Viewing Single Post From: How to get an autograph

Viewing Single Post From: How to get an autograph
kioewen	Sep 1 2008, 05:12 AM
Novice Posts: 109 Group: Members Member #242 Joined: July 22, 2008	Soon after I became a fan of Emily I started thinking about attending a live skating performance, so I purchased a ticket for the first event that was coming up on her schedule, which was Saturday's Skate for Hope show. Fans on several skating forums bragged about getting autographs from their favourite stars, so I thought, "I wonder if I'll be able get Emily's autograph?" But I didn't want her to sign just any photo. Most of the Emily pictures that I've seen advertised on eBay or wherever are from past years, and since I prefer her more recent look, I wanted a current image. In fact, I had a very specific photo in mind: this one (my favourite): http://sarahbrannen.yellapalooza.com/skating/2008_Ice_Chips/Hughes_1.html The copyright tag identified it as the work of Sarah Brannen, so I browsed through the photographer's Web site, found her contact info, and wrote to her, asking to purchase a print of the picture in question. Just in time for this weekend, a bona-fide, professional, 8x12 print arrived in my mailbox. Price very reasonable. Fast forward to yesterday. There I was, standing in line at the Nationwide Arena before the show with the rest of the crowd, when an arena worker invited anyone who had tickets to the "Pre-show Meet and Greet" to follow her. What was this? "Pre-show Meet and Greet"? I didn't even know there was going to be one, and I certainly didn't have a ticket for it. I figured that that was the end of any chance of getting an autograph. Any "fan" interaction would happen at this Meet and Greet, and afterwards, the performers would just depart. Anyway, the show itself was wonderful, and my only regret is that Emily was scheduled to perform just one number, not two as she did at the 2008 Ice Chips show. But there was a silver lining. The program indicated that Emily would be performing "Low," and while I enjoy that routine, it was actually her "Taking Chances" video from Ice Chips that really transfixed me and made me a fan. Well, guess what? Despite the program listing, she skated to "Taking Chances" after all -- and skated beautifully, I might add. I was mesmerized. And it gets better. After the show the lights came up and the performers started going around the ring, freely interacting with audience members in the front row. My prospects of getting an autograph were looking up. Emily's "lap" took the longest, as almost everyone in the arena moved down to the front row and started jockeying for a position to say a few words to her, or to shake her hand. But she didn't rush. One by one, she acknowledged every one of her fans. Finally, she skated to my section. "Would you sign an autograph," I asked, holding out my 8x12 on a clipboard, and a Sharpee. "Sure," she replied with a smile. Here you go: Incidentally, while I still believe that Emily is a positive force for healthy body image among young women, and a much-needed antidote to the anorexic skater standard, in real life she is actually very, very thin. Surprisingly so. She is definitely skinnier now than she was at Ice Chips. And I have mixed feelings about that fact. It's the look that the skating world mandates, I realize, so I suppose it's necessary, but I have to say, I will always have a special fondness for Emily's ever-so-slightly curvier look from earlier this year. But that's just a minor point. (Oh, and for those who might be wondering, Emily did not wear her Ice Chips dress, seen in the above photo, but an earlier costume -- the one from her December 2007 Christmas show video, if I'm not mistaken.) Bottom line, Emily is even more captivating "live" than on video. There is an elan to her skating that none of the other performers at Skate for Hope possessed, a unique power and solidity and smoothness to her movements, matched with fascinating artistic touches like her hand- and arm-motions. There is just something about her -- something charismatic and magnetic -- and seeing a stadiumfull of fans (especially young girls) crowding the front row to try to get close to her yesterday to exchange a word or a handshake showed me that I was definitely not the only one who was star-struck by her at Skate for Hope. All in all, I had a wonderful time, and I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to Emily "live," and to figure skating. The fact that it was all for a noble cause only made it that much sweeter. Edited by kioewen, Sep 2 2008, 02:30 AM.


How to get an autograph · Emily Discussion