Freeway - The Ice Show

The Ice Show

It´s not about ice hockey, as you could believe. It´s about the yearly ice show. It´s like a theatre on ice and it´s about a well-known story.

Butterflies on ice

Figure-skating in Örnsköldsvik
Most people don´t know so much about figure-skating. It´s a sport which is almost forgotten. Here in Sweden, in Örnsköldsvik, the figure-skating is famous because one of the figure-skaters, Malin Hållberg-Leuf, is one of the best figure-skaters in Sweden. She is a Swedish champion. The figure-skating is also famous in Örnsköldsvik because the club every year has a big ice show. Before the show it´s hard work for both parents and skaters. Because everything must be ready before the show begins. The club in Örnsköldsvik is called ÖKK, Örnsköldsviks figure-skating club. Everyone in the club, ÖKK is active. In the club there are children from four years old and up to twenty eight-years old.

The biggest show
The ice show in Örnsköldsvik is probably the biggest ice show over the years in Sweden. It´s not ordinary figureskating which is shown, it´s a show on ice, a theatre on ice. The show is divided in two parts. One for the children and one adapted to the older teenagers and the adults. The first part that is for the children is about a well-known story or a Disney film. The suits are so dexterously made that you could feel that they are directly from the story or the film. Earlier the ice show has acted about Peter Pan, Harry Potter, Barbie, Shrek, Pippi Longstocking, Finding Nemo and Pinoccio. In the other part that is for the older teenangers and the adults there are violence and surprises.
Disney on ice

Well-known figure-skaters
About twenty ice hockey guys are also active in the show and try figure-skating. The guys fly over the ice with much enthusiasm. Other figure-skaters from other parts of Sweden also come and they are active in the show. A well-known figure-skater here in Sweden has been active in the show, his name is Kristoffer Berntsson, and he is a Swedish champion. He has been active in the World Championships. Angelica and Niklas who belong to the best junior pairs of the world have also been active in the ice show. Of course our own Swedish champion Malin Hållberg-Leuf is also active in the show.

Hard work
Before the ice show it´s hard work for many people. There are many parents who toil hard and work over time (and a little bit more). They work with side-scenes and suits. The coaches do the programs. More than 150 skaters train a lot on the ice. Everything must be ready and well prepared. In total it takes 10 000 man hours to prepare the whole show. Four performances are given because then more people will come. During the ice show about 8000-9000 people came to look at the show.

Interview with the head coach, Kate Tjällman.

How long has the club been active?
- Örnsköldsviks Konståkningsklubb, ÖKK, started the acitivity in 1970.

How did the club start?
- From the very beginning the figure-skating started in the early 50's in a club called Örnsköldsviks Sportklubb, ÖSK. One of the leaders in ÖSK was arranging an international hockey game. He wanted to entertain the audience and therefore he invited some advanced figure-skaters from Stockholm to give a show between the games. This turned out to be a big success. The hockey leader then invited the coach from Stockholm, who instructed some interested girls as well as the hockey leader.The interest was grew quickly and the figure-skating section was then started. The reason for leaving ÖSK in 1970 was that all money that the section for figure-skating earned by lotteries etc. was used by the hockey section.

Which is the biggest success in the club?
- ÖKK has been very successful throughout the years. In all ÖKK has collected 12 medals in the Swedish Championships, where of two gold medals. We have also won some European international competitions. One of the girls has taken part in the European Championship.

When was the first ice show?
- The yearly ice-shows in the shape of today, started on a small scale in 1976.
From year to year there haa been big progress. The first years you could see a mix of different ideas, without any read thread.

Compare the ice show then with the ice show today, which is the difference?
- The shows of today consist of two different parts. One is more aimed for the small children and is mostly built on a famous fairy-tail. Very often the stories are fairy-tails that newly have been shown on TV or film, which makes them very interesting and popular.

The second part is adjusted to teens and adults. Sometimes the story is built on famous films. Sometimes the story is built on a special theme and has been called "Movies on ice", "Colours on ice", "Time on ice" etc.

Everything around the show is more professional today. The costumes are much more advanced, the lighting plant is very exclusive, the sound is of good quality. The choreography is also very professional compared to the start. From the start there were no scenes on the ice. Today the scenes are really adjusted to the different stories and is thus shifted between the two stories.

How much does the club work for the ice show?
- The ideas for the story, the costumes and the scenes are created by the coaches. Then the parents build the scenes and sew all the costumes. There is also a lot of work with advertisement and sponsorships combined to the show. The total work is huge. It starts in December and goes on until the show in the end of April, more than four intensive months. It is hard to count the working time used. The time has been estimated to be about 7.000 man hours. During every show around 90 persons are working with the arrangements around the show.

How much does the ice show cost?
- As the show is getting more and more advanced, the expences are getting higher and higher. All work from coaches and parents and skaters are on a free basis. The costs for costumes, rental of ice, scenes, lights and advertisements are really big, more than 150 000 SEK.

Has the ice show developed positive?
- The interest in the show is growing. From an audience consisting of 50 persons at the start, the number for the last year was 9 000 persons. This big audience means that the club nowadays has to give four shows in one weekend compared to one from the very start.

What do you think the ice show means to the audience?
- The steadily increasing number means that the audience likes what it gets. Many people come back each year. This is the biggest show arranged in Örnsköldsvik if you look to the audience.

What does the ice show mean to the club?
- There are three big issues for the club with the show. One is the big and positive publicity. Another necessary thing is to get some money to the club. One issue is to collect new members among the young audience. All three issues are fulfilled every year.