http://www.usfigureskating.org/Story.asp?id=35432

Michael Weiss Raises $30,000 With Foundation Show
by Amy Rosewater, Special to U.S. Figure Skating Online

Local skater Raya Willoughby opened the show.
Photo copyright Andrea Chempinski
(9/12/06) - Raya Willoughby had an important skating competition the
morning of Sept. 9, so the 10-year-old juvenile skater performed her
routine in Philadelphia at the Challenge Cup in the morning. Then
she and her family bolted the rink as soon as possible.

Several hours later, she still had no idea where she had placed in
the event, as her group was still competing when she left.

That's because she was going to open the Second U.S. and World
Figure Skating Champions Live event at SkateQuest in Reston, Va. She
received a special invite from three-time U.S. champion Michael
Weiss, who headlines the show and donates the proceeds to young
Olympic hopefuls. Willoughby, who lives in Leesburg, Va., and trains
in Reston, wasn't about to miss this – especially when she found out
the cast included so many U.S., World and Olympic skaters.

"I was just spellbound," said Willoughby, who was sitting with her
parents, Betsy and Paul, and grandmother Sheila Rosenthal (who came
down from Long Island) moments after the show. "I got to meet a lot
of the skaters. Dan Hollander was very, very nice, and Michael was a
lot of fun. It was just great."

Willoughby is just the kind of skater the show is meant to benefit.
With approximately 1,000 people in attendance, Weiss raised about
$30,000 for his foundation.

Before and after the show, a silent auction was held to help raise
more money for the foundation. Auction items included everything
from an ice skate autographed by Emily and Sarah Hughes to spa
treatments. Last year, the first time Weiss organized the show, he
raised $28,000.

Even though the show took place in a local rink, it featured enough
marquee names to have been played in a large arena. The show's cast
featured 10 Olympians and could have rivaled many of the
professional tours.

Perhaps even more impressive is that all of the skaters donated
their time to the Michael Weiss Foundation. And some of the skaters,
like two-time U.S. pairs champions Rena Inoue & John Baldwin, flew
in all the way from California to skate.

"We do this show because we're such great friends with Mike," said
Baldwin, who has known Weiss since 1987. "This isn't about money."

Inoue and Baldwin have been busy with several benefit shows this
summer, including one a week before the Weiss show in San Francisco.
Now, Baldwin said, he and Inoue are going to be in full training
mode for the upcoming competitive season. The duo that made history
by becoming the first pairs team to land a throw triple Axel in
competition will compete in its first Grand Prix of the 2006-07
season at Skate America, Oct. 26-29 in Hartford, Conn.

"We're excited to get back to the competitive aspect," Baldwin
said. "You'll absolutely see the triple Axel, but a quad throw will
be later, not yet."

At SkateQuest, however, the skaters weren't too concerned about
triples and quads. The focus was on having fun and entertaining the
fans – about 200 of whom were sitting right on the ice. There were
stands on one side of the rink, so Weiss decided to add the on-ice
seats this year.

If any of the skaters waited too long to enter a jump, they would
have landed in a fan's lap.

Weiss, for one, used the on-ice seating as part of his choreography.
At one point, during his `70s disco number, he sprayed a delighted
fan with ice.


Michael Weiss entertains the crowd with a disco number.
Photo copyright Andrea Chempinski
The afternoon began with Willoughby, who was billed in the program
as "Only 10 years old – 2014 Olympic hopeful!" She was followed by
Armin Mahbanoozadeh, the novice men's winner at last month's North
American Challenge Skate in Pittsburgh and a Michael Weiss
Foundation award winner, Ashley Deavers and Amanda Loyd.

Then came the heavy hitters. Christine Zukowski, the 2006 World
Junior bronze medalist and a former Michael Weiss Foundation
recipient, got the crowd going with her rendition of the Go-Go's
hit "Our Lips Are Sealed."

Zukowski, who was born in 1989, admitted she didn't have much memory
of the 1980s pop hit.

"I was looking for a song on my iPod that was 2:37 seconds and I
found it," said Theresa Zukowski, Christine's mom. "It was perfect."

Zukowski, who placed sixth at the 2006 State Farm U.S.
Championships, will make her senior Grand Prix debut this season in
Paris at Trophe Eric Bompard. She was followed by 2005 World Junior
ice dancing champions Morgan Matthews & Max Zavozin, who train in
nearby Ashburn, Va.

Silvia Fontana, a two-time Olympian and five-time Italian champion
was next. Introduced as "The Italian Goddess," she got the crowd
going with a Latin dance number. Midway through her routine, the
music stopped. She tried to skate a little more in hopes that the
music would come back on, but then paused.

Later in the show, she was re-introduced and finished her routine,
playing up to the cheering crowd.

Dan Hollander, a two-time U.S. bronze medalist who has made a
professional career by entertaining crowds with his humorous
routines, had the crowd roaring when he stepped out next wearing a
nun's habit. "Sister Mary Hollander" later was transformed
into "Lady In A Blue Dress," complete with a wig and royal blue
sequins.

Watching Hollander rinkside and waiting to skate her routine, 2006
Olympian Emily Hughes couldn't help but laugh. "I have to follow
this?" she asked.

Hughes did exactly that. Wearing a black and silver unitard, Hughes
skated to Tina Turner's "Proud Mary." She performed a Charlotte into
a layback spin, a move which she hopes to include in her programs
this year.


Emily Hughes
Photo copyright Andrea Chempinski
"I'm trying to make it faster and more impressive," she said.

The show continued with elegant performances by Inoue and Baldwin,
five-time U.S. ice dancing champions Naomi Lang and Peter
Tchernyshev, six-time U.S. champion Todd Eldredge and three-time
U.S. pairs champions Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman.

"It was fun," said Eldredge, who skated a new program to a song by
Blake Shelton called "Goodbye Time." "We were all in the same
situation those kids were in, needing help paying for training
expenses. Now we've all been more fortunate with touring and money-
making endeavors."

Eldredge knows all too well how difficult it is to keep up with
skating expenses. The son of a fisherman, Eldredge's family made
many sacrifices over the years, and even his hometown of Chatham,
Mass., held fundraisers to keep his skating career afloat.

Although Eldredge and Weiss were on-ice competitors for years, they
maintained a strong friendship off the ice. Eldredge even helped
Weiss prepare for the 2006 U.S. Championships. This year, both will
skate in Stars on Ice and will appear together in a few nationally
televised shows.

"It's kind of funny, because most of the time all the rivalries you
see in the media are just that – media driven," Eldredge said. "When
we would go out on the ice we'd want to skate our best. But in the
locker room afterward, we'd joke around."

Weiss did most of the joking around when it was his turn to skate.
Sporting an afro wig and groovy sunglasses, Weiss hammed it up for
the crowd with triple Lutzes, fast spins and boogie dancing. Right
after his routine, he grabbed the microphone, and even though he was
half out of breath, he thanked the crowd and the skaters.

In the finale, he performed his trademark spread eagle on his heels
and a back flip.

"I still love skating," said Weiss, who retired from competitive
skating at the end of last season. "And I still love performing.
This is fun because it was for a great cause, too."

http://www.usfigureskating.org/Story.asp?id=35432