CRAIG HEATH by Alina Adams
Craig Heath competed on the Senior Level at the US Nationals from 1988
to 1993.
"1993 was my last Nationals, in Phoenix," remembers Craig. "In 1992, I
was 6th in Senior Men and that was a great accomplishment for me,
especially after overcoming a very serious knee surgery that kept me off
the ice and in recovery for five months. That could have ended my career
entirely. I knew in my heart that 6th was probably the highest I was
ever going to be. I loved skating, but I didn't love all the jumping. I
wanted to skate, but in a different way. I was not sure how that was
going to happen, but a very memorable conversation between my father and
my choreographer, Cindy Stuart, prompted me to search for another way to
continue to skate and perform."
Craig did leave the amateur scene with one major title, the 1991 Men’s
Figure Champion. But the title he claims means the most to him, is one
that came in 1998.
For the entire article, please go to
www.FigureSkatingMystery.com
From Golden Skate
Craig Heath
Heath takes Break to Compete
by Paula Slater
Click here for
article
From
Wood River Live
Spotlight on Craig Heath
By Heidi Wright
In
the fifth grade, at age 9, a simple invitation from two friends changed the life
of Craig Heath forever.
“Come
with us after school,” they urged, inviting Heath to a join them in their weekly
ritual of ice skating. The three kids took a taxi from school to the rink and
for the first time, Heath laced up ice skates and inched carefully across the
cool, glass-like rink.
“I was
instantly hooked!” Heath exclaimed, “I couldn’t get enough so I was soon skating
every day and spending as much time as possible at the rink.
“I loved
everything about it, including the social aspects.”
Raised in
Marin County,
California,
Heath was like many other kids, trying his hand at a lot of different hobbies.
Some included playing piano and guitar, roller skating, and acting.
“I was
always trying to start up businesses in school,” he remembered. “I always
worked hard at whatever I did.”
But while
all these activities were enjoyable, it was ice skating that stole his heart,
soul, body, and mind. All similarities to a typical kid stopped when Heath
took the ice.
Devoting
himself to hours of practice, Heath continued developing his skating skills
until he was a well-known young skater - known especially for his performance
enthusiasm as well as his phenomenal spinning technique.
“When I
was about 12, a skating teacher at my rink encouraged me to spin more every
day,” Heath said.
“She
taught me some unusual spins that other people could not do. I really trusted
her so I started really working on spins more than anyone else around me.”
“I
started to improve dramatically and it became a highlight of my performances in
competition,” he added, “I started to get known for my spins and that, in turn,
made me practice even more.”
Heath had
found his niche.
“My
parents were, and still are, very supportive of my skating,” Heath said. “I was
very fortunate to have parents who could afford to have a skater in the family.”
At age 17
Heath moved to Los Angeles to train with the famous skating coach, Frank
Carroll. Nineteen years later Heath is a professional performer, choreographer,
and coach, traveling around the world to share his skating talent.
Two of
his most memorable skating moments as a professional were winning the Bronze
Medal at the World Professional Championships in Jaca Spain and winning the
Nutrasweet, “Giving it 100% Award.”
“I did
not expect that honor (winning the Bronze) and will remember it always,” Heath
said. “For a professional skater, it was an incredible award. It gave me the
confidence to pursue pro skating at a higher level.”
Heath’s favorite aspect of his profession is definitely performing.
“I like
teaching and doing choreography, as well,” he said, “but performing is where my
heart is.
“I love
being creative to music. It is like dancing but with the added element of
speed. I love spinning and jumping.
“ I
really can’t get enough of performing,” he continued, “When the spotlight comes
on, I just turn on like a light bulb. My personality brightens up when I am on
the ice.
“I feel
so “at home” at the rink and on stage,” he concluded. “It might was well be my
living room.”
With such
energy on the ice, Heath’s personality off the ice might surprise those who meet
him for the first time. He’s somewhat reserved until he gets to know you. But
give him just a little bit of time….and his passion for life will break through
loud and clear.
