Miss Ice Charades Is Not Proud

As I mentioned in the last post, Disney Sobre Hielo was in town and I was so excited when I first heard they were coming. I daydreamed of going backstage, hanging with the cast, and soaking up the world of show skating.

But like I said, I was not proud of what I tried to do ....

First off, I learned that my old company manager from a past show was now a company manager with Disney and I thought GREAT! I've got my in ... give me some names and I'll be having the fairies from Pixie Hollie over for cockails in no time. But he didn't know anyone in Fantasia de Mundo, so I got no names.

Okay, so I'll hang out in the hotel lobby, spot the skaters, and invite the cast over for BBQ. But they weren't there.

So, me and my daughter will go to the show and I'll try to talk to someone during intermission and a few days later I'll be driving skaters to the best coffee shop in town.

I started with the Concessions Stand guy. I was dropping show names, skater names, all sorts of insider lingo. I chatted him up while buying a program to get the names of the skaters. Well, the program had nothing. The $18 program had nothing and Concession Stand guy wasn't giving up any information either.

I had forgotten the old ice show rule, unless a concessions guy is interested in dating one of the skaters, they don't care about the skaters.

So I waited until the end of the show and chatted up the lighting Guy. I dropped even more names and he was more helpful. He gave up the name of the new hotel where the skaters were at, but didn't bite when I asked if there was anything I could do for the cast.

I offered rides, info about where to go around town, and the golden egg of ice shows - free laundry at my place.

Nada.

I could have and should have stopped there. Cut my losses, but I kept trying.

I shamelessly scooped up my five-year old and headed to the hotel lobby to wait for skaters. We talked to Pumba from the Lion King, who had skated with Disney since 1987! That has got to be some kind of record! And also chatted with a very nice Tinkbell understudy who had a bag of dirty clothes in her hand. Yep, the dressers of the show did laundry for the skaters.

Rats! My mission failed and I finally let it go.

Let what go?

I was hoping for three things: 1) a chance to interview one of the skaters for this blog - to let the readers know about current life on the road instead of me blabbing on and on about decades old anecdotes. 2) getting my skates sharpened ... okay, I know this one if selfish, but my blades really need a good sharpening and down here I don't know where to go or how to say it when I do find someone to sharpen them. And finally 3) I was hoping that my daughter could meet Tinkerbell and Ariel and the other fairies in costume. She has seen pictures and video of me skating, but she'll never get to see me doing it for real. I was just hoping she could see them in costume because she gets so excited during the show.

But do you know what happens in this biz? If you aren't currently skating or about to do a new show, you don't fit in the bubble of a touring ice show.

You're like damaged goods.

It's not the skaters in Disney's fault, I did the same I think. You can't help it, you get caught up in a little world that exists on its own no matter what happens in the outside world.

I'm sorry I can't bring you any interviews, but next month I'm going to another ice show and let's see if I can't stalk, I mean talk to someone there.