Current News
York teen lands her dream job
Jessica Koller will perform with Disney On Ice in Europe.
By ERIN McCRACKEN
Daily Record/Sunday News
Article Last Updated: 07/05/2008 11:51:17 PM EDT
Jessica Koller, 18, of York, leans into a cantilever glide. Koller recently accepted a job with Disney On Ice's production of 'Finding Nemo.'
One wintry day 15 years ago, Eileen Koller bundled up her 3-year-old daughter, Jessica, and sent her outside to play.
Jessica ran right over to a patch of ice and fell while inspecting it. Instead of crying, she got right back up.
"It's slippy, Mommy," she said.
Looking back, Koller said she should have realized right then that her daughter was meant to be an ice skater.
On a recent Friday, Koller looked on as Jessica, now 18, landed double lutzes and double toe loops with ease.
"That is her signature move," Koller said as Jessica dipped into a backward glide called a cantilever.
Jessica, a 4.0 GPA student with The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, graduated on June 12, but she won't be heading off to college this fall like most of her friends. She accepted an offer to skate with Disney On Ice's European tour of "Finding Nemo."
Jessica said performing with a show has been her dream ever since the age of 4, when she started watching skating on TV. She hoped to be part of a tour after she saw Disney on Ice's production of her favorite movie -- "The Little Mermaid" a few years later.
By the time she was in kindergarten, Jessica was taking lessons at York City Ice Arena and trying to emulate her favorite skater, Scott Hamilton.
During the next 12 years, she skated with the University of Delaware Junior Synchronized Skating Team and the Lancaster Red Rose Figure Skating Club. She competed in the Keystone State Games, State Games of America and the U.S. Figure Skating (USFS) National Showcase.
It wasn't always fun, Jessica said. Sacrifices, like spending time with friends, were made along the way.
Her mom also made sacrifices to pay for all the costumes, travel expenses and lessons. Koller said she learned to keep boots and a winter coat in her car year-round since she spent hours at the rink, watching her daughter.
Obstacles cropped up, too. In 2003, Jessica was diagnosed with asthma, which was brought on by a mold allergy.
It became difficult for her to complete a four-minute freestyle program. There was a time when Jessica thought she wouldn't be able to compete in the August 2004 USFS National Showcase in Texas. But just like the ice she fell on as a child, asthma didn't get in the way of her dreams.
"I taught myself how to train," Jessica said. She jumped rope and conditioned off the ice to increase her stamina.
She not only made it to the USFS Showcase, she won a gold medal.
Cindy Bear, who's coached Jessica since she was in first grade, said she is proud of her student.
"I can't praise her enough," Bear said. "She's an incredible and very mature competitor."
Even though Jessica did well in competitions and USFS skill tests, they
Jessica Koller of York, tried ice skating for the first time when she was 3 years old. The Koller, now 18, is headed to Europe to tour with Disney on Ice's production of 'Finding Nemo'. (Submitted) made her nervous. Connecting with the crowd at exhibition shows was more enjoyable, she said.
"I like to take on a character," Jessica said. The costumes for showcase performances -- such as fingertip feathers, hats and clown noses -- were sometimes tricky to skate in, though, she added.
After a summer skating gig at Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho, Jessica is heading to Scotland in September to be part of the "Finding Nemo" show's ensemble for the next year.
"I'm excited and nervous at the same time," Jessica said. She added that she will miss home and her cat, Oreo, who was her good luck charm over the years.
Koller said she plans on taking a trip overseas to see Jessica perform.
"She's been working toward this since she was in elementary school," Koller said. "This is her dream."
emccracken@ydr.com; 771-2051