“As a
kid, I was very shy - but once I was comfortable with people, that changed and I
became very outgoing,” he explained. “I am still the same way today.”
A
highly-motivated, type “A” personality, Heath feels most accomplished when he’s
getting things done.
“I’m an
avid multi-tasker,” Heath said, “I’m not one to relax very often.”
These
days, you can find Heath performing everywhere from Caribbean cruise ships to
Germany.
“I travel
all over the world just about all year long,” Heath said. “I do not spend much
time in one place. Some of my favorite places that I have performed would have
to be Australia, Japan, the Caribbean (on a cruise ship), Singapore, Malaysia,
Puerto Rico,
Hawaii and
France.”
One of
Heath’s more humorous performances was in Moscow.
“The
producers told me to just go out on the ice and make up a number,” Heath
chuckled. “They said it would be really easy and very short.
“I didn’t
have any time to practice and it was opening night with a huge audience.
“I had
never seen the costume, which came with a huge cape that was just a little bit
too long and a mask that I could not see out of.”
Heath
continued, “I went out on the ice when the producer pushed me out because I
didn’t hear the music.
“I skated
around ‘blind’ as the mask fell down and covered my eyes. The cape went under
my blades and I kept tripping on it, and falling. Then I couldn’t get back up
so I would fall again and again.
“When I
finally got off the ice, the producers were laughing so hard, they were crying.”
Heath
laughed as well.
“I like
to laugh at life,” he said. “It really is quite funny and I use humor to get
through the hard times.”
Another
thing that gets Heath through the day is learning from those he finds
inspirational - namely, Madonna and Brian Boitano.
“Madonna
has always been an inspiration to me and that makes sense now as she is one of
the greatest marketers on the planet,” Heath said.
“Another
one of my heroes is Brian Boitano. He has been a friend for many years. He
works incredibly hard but also has fun and motivates people that he is around.
“He has a
huge amount of integrity and I respect that.”
Being the
world traveler that he is, you would think Heath‘s favorite skating rink would
be in some exotic resort on another continent.
Not so.
“I think
the outdoor rink in Sun Valley is the most beautiful place to skate in the
entire world,” Heath said. “It was a dream of mine to perform in the ice shows
here and I think of that every time I take the ice. If the day ever comes when
I take that for granted, I will stop skating.
“I will
never forget skating in Sun Valley in the ice show while it was raining one
year.
“It is
hard to explain just how wonderful it feels to be performing in such a beautiful
setting with the rain gently falling down.”
Just a
few years ago, Heath decided to make Sun Valley his “home,”the one place he
settles down for more than just a few days at a time. Every summer, he spends
three months in the Wood River Valley, teaching skating to kids.
“I got
into it slowly but over the years it has become more important to me,” Heath
said. “Now I feel like a real coach. I love teaching kids that want to
learn…it inspires me to keep getting better myself.”
Part of
Heath’s plan to get “better” includes expanding his skating skills to outside
the rink.
“In ten
years I would still like to be performing in some way but also be in on the
creative and business side of the sport,” he said. “One thing I love is
marketing, and I really have a knack for that. I can see myself managing
skaters or marketing skating in some fashion.”
Were
Heath to settle down for good, no doubt it would be in the beautiful Wood River
Valley.
In fact, when
he describes his perfect day, the Wood River Valley is its setting.
“Waking
up, having breakfast, going to Starbucks, doing Pilates/Yoga, skating, having a
Vegetarian Tofu Wrap from Wrap City in Ketchum, going out into nature, then
going to Sushi on Second for dinner.
“Now
that’s a perfect day.”
From
International Figure Skating
On the
Road
by Lois Elfman
"I always challenge
myself,” says Craig Heath. “I pretty much work all year-round. There’s never
been a time I’ve had more than two weeks off for the last six or seven
years.”
