Champions Grace Harvard Ice Rink

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of “An Evening with Champions,” some of the country’s preeminent ice skaters brought life to the ice at the Bright Hockey Center this weekend.

The event, hosted by former Olympic gold medalists Dick Button and Peggy Fleming, a cancer survivor, donates proceeds to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund, which supports the fight against cancer.

This year’s benefit exhibition—which remains the only skating event for charity organized by college students—featured young talents such as former National Collegiate Champion Jason Wong and resident Harvard student and former Olympic participant Emily A. Hughes ’11.

Eighteen routines were performed on each night, including pairs, dance, synchronized skating, group acts, and solo routines.

Event co-chair Brett M. Giblin ’11 said that he felt the event—which also featured a silent auction and autograph signing session—went smoothly.

“The names who came and donated their time to come and skate did so flawlessly,” Giblin said. “From a viewing standpoint, it was the best show I’ve ever seen, and I think everyone really enjoyed it.”

Giblin does not know how much money this year’s event has raised because donations are still being accepted, but he said that the importance of the charity event goes beyond its financial impact.

“I got to meet one of the Jimmy Fund’s survivors at our opening night reception,” Giblin said. “She decided to speak to us, and it was incredible to see how much this event had meant to her.”

“For this family, [An Evening With Champions] meant the world, because their world was that little girl—and the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber helped save their world,” he added.

An Evening with Champions was founded in 1970 by John M. Petkevich ’71, who would later become a national figure skating champion. Upon seeing the bedridden patients in the children’s cancer ward at Harvard affiliate Children’s Hospital Boston, Petkevich was inspired to make a difference.

Petkevich came up with the idea of a charity ice skating show, which would bring together an impressive roster of skaters and benefit cancer research.

In the past 40 years, the annual ice show has featured over 200 U.S., World, and Olympic champions, and has raised over $2.4 million for charity.

This year’s An Evening with Champions concluded with a pairs duet by cancer survivor Dorothy Hamill, the 1976 Olympic Champion, and Paul Wylie, the 1992 Olympic Silver Medalist.

Special guests who returned for the past weekend’s festivities included Tenley Albright, the 1956 Olympic Champion; Nancy Kerrigan, the 1994 Olympic Silver Medalist; and Sarah Hughes, the 2002 Olympic Gold Medalist.