Skip Happens Podcast - Every Boot Has a Story!

From Rinks To Road Trip Adventures With A Disney On Ice Pro

• Skip Clark

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SPEAKER_01:

Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Inner Harbor cast, which is part of 92.1 The Wolf. My name is Skip Clark, and uh today we're talking and taking this podcast uh straight to the ice because I absolutely love this. I love this show each and every year when it comes through. Uh, joining me is Disney on ice performer. Is it Gwyneth Satar? Is that how you say it?

SPEAKER_00:

It's Gwyneth Sutter. Yeah. Oh, you almost got it. I got it close.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, names are always the worst. But uh, and uh a skater who literally grew up on the rank, started at the age of two, and comes from a family of skating rock stars, uh, is now out there bringing uh pure Disney magic to audiences all around the world. As you can see, she's got uh the drive, the talent, the sparkle. And I'm sure she's got the stories, uh, tour life, training, fashion, fitness, the characters, the crowds, all of it. And trust me, she brings energy every time she steps on onto the ice. So let's do this. And here she is, Gwyneth uh Disney on ice. She's right here. There you are.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for having me. I'm excited here.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Are you uh where are you right now? Are you on the road or you at home?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I actually uh we are just right now in Allentown, so I'm really close. I live in New Jersey, and I'm just went home for a little class.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, right a little bit. So uh for people that are meeting you for the first time, um, tell us uh who you are. Well, basically we know who you are, but what do you do with Disney on ice?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so I am an ensemble skater, and I get to be in numerous numbers in the show. And um, you might spot me somewhere in the Lion King, but that's different. So it might be over there in that number, but no, I get to be a part of every single number in the show, which is really cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow, so you're pretty busy compared to some of the other skaters. You're like out there for and you know, getting involved in all the different, I guess, skits or the the routines that they do. Uh, how many costume changes would that be?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh, I would say I have four. Um, you know, as like each show is a little bit different depending on what um they need us for. There could be more up to like six or seven, even depending on what you're in. But yeah, really cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, a couple of shows in a day. That I mean, you're like really busy. Uh so your mom was a skater. Did I read that right? Your mom was an ice skater. Yeah. Your aunt has performed or performs with Disney on ice. Yes. How much did your family between your mom and your aunt um shape your love for skating?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's actually like a really cool story. Um, I grew up skating at two because my mom, obviously, and my aunt, their sisters, were skaters their whole lives. And I grew up watching my aunt in Disney on ice since she's quite older than me, about like 15 years older. And I would go to every show, watch her, and be like, oh, I really want to do that. And when she had time, she would come home from tour on her little breaks and take me to the rink. She would give give me lessons, coach me. And I was just really excited. Like, I always loved that show aspect of being able to travel and being able to go like visit my mom and all that cool thing. And then when I turned 18, I was like, I want to apply for Disney on ice. This is like what I want to do. I know that's what I want to do. And I heard back that year and was able to get on a show. Uh, obviously, there's um our show is a road trip adventures. So I got put on that show four years ago, and I've been here ever since. And she still skates as well for Disney, but she's um obviously different show. But we have been had the opportunity to work together in like the past years as well, which is like a dream come true for me.

SPEAKER_01:

So, have you been in Syracuse before? I have never played Syracuse, no, yeah, because they have different shows, they go to different areas, of course.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. This one's yeah, this one is closer to home.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, you um, you know, growing up, I I mean, I have three daughters and they were all figure skaters, and they joined the local figure skating club, they competed, they did all that. Yeah, I would assume you did that as well.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I wasn't so much competitive. I did do like when I was way younger, some competitions, but I just wanted to have fun with skating and like show off my tricks and what I could do. And I didn't it competing made me nervous. I was like, oh, but yes, no, definitely a thing.

SPEAKER_01:

You were also Gwyneth, you are also a part of a modeling campaign. I I I made all sorts of notes here.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, wow.

SPEAKER_01:

The American Dream Mall ice rink. Yeah, wow.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I'm actually right um by there now. Um, but yeah, it was a really cool opportunity. We got to shoot a commercial for the brand and got to model some of their clothing in this giant ice rink. It was yeah, really cool experience.

