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I had the pleasure of attending the recent Skate It Forward<\/em>\u00a0ice show. This was my third time going to the show and I had a wonderful time. This year\u2019s headliners were quite the variety of talents. The show overall was very well put together, highly entertaining, and everyone seemed to have a great response to it.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first soloist was 11-year-old Ella Wintringer, a skater from the Skating Club of Western New York in Buffalo whose family has benefited from the Ronald McDonald House in Columbus. She skated a cute program to \u201cSweet Caroline\u201d and did some nice single jumps along with some solid spins. She seemed a little nervous but looked like she was enjoying herself.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next program was by Team Chiller, a young synchronized skating group from the Columbus area, who skated a fun program to a medley of dance songs. They had cute, hot pink costumes. showed some nice synchro moves , and got a great reaction from the crowd. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first headliner to perform was five-time U.S. National competitor Jimmy Ma, who is always a crowd favorite for his energetic and fun programs. He skated to \u201cParty Rock Anthem\u201d and had an absolute blast on the ice. He did a triple toe and triple salchow, some great spins, and charmed everyone with his infectious energy. He even opened his shirt at one point and did a few dance moves in the second half of the program. I loved it and I think the crowd did too from their loud cheers at the end.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another group program was next and this one was all adult skaters and their music choice was the song \u201cFire.\u201d They all did a nice job showing off their strongest skills and performing to the top row of the ice rink. There was either a pair or dance team in this group number who did a few cool moves during the program. I wish I could move as well as these ladies did in this routine! <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2018 U.S. Champion and Olympic team bronze medalist Bradie Tennell was the next headliner to perform and she skated her Rihanna “Stay\/Diamonds” exhibition from the 2019 Stars on Ice<\/em> tour. She landed a triple salchow and triple lutz along with doing some awesome spins. She skated with a ton of energy and looked like she was having a blast. The crowd loved her performance and gave her a huge ovation at the end.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next group number consisted of younger skaters who skated to \u201cDon\u2019t Go Breaking My Heart\u201d by the Backstreet Boys. They had cute sparkly hats that they wore with black and white sparkly tops and skated a really fun and dance-y program. I really liked that all of these group numbers gave each individual skater a chance to shine and show off one of their best skills while still doing a cohesive program as a group.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The last number of the first half was a hockey challenge which pitted two teams against each other to showcase various skills. One of the Columbus Blue Jackets players along with their mascot Stinger were there to help out and I think the kids all had a fun time showing off their hockey skills. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n After intermission for a Zamboni break, there was another group number of younger kids who skated to \u201cCrazy Little Thing Called Love.\u201d They showed everyone some nice, basic skills and had a great time performing for the audience.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our next headliner was 2018 U.S. Junior Champion Camden Pulkinen,\u00a0 who was returning to Skate It Forward<\/em> for the second year in a row. He skated a really fun program to \u201cMack the Knife\u201d with a double axel and triple toe loop, and awesome musicality. It was fun to see him smiling and having a great time performing for the crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A young group of skaters were next to perform and skated to \u201cSit Next to Me\u201d in pink tops and ripped jeans. It was a very cute number and the girls showed some nice basic moves in this program. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next group appeared to be the highest level of young skaters and they skated a program to the song \u201cNo Excuses.\u201d They did some really nice spins and were the only group that did double jumps. They had colorful costumes and even though they had a few mistakes here and there, I could tell that they were a talented group of ladies. I enjoyed their program and they seemed to have fun.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ross Miner was making his second consecutive appearance at Skate It Forward<\/em> and he did a fun program to \u201cSing\u201d by Ed Sheeran. He did two triple salchow jumps, his amazing spread eagle, and some other fun moves in an entertaining program. I thought he did a great job. <\/p>\n The last group number was another synchro group who skated a fun program called \u201cElectroSwing.\u201d I think it might have been a competitive program for them because I saw some moves that look like they were required elements. Their outfits were my favorites (polka dotted dresses) and I love that they stayed in character for the entire routine. I loved it and thought they did a wonderful job. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P2610771.jpg\")
<\/a>The show opened with the headliners — Ross Miner, Bradie Tennell<\/a>, Alysa Liu, Jimmy Ma, Camden Pulkinen<\/a>, and Olivia Smart and Adrian Diaz — all skating a group number to \u201cDon\u2019t Stop Me Now\u201d by Queen. It was an entertaining and an upbeat program and I think the group as a whole enjoyed skating together. <\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P2610913-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>Spain’s ice dance team of Olivia Smart and Adrian Diaz were next to perform and they skated a really fun number to \u201cManiac\u201d from the movie Flashdance<\/em>. The theme for the program was Olivia being the energetic \u2018maniac\u2019 who wanted to dance a bunch and tired Adrian trying desperately to keep up with her. They were even dressed in 1980\u2019s workout gear for their costumes. It was SO much fun and I really enjoyed it. <\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P2610939-300x225.jpg\")
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<\/a>The final headliner was Alysa Liu, the 2019 U.S. Champion, who skated a fun program to dance music that I never managed to identify. She didn\u2019t do her normal technical arsenal in this program (mainly double jumps) but I thought her ice coverage looked improved and that she skated much faster overall. It looked like she had a really fun time and the crowd loved her. <\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/P2620020-300x225.jpg\")
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