By Cate Lecuyer
Staff writer
February 22, 2008 01:31 pm BEVERLY — Disney's "High School Musical: The Ice Tour" has more than great songs and a cult following. It has Beverly native Robbie Flynn. The 21-year-old Salem State College senior plays a skateboarder in the first act and Mr. Fulton, the manager of Lava Springs Country Club, in the second act. The show is at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston through Sunday. In his 13 years of skating, Flynn has come a long way from the McVann-O'Keefe Skating Rink in Peabody and has toured with Disney across the country. The Salem News caught up with him yesterday to find out what it takes to become a star ice skater. When did you start skating? "It was in 1994, after the Olympics. It was after watching Nancy Kerrigan make her big comeback from her knee injury. I started at the Monday night skating club in Peabody." You were 7 at the time. Was it hard at first? "Everything got easier over time. I did other sports, like T-ball, swimming, gymnastics, and I think I did a week of karate. (Ice skating) is something I never got sick of." What do you like about it? "I really like the feeling of ripping my edges and really getting into the ice. It's great." So "Disney on Ice" is a pretty big accomplishment. "I've done shows before, but club shows. Nothing like this. It's one of the most respected tours out there. Everyone goes, and even the stars watch." Have you met anyone famous? Nancy Kerrigan, Michelle Kwan. I've been around a long time, and you get to meet a lot of people. I've skated with Nancy Kerrigan during practice because we were at the same rink for a while." Where was that? "Burbank Ice Arena in Reading." How often do you practice? "When I was competing, five or six times a day, but I stopped in 2003. Since I started this tour, I pretty much skate every day." And you still have time for college? "I take online courses at Salem State. I'm taking a couple of marketing classes at the moment. The teachers have been really good, like if there's a test during a performance they'll let me make it up." Any plans after graduation? "I want to coach skating, definitely. I had a great skating coach growing up (Amy Hanson-Kuleszka at the North Shore Skating Club), and she kind of inspired me to do it." Why did you stop competing? "I was getting older, and I needed to concentrate more on school. I kind of plateaued with skating, and it wasn't worth it to keep putting the money into it. I did five years of Ice Theater, and that's when I decided I wanted to do a big show like 'Disney on Ice.' It kind of brought the performer out of me." Do you like performing more? "I loved competing, but performing is a different atmosphere. It's just not as tense, and it's free and fun. It's a lot easier to perform than to worry about jumps and spins." So does your family get to watch you for free? "They actually do. I've hooked them up with tickets. I have a younger sister who's a senior at Beverly High School and an older brother who's a junior at Salem State. My parents came to see me at my show in Atlanta, Ga. I think it was because my dad is such a Coca-Cola fanatic, and they have a Coca-Cola museum there. They all came to Boston, though, and it was great to see everyone there."
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