SPEAKER_01:

Who would it would you say your aunt is or your mom the biggest role models for you um during your journey?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, and I have to include my grandmother because she was the one that took me to all the practices, which is obviously their mother, and so my grandmother. Yeah, and she was like made sure I got to skating on time and any of like the extracurriculars that involved uh the ballet and the uh gym and like all those things that went into it. It was very much her. I'm gonna take her there and make sure she this is all what you do is a lot of dancing, correct?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, a lot of choreography, yes, exactly. So you must be like you have to work out every day, you gotta stay fit. There's a lot that goes into that, correct?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, no, a hundred percent. My mother is a like gym personal trainer, so she was able to like, all right, we're gonna go to the gym these days, do these workouts, and like your legs, we're gonna work, we're gonna do this, we're gonna do that.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. Yeah, um, you know, outside of doing what you do, what would you say would be some of your um, you know, your life goals?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, life goals.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I ask I ask weird questions, and I apologize for that, but I'd like to take interviews like a little bit of a different direction.

SPEAKER_00:

No, I I enjoy. Um, I say, like I want to be able to get to as many like places to travel, as many places as I can. I think that's like this company allows me to do that to be able to see the entire world. So I think that's a really big one. Um I don't know, like my biggest goal in life obviously was Disney on ice. That was my what I dreamed of, my whole, you know.

SPEAKER_01:

So, how are we gonna recognize you? If I go to the show and I take my grandkids or I take my daughters and their kids, obviously grandkids. Uh, how are we gonna recognize you?

SPEAKER_00:

I was gonna say, I don't know. There's a lot of us out there, there's no like specific, unless I'm like, oh, I'm in this number and this number, but your electrical numbers, yeah. I mean, like almost all of them, and sometimes different ones.

SPEAKER_01:

When you travel with Disney on ice, um, they put you on buses and then they take you to where you gotta go. And how many, how many would you say is involved with the cast?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh, there's just about over six, just six over sixty of us on the bus. Yeah. So we have the cast and the crew, but together we're almost a hundred people together. But yeah, it's amazing. We have buses and sometimes even flights to places that we need to go.

SPEAKER_01:

What do you enjoy most about being involved with Disney on ice? Is it the crowd?

SPEAKER_00:

I love the crowd. I mean, seeing everyone's faces light up in the audience and this just the kids getting so excited. Um, there's this really cool thing about our show. We have a lot of interactive moments that the other shows don't have. So we get to pull people out of the audience and they'll be like different. We have this uh Magic Mobile that rides out on the ice with the Mickey Mini, Donald, and Goofy, and we get to pick families to go on side inside the Magic Mobile, and they get to experience like the ice skating right there in front of them. So I think that's like one of my favorite moments is being able to pick someone and put them on and seeing the reactions because they don't know what's coming.

SPEAKER_01:

So right, right. Is that that's what's gonna happen with the show when you come into town?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yep, exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

So it's very interactive. Yes, I love it. Yeah, yeah, wait for the run of the show. Um, yeah, what do you what do you hope that audiences feel and understand when they watch your performance?

SPEAKER_00:

I hope they're just like really excited. Um, not everyone gets to go to Disney World, and sometimes this is their Disney World to them. And seeing all the characters all at once, not everyone gets that when they go to one of the parks. You rarely see every single character, so being able to bring seven stories together in just like two hours, it is, is really, really cool.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, um, just a little inside info. I used to operate a Zamboni.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Um yeah, that's my side of performing on the ice. Yeah. After hours, I'd be doing uh donuts with the Zamboni on the ice. But no, but you joined Feld Entertainment back in 22. So obviously, as you mentioned earlier, you've been with them for a little bit. Um, you know, what do you remember about that audition process? Well, you mentioned that it was pretty much you were a shoe-in, I guess. You had the connections.

SPEAKER_00:

I had connections for sure. Yeah, yeah. But it was definitely it took months to hear answer back for like response. But um, I had to submit a basically a couple minute video of all the skating skills I had and choreography and like just fun things that represented my personality and who I was, and um the casting got to look at it and decide. But it took like lots of emailing back and forth to like see what they wanted and what if what they liked.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, do you get to um when you do the shows, do you not only bring in the uh the audience onto the ice or being very interactive in that way, but do you hang out afterwards and say hello to people or anything like that? Or they kind of keep you once you're done, you're done, get changed, get cleaned up, and move.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean, unless like family is there, we have some of those, yeah, of course. But usually we get we back on the bus or back to the hotel, and it's like no.

