2002/2003 Edition of Smucker's Stars on Ice

2002/2003 EDITION OF SMUCKER'S STARS ON ICE.
U.S. NATIONAL TOUR PREVIEWS AT OLYMPIC CENTER SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2002

OLYMPIC CHAMPION SCOTT HAMILTON TO MAKE SPECIAL GUEST STAR APPEARANCE

Skating Spectacular Features Olympic, World and National Champion Figure Skaters

(November 20, 2002 - Lake Placid, NY) - The traditional yearly preview of America's premier figure skating production Smucker's Stars on Ice will be presented at the Olympic Center on Saturday, November 30, 2002, at 8:00pm and will be the only Olympic star-driven production of its kind in the area this season. Tickets, ranging in price between $35 and $50, are available by visiting the Olympic Center box office or Olympic Center outlets, by calling (518) 523-3330, or by logging onto www.orda.org. Group discounts are also available by calling (518) 523-1655. The live presentation will also be taped to air as an NBC Television Network special Sunday, January 5, 2003, 4:30pm - 6:00pm (EST).

The Lake Placid performance will be highlighted by the return of Stars on Ice co-founder, co-producer and 15 year co-headliner, Olympic Champion and skating icon Scott Hamilton. Hamilton, who retired from full-time touring with Stars on Ice in April 2001, will make limited special guest star appearances during this year's tour. Lake Placid will be his first. Other firsts in the annual production's 17th season and 61 city U.S. tour schedule include the debut of 2002 Olympic Champion Alexei Yagudin, 2002 Olympic Pair Champions Elena Berezhnaya & Anton Sikharulidze of Russia and Jamie Sale & David Pelletier of Canada. Returning stars include two-time Olympic Champion Katarina Witt, World Champion and six-time U.S. National Champion Todd Eldredge (who debuted in Stars on Ice following his participation in the February 2002 Winter Olympic Games), four-time World Champion Kurt Browning and three-time U.S. National Pair Champions Jenni Meno & Todd Sand. Also making their Smucker's Stars on Ice debut are three-time U.S. National Pair Champions and World Bronze medalists Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman. Two-time U.S. National Dance Champions Renee Roca & Gorsha Sur return to the tour as well. Olympic Champion Tara Lipinski and eight-time British National Champion Steven Cousins, both scheduled to appear in Lake Placid, will not perform due to injury. Lipinski, however, will be able to return to the tour at a date yet to be determined. Cousins' injury will regrettably force him to miss the entire 2002/2003 U.S. tour.

With an elite production team headed by acclaimed Show Producer/Director/Choreographer Sandra Bezic, and musical selections ranging from Elvis to Ozzy, Leonard Cohen to Bon Jovi, and Tony Bennett to Will Smith, this edition of Smucker's Stars on Ice will explore themes of power - athletic power, star power, and the power of a dream.

The J.M. Smucker Company (www.smuckers.com) was founded in 1897 and has been family run for four generations. Smucker is the market leader in fruit spreads, ice cream toppings, health and natural foods beverages, and natural peanut butter in North America. In June 2002, the Company added Jif peanut butter and Crisco shortening and oil to the Smucker family of brands. Headquartered in Orrville, Ohio, Smucker has over 2,700 employees worldwide and distributes products in more than 45 countries.

This year, the tour will donate a portion of ticket sales to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. B&GCA (www.bgca.org) comprises a national network of more than 3,000 neighborhood-based facilities annually serving some 3.3 million young people, primarily from disadvantaged circumstances.