'An Evening With Champions' To Present 30th Annual Ice Show This Weekend

October 14, 1999

SEARCH THE GAZETTE

HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

Skater Paul Wylie ’90-91, the 1992 Olympic Silver Medalist, will host the 30th annual "An Evening With Champions" figure skating exhibition to benefit the Jimmy Fund Oct. 15-16 at Bright Hockey Center.

Wylie will be joined by a slate of amateur and professional talent including: Irina Slutskaya (1998 World Silver Medalist), Maya Usova and Evgeny Platov (1998 World Professional Dance Champions), Naomi Lang and Peter Tchernyshev (1999 U.S. national dance champions), Yulia Soldatova (1999 World Bronze Medalist), Naomi Nari Nam (1999 U.S. Silver Medalist), Danielle and Steve Hartsell (1999 U.S. National Champions), Trifun Zivanovic (1999 U.S. Silver Medalist), Ryan Bradley (1999 U.S. Junior National Champion), and Dan Hollander (1996 and 1997 U.S. Bronze Medalist).

"An Evening With Champions" began in 1970 when John Misha Petkevich, then a junior at Harvard, visited Children’s Hospital in Brookline for a routine check on his knees. He was moved to help the children in some way, especially those suffering from cancer. Petkevich took his idea of a skating benefit to the Jimmy Fund, founded in 1948 to raise funds for the fight against children’s cancer. Ten days later, with the help of Eliot House and the Jimmy Fund, he pulled together a star-studded lineup of skaters for an exhibition to benefit the Jimmy Fund.

In its 30 years the show has featured national and international skating champions as well as younger, upcoming skaters from the New England area. Some of the stars who have lent prestige to the event include Oksana Baiul, Dorothy Hamill, Scott Hamilton, Nancy Kerrigan, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle Kwan, and Tara Lipinski. Since its inception, "An Evening With Champions" has donated more than $2 million to the Jimmy Fund.

Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15, and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children and senior citizens. Group rates are also available. Tickets may be purchased by calling (617) 493-8172. For more information and an update of the performers roster, visit the Website at http://www.digitas.harvard.edu/~ewc.