Quick Summary
Main focus: documenting and experiencing the Gliding Stars spring show and banquet, producing a COMM 406 news package about the event, and reflecting on the emotional ending of the skating season before shifting focus fully toward the website rebuild.
Show Day
After hearing about the spring show for months, show day had finally arrived.
I showed up at Mercyhurst Ice Center early Saturday morning along with many of the volunteers and organizers. I believe setup started around 8 a.m., which was definitely early for me, even though I only live a few minutes away from Mercyhurst.
When I arrived, everyone was already moving.
There were donuts, coffee, conversations about the setup plan, and people immediately getting to work transforming the rink.
At first, I thought I would mostly just help physically wherever needed—which I absolutely made myself available for—but I quickly realized that most volunteers already had very established roles and routines from doing this for years.
So my role naturally became two things:
- helping wherever extra hands were needed
- and documenting the process itself
That second part became especially important to me because apparently nobody had really documented the setup process in depth before.
I started realizing that even setup itself could become valuable storytelling content:
- volunteers working together
- transforming the rink
- preparing decorations
- building excitement behind the scenes
It also reinforced something I had already been noticing throughout the internship: people are much more likely to volunteer when they can actually see the joy, community, and atmosphere they are becoming part of.
Transforming the Ice Center
One of the coolest parts of the morning was watching Mercyhurst Ice Center slowly transform into the show venue.
The black curtains covered in stars completely changed the atmosphere of the rink and made the space feel much more theatrical and magical.
Setup actually moved faster this year thanks to new curtain pieces that wrapped around the rink boards. Those had been provided by local Elvis impersonator—and Linda Althof’s partner—Kurt Nova.
That was another thing I loved about this experience: there were constantly little local-community connections and stories everywhere.
Throughout the day, I also continued meeting new people involved with the organization.
One of those people was Alex Siford, the organization’s new treasurer.
I also met Betsey and Chris Gotham, who help manage equipment for the organization and recognized me from playing on stage at my church.
That kept happening throughout the internship in general: the Erie community suddenly started feeling much smaller than I realized.
Preparing to Cover the Show
Once setup was mostly complete, everyone went home for a short break before returning later in the afternoon to finish preparing for the evening performance.
When I came back around 5 p.m., the atmosphere had completely shifted again.
The rink was finished. The lights were different. Families were arriving. The audience was building. And the adrenaline was definitely starting to kick in.
This was also when I recorded my stand-up for the COMM 406 news package I was producing about the show.
Because I had already spent weeks documenting practices and interviewing organizers, I wanted the final package to feel authentic and emotionally grounded rather than simply reporting surface-level details.
Here is the final script from my news package:
Story about Gliding Stars Ice Show
((Track))
Gliding Stars of Erie brings together more than 70 skaters each year for what becomes the biggest moment of their season. But for many of them, this performance is about more than just skating. Gliding Stars of Erie is an adaptive ice skating program for individuals with disabilities. Skaters spend months practicing—building skills that lead up to tonight’s show they’re calling an “Ice Dancin’ Party”.
((SOT))
Linda Althof, Executive Director
They work so hard for this moment to shine in front of their family and friends, and the community. It’s more than we could ever dream of.
((Track))
Throughout the season, volunteers work one-on-one with skaters—helping them gain confidence and independence on the ice. For many, that progress is visible from the very first time they step into the rink.
((SOT))
Linda
They start out with a lot of adaptive equipment—walkers. And then, by the end of the season, a lot of them are taking off the walkers, and they’re ready to go.
((Track))
That growth is on full display tonight, as skaters perform in front of a packed crowd of family and friends. Behind the scenes, organizers coordinate everything from music to logistics—making sure the night runs smoothly.
((SOT))
Derrick Divell, Vice President & Volunteer
It takes a lot to get the show together. Everybody works well together here.
((Track))
For families in the audience, the show is more than entertainment—it’s a chance to see how far their skaters have come.
((SOT))
Linda
And parents have said to me, you know, “never did I think I’d be sitting there watching my ‘handicapable’ child do something that my typical kids can’t do.”
