On April 3, 1999, Rosalynn Sumners skated for the final time with Discover Card's Stars On Ice presented by Smuckers, ending a 13-year career with the tour. When it started in 1986, it was known as Scott Hamilton's America tour.....and had only five tour stops.
From its humbled beginnings, this tour grew and grew and grew......and has become one of the most entertaining tours in the world. Even Ice Capades and Disney's World On Ice really don't come close to SOI....IMHO!!!!! :-)
For Roz, the final night in Portland, Maine with SOI was a night of mixed emotions. And Annabelle, my email friend from Connecticut, sent me the following.
"The woman who sings "After All These Years" was there in person to sing it as Roz skated...a beautiful touch. Roz went out skating her best...did her gorgeous double axel!!!...and ended her touring career on a very high note. Thunderous standing ovation for her....I was on ice (front row level) to the right of the skaters entrance and got to see her choking back her tears and blowing kisses up close. She hugged and kissed her fiance (Bob Kain) and also Paul Wylie and Kurt Browning.
"At the end of the show, Scott (Hamilton) spoke quite a bit about her....I was so busy snapping photos I don't remember any of the words but one thing he said that stuck with me was that he didn't know how he was going to be able to do the show without her. Roz spoke also.....(both of them very emotional....voices cracking) and again I concentrated on the photo-taking. Oh, before they spoke the men in the cast lifted Roz and skated around a bit holding her in the air.....really neat."
NEED I SAY MORE????? If you were at the Portland show and would like to add your two cents worth, email me at wiseowl82@yahoo.com and I'll post it ASAP.
My Favorite Web Sites
Angelfire - Free Home Pages
A Salute To Rosalynn Sumners