Even to die-hard skating
fans, Heath is not a household name. He competed at the U.S. National
Championships and on the U.S. international team for several years, but he
never stood on the podium. Yet at a time when even skaters with World
medals complain about the lack of professional opportunities, how does he
keep so busy?
“People are afraid of
traveling so much,” theorizes Heath, 34, who is in his sixth season on the
road with Walt Disney’s World on Ice Toy Story. “Once you get into
the rhythm of traveling with a show like Holiday on Ice or
Disney on Ice, where you’re traveling constantly for a long time, it’s
really fun. We’re not just in a city for a night. We’re in a city for a
week, sometimes two weeks, sometimes three. We get to relax.
“You get to have
different experiences all the time,” he continues. “It’s pretty incredible
to say, ‘Oh, I’m in Paris for two weeks.’ ”
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Craig Heath in Baden Baden, Germany
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This year’s Toy
Story tour has Heath crossing Europe to portray the dual roles of
good-guy Andy and bad-guy Sid. From September through April, he showed off
his skills in England, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland,
Germany, Belgium and Ireland. In each city, he follows a similar routine.
“Right when we get
into the city, I like to unpack for half an hour. Then I like to get out
of the room and check out the whole city and see what’s going on,” he
says. “I like to find out where the laundry is and where the grocery store
is. Then I start going sightseeing.”
The location of the
grocery store is particularly important to Heath, who maintains a strict
vegan lifestyle — no meat or animal products whatsoever.
“In Europe, it’s
really easy,” he notes. “For example, in Helsinki I went to the local
grocery store across the street from the hotel and they have tofu, soy
milk, rice milk, soy yogurt and other things that I love. It’s been like
that in every city. They even had veggie burgers in the restaurant at
Hartwall Arena.”
The show also
transports a trunk for him with food supplies.
Also crucial in
Heath’s luggage is his little office. He was recently re-elected for his
second term as president of the Professional Figure Skaters Cooperative (PFSC).
To show his support, he flew to Philadelphia last December to compete at
the American Open. All the more significant, as he had just performed a
six-pack (three shows each for two days) and returned to the tour just in
time for another six-pack.
“I always feel so much
better after I’ve competed, because I really like to be myself,” says
Heath, who also continues to challenge his technical levels (including
triple jumps), even when performing in character. “Competing keeps me
working on new things when I work on programs. “
On a practical level,
PFSC business keeps him busy constantly. “I’m on my computer doing some
sort of PFSC work before the show, during all my breaks of the show and
after the show,” he says. “Then I go into the production office and send
all my e-mails off and get another bunch to work on.”
Once this year’s
Toy Story concluded, Heath headed home to Northern California for a
few weeks before heading to Sun Valley, Idaho, where he spends each summer
performing and teaching.
“I’ll keep up this
life at least until I’m 40,” he says. “I can’t imagine not doing it.”
By that time, he may
be ready to take on more choreography projects. In the summer of 2000, he
assisted Barry Lather in staging two other Disney on Ice shows.
Then it might be time
to write his book. “I’ll call it Life of a Skating Gypsy.”
Article © Ashton International Media, Inc.
An Excerpt
from the book: Frozen Assets
by
Mark A. Lund
Kenneth Feld, the president and
CEO of Feld Entertainment, has the most available jobs for figure skaters via
his global Disney on Ice tours. The skaters in Disney
perform 10 to 12 story-based shows a week. Though the skaters won't make it on
television, and the pay is far less than the superstar-driven tours, these are
good, steady jobs.
In 1979, Feld bought the North
American segment of the Holiday on Ice touring show, shut it down and
started a show with an entirely new look-one based on Disney tales. While
everybody in skating talks about bringing in the younger demographic, Feld
actually went out and captured it, by creating a tour that was pure family
entertainment.
"In the later part of '80, I
went to Disney, and I went there with the intention of trying to get a
20-minute sort of production number within the show using Disney characters
and themes. And Disney rejected the idea, " shares Feld. "As I was leaving the
office, I said, ' What happens if we convert one of our ice shows to all
Disney characters and themes and we call it Walt Disney's World on Ice?'
