2008 An Evening of Hope – Mel’s Blog

“Why do things always happen to us?” Jules, my best friend, asked with a flat tone.

I sighed. “I have no idea. But at least it gives me something to write about.”

We were standing in the Chicago Central Auto Pound on Lower-Lower Wacker, two levels below the street. It was dirty, musty, and altogether creepy, and we had just walked about three miles around the Loop, first to go back to her car, and then to track it down after we discovered that it had been towed.

So we arrived at the arena for the Evening of Hope about an hour behind schedule, but we were still there by 5:30 p.m., which gave us enough time to swing by the reception.

Except that when I introduced myself as a photographer, all I got were blank stares. After being passed off from volunteer to volunteer, a woman named Carrie appeared in front of us. Carrie was thrilled that I was there, and Carrie got things done. She handed me a ticket, marched me over to the ticket-taker to get my hand stamp, and escorted me (and Jules!) into the arena to find the best place for photography. She was going to allow me to stand right at the skaters’ entrance in the corner, but with a few synchronized skating teams on the program, I thought that might get a little crowded. Plus, since I was working with a fixed-length lens, I wasn’t sure I’d get the best shots, either. So she zipped back through a hallway and asks a blonde woman wearing a headset for her opinion.

Next thing I know, Susie Wynne is extending her hand to shake mine. She’s equally thrilled that I am there. “You look so familiar,” she said with a welcoming smile. Since the only big events that I’ve covered have been in Canada, I actually don’t think I’ve ever been to an event that Susie has also covered, but I just smiled and said that I go to a lot of events. She was still thrilled but didn’t know of anywhere else that I could shoot from ice level without hockey glass in my way. That was fine –- I actually prefer to shoot from the stands — so Susie thanked us again for coming, and I was off to the VIP reception.

Mr. Volunteer (I don’t remember his name, but he was very nice) apologized as he rode the elevator to the third floor with us. “I’m a friend of the Joseph family,” he explained. “I can’t really introduce you to any of the skaters besides Evan. But maybe someone else up there can.”

It’s okay. I think I can pick most of them out of the crowd.

Unfortunately, having a VIP reception immediately before the show started meant that the skaters slipped out early to change, warm up, etc. By the time I arrived, the only athletes I had a chance to catch were Rena Inoue, John Baldwin, and Ben Okolski. We talked about the show, and John said that he and Rena always love being able to help out with charity shows.

Then we talked a bit about Chicago. I put Rena on the spot and asked her how she liked it (since she’d never been to Chicago before and it’s my hometown), and she pointed out that all she’d seen of it was Geneva. The four of us looked out the window and laughed. The arena in Geneva is directly across the street from a cornfield. “Is that corn?” John asked. I confirmed that it was, and that cornfields didn’t really typify Chicago. John said that they were going out that night in the city, so Rena would have to give me a better answer later. I’ll have to follow up on that the next time that I see her. Too bad they won’t be at Skate Canada!

Once we realized that the other athletes were probably getting ready, Jules and I headed into the arena to scope out some seats. We ended up in the top row, slightly right of center, and for the most part, I was able to shoot over the hockey glass, so we waited for the show to begin.

It began almost half an hour late, but it was worth the wait. The show was entitled Evening of Hope and it benefitted the Stephanie Joseph Memorial Fund in collaboration with the Make-A-Wish Illinois Chapter. Stephanie was a childhood friend of Evan’s, and she was also a figure skater. She passed away in February of this year from a rare form of cancer called soft tissue sarcoma. Many of those involved with the show were friends of Stephanie’s, and it seemed as though her presence was infused throughout the emotional evening.

Featuring talent that ranged from local up-and-comers to world and Olympic medalists, the show was also a fine evening of entertainment. Local talents included Dee Dee Leng, Jason Brown, Taylor Kulpa, Madeleine Stemman, Dana Sivak, Ola Czyzewski, Ellie Schaap, Katherine Hill, Jenny Needham, Lauren Nieman, Jason Thomas, and Megan Hyatt. In addition to the local soloists, three synchronized skating teams were featured: the Geneva Synchronized Skating Team, the Chicago Jazz Junior Team, and the Chicago Jazz Juvenile Team.

Jason Brown was one of the first standouts of the evening, skating with a surprising amount of presence to “You’ll Be in My Heart” by Phil Collins. He had nice height on his jumps and great speed, especially for being a novice-level skater.

Madeleine Stemman and Jason Thomas were both skaters I had not seen before, but they had a lot of spark. Overall, the younger skaters all did an excellent job and really connected with the audience. Jenny Needham, a skater at the adult level, was a breath of fresh air with a completely joyful presentation.

However, of all the “local” talent, I was most impacted by Katherine Hill’s improvised performance to “You’ve Got a Friend.” Performed in honor of her longtime friend Stephanie, her skating was controlled and polished, despite the program’s improvisatory nature. I don’t think Hill competes any longer, but her preparation was obvious, and she skated a moving tribute to her friend.

The local skaters also participated in a couple of group numbers. One featured Dana Sivak, Jason Thomas, and Madeleine Stemman, and it was to a medley of music that Stephanie Joseph had skated to during her career. Sivak performed to “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind, & Fire, Thomas skated to “No Diggity,” and Stemman’s music was “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” from Moulin Rouge.

