Top World Skaters Do Their Stuff for Cancer Patients

A lot of unfamiliar faces have invaded Eliot House this weekend, and they're all carrying ice skates--not to skate in the courtyard, but to help raise money for young cancer patients.

Most of North America's top figure skaters have descended upon Cambridge to participate in "An Evening with Champions"--the annual skating show which raises money for research and treatment of children with cancer in Boston.

Since its inception in 1970, the Eliot House show has become the premiere amateur skating exhibition in the United States. At the same time, the show has earned more than $600,000 for the Jimmy Fund, the main fundraising arm of the Harvard-affiliated Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

"It's very prestigious to be invited to come to the Jimmy Fund show, especially for the younger skaters," says the 1986 World Mens' Champion Brian Biotano, who is making his fourth appearance at the annual show.

"Almost every top skater in the past 15 years has participated in our show--before and sometimes, after they became famous," says Carl D. Shannon '87, one of the show's chairmen.

This year's program is no exception. Boitano will be joined by the top American pair skating team, the Canadian women's champion, and several other nationally ranked amateur skaters. Six Harvard students and some younger skaters from the New England area will also get the opportunity to show off their talents.

The skaters will be performing in Bright Center tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Boston public television will be taping the performances for national broadcast later this year.

Great Charity, Great Parties

Although most of the stars of this weekend's show perform in countless exhibitions across the country, many say the Jimmy Fund show is special because of the quality of skaters it attracts and because it's a lot of fun.

"It's a well-known show and very prestigious for skaters to do. It's for a very good cause, and they give great parties afterwards," says Scott Gregory, who won a silver medal in the 1986 American dance competition with his partner Suzanne Seminick.

"Most exhibitions can only afford two or three of us," says Renee Roca, half of the 1986 American ice dancing champion team. "But because the Jimmy Fund is a charity, the whole world team goes. The show's quality level is phenomenal." Roca and her partner Donald Adair have participated in the Jimmy Fund show three times. This year, however, they have had to cancel their appearance because Roca has tendonitis.

Since the skaters are donating their time, the Eliot House organizers go out of their way to make sure that everyone has a good time, says A. Paul Kienzle III '87, the show's co-chairman.

"It's a very fun show," says Gregory who has participated in the show several times over the years with different partners. "It has a really relaxed atmosphere, and Eliot House treats us great."

In addition to the three shows, plans for this weekend include a formal banquet, a sightseeing trip into Boston and several parties including a Saturday night bash for everyone who volunteered to skate or work on the show.

"The skaters really enjoy themselves because they get to let loose a little," Shannon says. "We usually spend all of Sunday's show praying that no one hurts themselves because they drank too much the night before."

"Skating is a really lonely, individualist sport, and we really enjoy the chance to get together and have some fun," says Paul S. Wylie '90, who took fifth place in national competition this year. The Canaday Hall resident will be appearing in the show for the fourth time.

Harvardians for a Weekend

Most of the skaters are housed at Eliot House, cutting down on the show's expenses and allowing performers to meet students and experience a slice of Harvard life.

"We were going to be in some fancy hotel, but I thought it would be nice for her to be with the other kids at Eliot House," says Evelyn Krammer, whose daughter Jessica, age nine, will be skating in tonight's show.

In the past, skaters had been housed solely with Eliot tutors, but this year, the show's organizers offered performers the chance to stay with students, and more than 75 percent of them chose that option. "We're having three skaters in our suite this year. It'll be a great time," Kienzle says.

Eliot House also donates food for the skaters. "The skaters like eating in the dining hall," says Shannon. "They get to meet more students that way." Some of the performers, like Boitano, say they even like the food. "I love the bran muffins."

The skaters are also given an opportunity to visit Dana Farber and meet some of the children who are patients there. "It really helps [the performers] feel they are contributing," says Kienzle. "It's good for the skaters to see what they are skating for. It's really special getting to meet the kids," says Boitano.

"The trip reminds them that this is more than just a skating show and a chance to party," says the show's faculty adviser Ron W. Zeghibe '78, an Eliot House pre-business tutor.

Home Ice Advantage

For Harvard students who skate in the show, the "Evening of Champions" performances offer the chance to return to a world many of them left behind when they entered college.

"It's an exciting show to be a part of because I get to see a lot of my friends from the skating world," says Elise R. Davison '86-87, who turned professional when she came to Harvard. The Eliot House resident will perform tonight.

"I really don't do any other shows now," says Cori S. Krane '87, who will skate in tonight's show.

And for the younger skaters, participating in the Jimmy Fund show is something of a dream come true. "All the skaters are really popular so you get to meet a lot of neat people," says 14-year-old Liane Moscato, a ninth grader from Peabody, who will skate in Sunday's show.

"When you're younger and you see the show on TV, you think to yourself `Wow, some day I'll do that,"' Boitano says.

Student Initiative

The Jimmy Fund show got its start in 1970, when a Harvard junior was hospitalized for an injury, and he met some children receiving treatment for leukemia. Three weeks later, that student, John M. Petkevich '71--who became the 1971 American Men's champion-put together the first "Evening with Champions."

Now the skating show is run almost exclusively by Eliot House students. Approximately 100 students regularly work on the show, and more than half the house gets involved during the weekend of the performances. "It's been a wonderful integrating factor," says Eliot Associate Master Arline G. Heimert. "It really pulls the house together."

The show spends less than $20,000 on overhead costs because almost everything is donated by various sponsors, Shannon says. The Bank of New England supports the show with $20,000 each year to cover start-up costs, so all the money raised through donations and ticket sales goes directly to Dana Farber.

Last year's show raised a record $105,000 for the Jimmy Fund and organizers say they hope to do even better this year.