Eliot House Hosts Annual Ice Skating Show, Cancer Fundraiser

Glittering costumes, national skating stars and a performer dressed like Austin Powers were among the highlights of the 31st annual Evening with Champions, an ice skating exhibition benefiting cancer research which took place at the Bright Hockey Center this weekend.

The show included a mixture of local talent and world-class stars, including 1994 Olympic gold medalist Alexei Urmanov.

Paul Wylie '91, the 1992 Olympic silver medalist, hosted all three performances for the 17th consecutive year.

Wylie cited both his parents' battles with cancer and his residency in Eliot House as a Harvard student as reasons he keeps returning to host the show.

"It's the ones who don't make it that encourage me to come back," he said of children with cancer.

Audience members cheered loudest for Scott Davis, a two-time U.S. national champion who performed to a rock version of "The Star Spangled Banner," and Jennifer Kirk, a hometown skater with Olympic aspirations.

Though not all seats were filled at the Saturday afternoon performance, the local amateur skaters and renowned professionals drew hearty applause from the crowd.

"It's an opportunity to see great skaters up close and personal," said Beth Kirsch, who brought her daughter to the show for the third year in a row.

The planning for the event began in April when eight executive members and two co-chairs were elected to the Eliot House Jimmy Fund Committee.

Evening with Champions has been an annual Eliot House tradition since John Misha Petkevich '71 started it in 1970.

The money raised from the shows will go to the Jimmy Fund at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, which finances cancer research and treatment.

Evening With Champions co-chairs Allan W. Tulloch'03 and Kristine A. Knuti '03 said they were pleased with the final lineup of skaters. But the preparation was not easy, they added.

"A big challenge was staying motivated," Tulloch said. "But when the performance finally goes up, it's awesome."

The co-chairs worked from 50 to 80 hours a week over the summer, said executive manager Tracy F. Coogan '03.

The skaters were happy to participate because "it's a good cause," Davis said.

The two co-chairs said their goal was not just to raise money but to bring the community together and demonstrate compassion, Tulloch said.

Knuti added that she was motivated to help produce Evening with Champions because her brother had died of cancer.

Over the years, Evening with Champions has raised over $2 million for the Jimmy Fund.

This year's event was expected to draw 6,000 spectators and raise $100,000, Knuti said. Final figures will be released this week.

Both Tulloch and Knuti said they had enjoyed working towards this weekend.

After the last performance, "I'll be relieved but also feel there's something missing in my life," Knuti said.

"I'll be able to go to classes again," Tulloch joked.