SPEAKER_01:

Do you have a coach that goes with you for you? Do you have somebody, or is it no?

SPEAKER_00:

No, no, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Because I remember back in the day with my my daughters, they all had their coaches, and whenever they went somewhere, the coach would be right there by their sides. Yeah, yeah, what is um your favorite Disney character to skate to or watch?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, my favorite one.

SPEAKER_01:

You gotta love Disney.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I love no, I do love. Um, I'm gonna go like both ways. I like princess-wise, I'm a big Rapunzel fan. I really love Rapunzel. Love it. Um, but if I had to go like the other way, the Lion King is amazing. There's so many colors, so many animals, so much interaction with the it's like watching the actual play or the movie. They'll come out on the sides and walk down the aisles, and it's really, really cool.

SPEAKER_01:

That's cool. I love the bet. You see, that if I go to these shows, I love watching what you do and the state behind the ice, but I also watch all the lights and how everything is produced and put together. To me, you know, that point of view, I love the production aspect of that.

SPEAKER_00:

So, yeah, there's so much that goes into it.

SPEAKER_01:

It is what's your go-to snack when you know you know on your performance days?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I love healthy food, so I'd say like carrots and hummus, or even like a popcorn. I love popcorn, pretzels, anything like yogurt, all the healthy stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

You've toured internationally as well. You were in Canada, I know. So that's good. You went to Canada, you performed in Canada.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yeah. We've been we've been international actually for three years. So this is our first time back in the States since it's been a while.

SPEAKER_01:

Love it. And uh, what's one thing that we need to look forward to when we go to the show here in a few weeks?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh, I just say the most important is those interactive moments, like just look out for any opportunity you get to be able to come and be uh front row watching on the ice. I think that's really, really special.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I I can tell you love what you do. I can tell by the smile on your face, your personality. I think it's everything about you that uh, you know, this has been a dream of yours. I think this is probably what you want to do for the rest of your life. Have you thought though? Let me ask, have you thought about Gwyneth? Have you thought about competing or doing like couples dance or anything like that down the road? Or this is gonna be, you know, what you do?

SPEAKER_00:

I yeah, none of that. I mean, I've just yeah, no, I've always just like I loved fashion, so in the there's always like opportunity maybe I could incorporate skating with fashion and make very cool like a brand of some sort that's always been in my brain of like fashion designing, but for skating clothes.

SPEAKER_01:

So no, why not? I think that's a great thing too. That's another opportunity. If you weren't uh in Disney on ice or figure skating or skating in general, what do you think you would be doing?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I honestly probably somewhere in the fashion world, like New York City, very much in I don't I don't know exactly what, but something along the lines of business. Yeah, because I have thoughts about it, like even being an ice skater for Disney of what I could do with clothing to add to skating, like all the time.

SPEAKER_01:

So I can tell you what if I'm gonna be in the stands yelling out your name, so you know my grandkids yell too, and it's going to be amazing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, maybe we can even get you close to the ice. Let me know.

SPEAKER_01:

Let me know where you're out. Exactly. But it's such an honor to speak with you. You're very talented. I know it's a great show. We uh not only here, but I think everywhere that Disney on ice goes with Feld Entertainment, it is so welcomed, and uh this is what we need. We need to smile, we need to be happy, we need to enjoy the music and have a good time. I want to say thank you, taking a few minutes out of your time. I know you probably got a busy day, got a lot going on. Uh we've got shopping to do. Let's just be rude.

SPEAKER_00:

Don't worry, I just I've done that, but yeah, you can do that on the road now.

SPEAKER_01:

You just get on the phone or the computer and you're good to go.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. Uh Gwen asked, is it Setter?

SPEAKER_00:

Yep, you got it. I got it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Because to be honest with you, I stink at names, but uh setter with Disney on ice. Uh we'll be looking for you. Uh, you said you're in almost every show, everything that's going on on that ice. So it's great exercise, too.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

But thanks for thanks for coming on. I know in uh in the comments I'm gonna put everything down about the show and what it's gonna be. And uh we're gonna see you there. I can't wait. Uh so much for talking.

SPEAKER_00:

No, appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me.

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Skip Clark

Host