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Show Centennial Ice Show to display Porter's skills "I skate because I love it!" exclaimed 20-year-old Jodi Porter of Bountiful. She started skating at age 11 with group lessons. From there she worked her way up through the rank of competition. "Competing was fun, but I really enjoy the artistic part of skating," said Porter. She fin- ished her rank career last summer by obtaining a USFSA Gold Medal in freestyle. Porter's professional debut came after an audition with Disney's World on Ice. "I was nervous, but relieved when I got the call back," she recalled. Her first tour travelled throughout the East coast. The highlights included in-cluded two weeks playing Radio City Music Hall in New York City. In 1991, Porter began a five-month five-month tour of Europe. She began with two weeks of rehearsals. After that, she began performing throughout the U.K. (England), Sweden, Norway, Finland, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Holland. "I really learned a lot about other cultures," she said. She particularly enjoyed collecting postcards and pins from each country and keeping a journal of her experiences. Porter expanded her skating by becoming an understudy to the star female performer that season. "It was good motivation to keep practicing beyond what was required," she said. She is currently under contract and will perform in Disney's Japan tour scheduled to begin June 30. It is a four-month tour covering 15 different cities. Upon completion of the tour, Porter plans to attend the University Uni-versity of Utah while pursuing a coaching career. "I've been teaching part-time, but I want to make it official. I just love the kids," she said. Her goals include in-clude becoming a member of the Bountiful Recreation's professional profes-sional staff. Porter's skating ability will be on display in the upcoming Bountiful Ice Show "Centennial Celebration. ' It will feature Porter along with many Utah Figure Skating Club prodigies. The show runs May 14-16. Call Bountiful Recreation for details. I .Mill. i. II Milium u.. 1 1 huwji am.... i M.a . -ww- tmmummmfn luniw' m I ..nil. immnnwiiH HBWw ' I " V N ' ' " 1 X : ft 20-year-old Jodi Porter of Bountiful started skating at age 11 with group lessons. From there she worked her way up through the rank of competition. She obtained a USFSA Gold Medal in freestyle last summer. |