Christmas show drama

[Aussie Willy]

We had an audience member collapse at our show tonight. It was pretty freaky. He had fallen over in the walkway of the stands and a group of our senior skaters had to start their number in the stands (doing 60s go-go moves) and then walk down as this was happening. I was up in the box doing the announcments and music and it was a case of "Do we stop the show or just keep going?". We decided to keep the show going.

But it was one of those horrible moments - do you stop the show or keep it going? I kind of think we did the right thing and I am sure half the audience did not realise what had happened until the ambulance arrived.

I was very tempted to announce "I would like to thank members of the Emergency Services for coming tonight" but that would have been very tasteless (but the thought was funny).

I suppose it was good it happened in the audience rather than one of our skaters ending up collapsed on the ice which sounds a bit horrible of me to think that. I also think you can try and rationalise everything and you can come up with all sorts of scenarios and outcomes.

Anyway they took the guy off to hospital and I hope he is alright. I am sure we will find out in due course.

[Skate@Delaware]

At my daughter's Christmas Choir Concert Thursday night, one of the girls (a soprano standing behind my daughter) collapsed. Luckily, the girl next to her noticed she was going down and eased her down on the stand, so she didn't fall. It all happened very quickly, and if you didn't see it happen right then you wouldn't even have noticed, as the choir director kept right on going!

At the break between songs, the director looked at her-she was concious by then-and asked if she was ok (she was).

My daughter was a little freaked by it! The girl fainted because she hadn't eaten all day (duh!) and the stage lights are very hot.

Of course, the girl's mother was pissed because the concert kept going, she couldn't get to her girl, and the girl wouldn't get off the stage (she later stood back up and finished the concert).

[Schmeck]

We've had to call an ambulance for a board member's mom at one of our skating shows - she collapsed during the show as well. Luckily, she was OK, but it was scary. We kept the show going as well.

At Icy's last sychro competition, she got coughing so much (irritated throat from something in the rink) that we had to use the first aid room, and have a doctor check her for an asthma attack. Luckily, it wasn't asthma, but I worried the whole time she skated that she'd pass out on the ice. Very scary thought, with 20 girls on the ice at once. 15 minutes after ckating, she was done coughing. I think it was the cleaning chemicals/mold in that rink. It happened two years ago there too!