That's the genesis."
Though it was hardly smooth
sailing. "The first Walt Disney's World on Ice show was in July of
1981, and the arenas and the media were so skeptical that I actually had to
guarantee the same amount of business that we had done the prior year with
Ice Follies and Holiday on Ice to a lot of the major arenas, in order to
get the dates in there, " reveals Feld.
"Of course the business that we
did that year was incredible, " he continues. "We grew it, and the following
year we had a second show, and then in 1986 was the first year that we went
international. Now we are up to eight different Disney shows around the
world."
So who are the skaters who
typically work for Feld? "I retain a high level of integrity with the skating,
but I don't need Olympic or World medalists to do that, " states Feld. "What I
do need are world class skates like Craig Heath who was with
us for six years starring in Toy Story."
Craig believes
that skaters who could be working as he does shy from it, because of the gypsy
lifestyle.
"People are afraid of traveling
so much, " he theorizes. "Yet once you get into the rhythm of traveling with a
show like Holiday on Ice or Disney on Ice, where you are
traveling constantly for a long time, it's really fun. We're not just in a
city for a night. We're in a city for a week, sometimes two weeks, sometimes
three. We get to relax and to have different experiences all the time. It's
pretty incredible to say, 'Oh, I'm in Paris for two weeks."
Feld says his casting director
travels month in, month out searching for skaters with Craig's
willingness and understanding of the demands of the tour, which sometimes
includes performing a six-pack: three shows a day for two days. Feld also
looks for "specific types and characters and people to play certain roles."
He avows unabashed respect for
Craig and his drive to sustain his technical abilities-even
in an elaborate costume.
"Sometimes at the end of the
show, he would come out and perform a series of double axels for the audience,
" recalls Feld.
Article ©
Ashton International Media, Inc.
From
Blades on Ice
Craig Heath
Craig Heath, 35, the last U.S. senior championship
skater to win the compulsory figures competition in 1991 (Minneapolis, MN),
has been skating professionally for the past 10 years as a soloist for a
myriad of show productions. From 1996 to 2002, Heath has played the roles of
Andy and Sid in Feld Entertainment's Disney on Ice's
production of Toy Story. "It was a great
six years and a time that I will never forget," he said.
During that time he has also competed in the
American Open competitions, winning silver medals in 1998 and 2000 and a
bronze in 2001 and for the past three years has been the president of the
Professional Figure Skaters Cooperative (PFSC), taking over for Scott
Williams, who remained on staff as Treasurer with Dan Hollander serving as
vice-president. The not-for-profit organization promotes professional figures
skating worldwide.
After touring Europe with
Toy Story for seven months last year, Heath flew home for a
stint on a cruise ship. "I never thought I would be working in a show on a
moving ship?" he exclaimed, then commented. "Try spinning in one place while
the ice is rocking. Life keeps bringing more challenges."
Heath was Assistant Choreographer to Barry Lather
for Feld Entertainment's production of Disney's
Jungle Adventures on Ice. "We created two separate versions of the
show that have been traveling the world for the past three years."
In 2001 he choreographed a number for 1988 Olympic
silver medalist Liz Manley to Madonna's Music.
And has been teaching an ice class for the past seven years. Among his
accomplishments, Heath is best known for completing 10 double axels in a row
for many performances of Disney's Toy Story on Ice.
He also performs in Sun Valley ice shows during
the summer. Last Fall, he joined the new production of
Holiday on Ice, called Hollywood.
The show was choreographed by Robin Cousins with Cindy Stuart as his
assistant. Heath says he still has one month left on the tour, which shows
principally in Germany and France. "After that I will take a break but plan on
being back in Sun Valley this summer performing and teaching for three
months."
Heath says he will return to
Holiday on Ice this coming fall for season two of
Hollywood. Heath has two homes in the U.S. one in Mill Valley,
Calif., the other in Sun Valley, Idaho.
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