IF YOU GO
What: Disney on Ice presents "Treasure Trove."
When: 7 p.m. today, 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Where: UTC's McKenzie Arena, 720 E. Fourth St.
Admission: $15 and $25; limited number of $35 VIP and $45 rinkside tickets available.
Phone: 266-6627.
ABOUT AISLINN MUNCK
• Started skating after being kicked out of ballet.
• Won first place in 2007 State Games of America.
• Has an extra bone in each foot.
• Wants to run for Senate by age 39.
• Favorite singers are Lady Gaga, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift and George Strait.
• Advice to young skaters: "Don't listen to people who put you down or don't believe in you. Use it as motivation."
Though she's not one of the famed Disney princesses, skater Aislinn Munck has no complaints about her Disney on Ice character, Mrs. Incredible.
"I adore the role," said Munck, 22, of Helena, Mont. "Who else gets to say they go to work and become a superhero? Mrs. Incredible (from the Disney/Pixar film "The Incredibles") is called Elastigirl, and her superpower is her flexibility, which has always been my strongest asset in figure skating. It's a very natural and fun role for me to play."
Munck will be among dozens of professional skaters taking on the personas of Disney characters ranging from Snow White to Captain Hook in this weekend's Disney on Ice production at McKenzie Arena. In "Treasure Trove," more than 50 beloved characters are featured as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy go on a treasure hunt through 50 years of Disney movies. Five performances are scheduled today through Sunday.
Before the action on the ice begins, The Incredibles will lead a warm-up routine to illustrate how the skaters prepare for each show. Audiences will pump iron with Mr. Incredible, run in place with Dash, work up some extra energy with Violet and stretch with Mrs. Incredible.
Munck said she started skating at age 5 and devoted herself to the rink through her high school years. Her first competition brought a particular disappointment.
"I was 7," she said. "I won fourth place in my division and was really upset because I liked the seventh-place ribbon better; it had more colors in it."
She auditioned for Disney on Ice "on a whim," submitting a portfolio and video during her senior year of high school. She began performing with the company in 2009. The job requires her to be on the road about eight months a year, traveling the country to perform.
"It's quite similar to an average university year, so I still get a short break to go home and see my family," she said.
Munck said she tries hard to make a connection with every member of the audience while she's on the ice.
"Oftentimes, if there's an audience member in the front row who is particularly enthusiastic, I'll lean over and give them a high five," she said. "It's an amazing experience seeing a child's face light up when they get to see one of their favorite Disney characters in person."
Feature writer Karen Nazor Hill covers fashion, design, home and gardening, pets, entertainment, human interest features and more. She also is an occasional news reporter and the Town Talk columnist. She previously worked for the Catholic newspaper Tennessee Register and was a reporter at the Chattanooga Free Press from 1985 to 1999, when the newspaper merged with the Chattanooga Times. She won a Society of Professional Journalists Golden Press third-place award in feature writing for ...
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