Four girls, including Katherine Hill and Megan Hyatt, performed in the second half to the song “Every Season” by Nichole Nordeman. The song was written for the funeral for one of Nordeman’s friends and it’s a song that never fails to make me tear up, so this performance was particularly emotional for me. It was fairly simple choreography – each girl represented one of the seasons – but it made a big impact.

Ryan Bradley was the only elite performer to skate a competitive program, and he chose to perform a new short program to music by Elvis Presley. He really went for this performance, including a quad toe (which he fell on) and a triple Axel (which he landed). Bradley, as always, was a showman, and the program is well constructed. Aside from the fall on the quad, he looked ready for the season.

Dan Hollander, also known as a showman, skated a hilarious program to a Richard Simmons workout tape. It was the first time that I’d ever seen him skate, aside from his cameo as Santa Claus in Belbin & Agosto’s holiday show last December, and it was a real treat. He had everyone in the crowd laughing.

Both of the pairs in the show, Brooke Castile & Ben Okolski and Rena Inoue & John Baldwin, chose to skate exhibition programs. Inoue & Baldwin’s was an energetic number to Prince’s song “Kiss,” as sung by Tom Jones. In a completely different style, Castile & Okolski skated to a version of The Beatles’ “Let It Be.” Their graceful lines were highlighted in the elegant choreography.

I’d seen Jennifer Robinson skate her program to a Joss Stone song at Mariposa, and the performance was about the same. She puts a lot of energy into her performances, but her jumps aren’t in the shape that they used to be in.

Kimmie Meissner skated to “Yellow,” and this was the first time I’d seen her skate live in about two years. She looks much more mature than she did then, and I don’t know if that always comes across on television. Unfortunately, it looks like she’s still struggling with jumps. She smiled all the way through her performance, though.

Shae-Lynn Bourne did her “All That Jazz” program, appropriately enough, since it’s from Chicago. As always, she was a fantastic entertainer that involved the audience. Watching her skate never gets old for me. After her performance, Susie Wynne interviewed her about her next Chicago appearance, the Frankie Valli Tribute on Ice next month. She said that she was excited about the opportunity, and that Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons would be providing music throughout the show. It should be a great event –- I’ll be at that one, too!

The newly professional Jeff Buttle looks like he’s in great shape this season. I was hoping that he’d skate his new long program, since he said that he may use it in some shows, but he skated to “Personal Jesus” by Depeche Mode. As always, he gave a fantastic performance.

Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto skated two programs, one in each half. In the first half, they used “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis, and their second program was “Falling Slowly” from the movie Once. I was really looking forward to seeing them after their move to work with Natalia Linichuk, and I do see some differences in their skating. They have some new lifts, although they still look quite awkward at this point in the season, and it seems like their presentation is bigger and less controlled than it was before. I also thought that they did not look as fast as they have in years past, but perhaps this is because they have been working on their technique. I did enjoy both programs, though, and I thought that they skated with a lot of emotion.

Evan Lysacek also skated twice. In the first half, he shared a program to “The Prayer” with youngster Ellie Schaap, and I think it was one of the most heartfelt performances I’ve seen from Evan. He closed the second half with a fun program that began with Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” and the audience responded well to that. It was a perfect segue into the closing number: a hip-hop program.

Evan and the members of the Stephanie Joseph Memorial Fund put on a fantastic show. Like I said to Evan while he was scooping ice cream at Coldstone Creamery for Make-A-Wish a couple of days before the show, it’s great to see a big event like this in Chicago. When I was growing up here, all we ever had were the big tours, so it’s nice to see a different set of skaters showcased, including some of the local athletes. It’s also great to see so many people contributing their time for a good cause.

After the show, every ticketholder was invited to attend an autograph signing, which was a nice touch. Unfortunately, since the show ran late, the signing was also running late. Very late. It was a mob scene in the lobby of the arena and I couldn’t get anywhere near the table for photographs, so Jules and I found a bench and chilled for a while. A long while. We looked at photos on the LCD screen of my camera. I called my mom to tell her that we got Jules’ car back. We sent a lot of text messages.

At about 11:40 p.m., the end of the line was finally approaching the table. Unfortunately, the skaters’ bus had been parked outside of the front door since about 11. Suddenly, one of the organizers came over to the end of the line and announced that the skaters could only stay for a few more minutes, so everyone needed to rush through the line. The reason? The bus driver had to leave by midnight.

The bus, by the way, advertised the following on the side: bar hopping and bachelor/bachelorette parties. The phone number ended in WILD. I don’t think the bus driver was taking them back to their hotel, but regardless of the destination, I guess he was getting impatient.

So while fans clamored toward the table and pushed their programs at athletes brandishing Sharpies, I hopped over some ropes and a barricade of benches and played the media card when I got a few questioning looks. I managed to get some photos, including an amusing sequence of skaters frantically signing t-shirts for the Memorial Fund’s future fundraisers, which were the last things to come through the line. As each skater signed the last shirt, they would peel off the table, some of them breaking into a run as they headed back towards the backstage area.

Of course, organizational issues can be expected, especially for a foundation producing their first ice show. However, aside from a few problems, the show was professionally presented, and it was wonderful to see so many people contribute to the event. I’d love to attend if they have another show in the future.

Preferably without any cars being towed, though.