kristen looked again at her coach.
Morgan didn't answer either. But her mother, Sally Kitts, said: "You know what she told me the other day? She is going to hang up her figure skates and play hockey."
The proud mother chuckled.
"Whatever she wants. I'm not going to push her."
Thursday morning, 6-year-old Morgan, 7-year-old Kristen and a third little girl, Whitney Patrone, auditioned to skate at the opening of the Ice Capades tonight at the Roanoke Civic Center.
The audition was held to pick one of the girls. The Ice Capades holds similar auditions in selected cities during the year as a way to add a local feature to its road show.
Typically, a dozen or so aspiring skaters will try out, said Michael Weiner, the Ice Capades marketing guy. Or in some places - Lake Placid, N.Y., for example - they have to limit the number. Otherwise, hundreds would come.
In Roanoke, three showed: Morgan, Kristen and Whitney.
So, Weiner and the three Ice Capades judges on hand for the audition decided to break the rules and put all three of the young skaters into the show. "The kids were just so cute together. They were like ducks, following each other around," Weiner said.
Tonight, the trio will have the ice to themselves for about a minute. "They kick off the show with that," Weiner said.
Kristen Bowen's coach, Boyden, is choreographing the routine. Boyden is a former competitive figure skater from Canada who now attends Virginia Tech.
She believes the Ice Capades will be a great experience for the girls. She said performing under the spotlight will make them better skaters. She doesn't foresee any of the three getting cold feet.
Nor does Weiner: "Skaters in general just don't seem to be very shy."
Try to tell that to a 6-year-old or 7-year-old.
Are you a little bit bashful about answering questions?
They would only shrug.