((Standup))
Michael Simons, Penn State Behrend News
And while the performance only lasts one night, organizers say the confidence these skaters build lasts far beyond the ice. Reporting in Erie at Mercyhurst Ice Center, I’m Michael Simons, Penn State Behrend News.
Experiencing the Show
Honestly, the show itself was incredible.
Even after hearing about it for months and attending all the rehearsals, it was still exciting seeing everything finally come together.
The crowd was packed.
The lights, music, costumes, decorations, live band, and energy in the rink completely transformed the environment.
But the best part by far was simply watching the skaters.
After spending weeks seeing rehearsals piece-by-piece, it was amazing watching them perform confidently in front of a huge audience.
And honestly, Linda’s quote kept replaying in my head: parents watching their “handicapable” child do something many typical people cannot do.
Because the reality is: I cannot skate either.
Watching the confidence and joy on the skaters’ faces made it obvious why this night means so much to families.
Filming Throughout the Night
Throughout the show, I spent most of the evening running around the rink filming from as many angles as possible.
Because I was producing a news package while also documenting the event for the organization itself, I wanted a huge variety of visuals:
- wide crowd shots
- backstage footage
- skating close-ups
- audience reactions
- decorations
- interviews
- emotional moments
- and behind-the-scenes interactions
Ashlynn came to watch the show, and my COMM professor attended as well, which was really cool.
One especially encouraging moment happened when I was asked afterward if I could send some of my photos to one of the guest figure skaters.
That honestly meant a lot to me because it made me feel like the work I was capturing was genuinely valuable beyond just class assignments.
The Banquet
A few days later, Gliding Stars held its annual banquet at The Ambassador.
The banquet was honestly just as heartwarming as the show itself.
Derrick Divell invited me to sit with him and his family since I was attending alone, which I really appreciated.
One funny tradition I learned about was the banquet food: apparently the menu is chicken tenders and mac & cheese every year because the joke is that it is designed for picky eaters.
Which honestly felt very fitting for the atmosphere of the organization overall.
During the banquet, I was asked to help photograph skaters as they came forward to receive certificates from their coaches.
That gave me another clear purpose during the evening while also allowing me to continue documenting the event naturally.
Being Recognized
One moment I absolutely was not expecting happened during the recognitions portion of the banquet.
At one point, Linda suddenly called me up from the back of the room while everyone cheered.
I honestly do not enjoy being the center of attention at all, so it caught me completely off guard.
But truthfully, it also felt relieving in a weird way.
For weeks, I had just been “the guy with the camera” constantly running around practices and events filming everyone.
So having my presence and purpose finally explained publicly to the room made me feel much less like some random stranger documenting people.
It also meant a lot hearing how appreciative everyone was for the work I had been doing throughout the season.
Capturing the End of the Season
As the banquet continued, I kept filming and photographing moments throughout the night:
- dancing
- conversations
- awards
- photo booth moments
- families interacting
- and the skaters simply having fun together
That content honestly became some of my favorite footage from the entire internship because it captured a side of Gliding Stars people normally never see publicly.
The banquet really showed how much effort the volunteers and organization put into celebrating the skaters beyond just the show itself.
It felt much more like a giant family celebration than a formal event.
Reflection
This week felt very bittersweet.
There was so much excitement surrounding the show itself that it almost distracted from the reality that the season was ending.
For months, Monday nights had become a consistent part of my life:
- filming practices
- talking with volunteers
- hearing the same music
- watching routines improve
- and slowly becoming more connected to the organization
And then suddenly, it was over.
At the same time, the show and banquet gave me a huge sense of accomplishment and perspective.
Even though earlier in the internship I sometimes felt like I was not doing enough, this week reminded me how much valuable material, storytelling, documentation, and relationship-building had actually happened.
Now that the season has ended, the internship can fully shift toward the next major phase:
the website rebuild.
Next Steps
- Organize footage and photos captured during the show and banquet
- Complete editing for my COMM 406 news package
- Begin building the framework for the new Gliding Stars website
- Determine how show media and storytelling can be integrated into the redesign
- Shift focus from event coverage toward long-term digital communication systems