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PAGE 12 â€" WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESOAY. FEBRUARY 23 7 ‘ #. 0j C ie S t 5 l ;e ' & . : . us _ wmak .. A dream world within reach Jim Sorochan and Irene Ewell Melodee Martinuk Chronicle Staff Friday evening. The final curâ€" tain has dropped on this night‘s performance of the Ice Capades; the crowds have departed and anxious maintenance men hurry to begin the long process of cleaning the empty arena â€" or almost empty arena, because this eveâ€" ning, despite the lateness of the hour, a group of young people gather at ice edge for what may be a turning point in their lives. For them this night is special because it is on Fridays, after the evening performance, that Ice Capades hold special auditions for young skaters wishing to join the show. In fact, it is through these auditions, which are held in every stop on its tour, that Ice Capades discovered most of the skaters who form its corps de ballet, the line skaters. This time around there are 17 local skaters taking part in the tryâ€"outs; they perform basic skatâ€" ing steps, are taught a complex line routine which is typical of what is done in a show; some pick it up quickly, others don‘t. When the audition is over almost an hour and a half later, nine have made the grade. Of course, passing the audition doesn‘t mean they have a job, but it does mean that when a position opens up, they do have a chance at Irene Ewell and Jim Sorochan are two Torontoâ€"area skaters who broke into the Ice Capades through the special auditions. They are line skaters, two of the 35â€"0râ€"so skaters who perform the precisionâ€"skating routines which are the core of the ice show. it Which explains why there may be a couple of local skaters on the ice when Ice Capades next returns to Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo. Both had competed at the amaâ€" teur level prior to joining the Ice Capades and neither skater reâ€" grets his/her decision to become a professional skater. "At the beginning I had a few regrets and wished I could be back competing, but I‘m having a good time now â€" I‘m aleays learning new things about skating, I‘m travelling and meeting new peoâ€" ple," said the 21â€"yearâ€"old Soroâ€" chan, who joined the show at the "For the first half of the tour I was under a lot of pressure, there were a lot of adjustments to make and they have to be made quickâ€" ly," Sorochan said. *You have to get used to being a part of a family with 90 members, living with them 24 hours a day and working with them. You‘ve got to get used to moving around constantly, living your life out of two suitcases and a trunk." #* start of this season. But, they agree, joining the Ice Capades means a lot of adjustâ€" ments for any skater, both personâ€" ally and as a skater. "If you love skating this is the place to be," added Ewell, a fourâ€"year veteran of Ice Cap_adgs. Perhaps even more critical, though, are the changes which have to be made in skating techâ€" nique. ‘"When you are competing, you‘re either skating alone or with a partner. Here, you‘ve got to get used to skating with 35 other people on ice, you‘ve got to get used to skating around in costume, and that‘s not easy," he exâ€" plained. Skaters new to the Ice Capades have only a threeâ€"week training period in which to learn their routines before they are put into the show. Once they are performâ€" ing, there is a fourâ€"week probation period before they are officially hired. ‘"You‘ve got to put on a show and be out there every day," he said. **People think its easy, that all we do is go out there and skate for a few minutes, but that‘s not true. We‘re always on the go. When we‘re not on ice, we‘re back stage preparing to go on again.‘‘ In the current tour line skaters perform six numbers, which means they are skating 45 minutes out of the show‘s twoâ€"andâ€"aâ€"half hours. After being with the tour for almost one season, Sorochan strenuously disagrees with anyone who says that competitive skating is more demanding than being with a professional ice show. Sorochan and Ewell also emphaâ€" sized that just because a skater starts with Ice Capades in the corps de ballet, that doesn‘t mean it is the end of the line for his or her career â€" many skaters, such as current stars Terry Pagano and Toni Paul, have moved through the ranks to become principle skaters with the show. .