Local skater joins Disney on Ice

By Alex Dalziel

Local figure skater Georgia Wooderson has been given the chance to tour the globe as part of the travelling ice skating show Disney on Ice. 

Having received confirmation from Disney in April, the 21-year-old said that being given the change to perform in the internationally renowned show had been a life-long dream of hers.

“I got the email as I was going into training and the shock was really quite unbelievable. It took a while to click since I wasn’t fully awake at six o’clock in the morning,” Georgia said. 

She first started skating at the age of 12 shortly after the O’Brien Icehouse first opened in Docklands in 2010. Having taken up skating at a later age than most striving for the Olympics, she said she had always rather set her sights on performance skating.

However, she has won a number of different ice-skating championships, such as the New Zealand Championships in 2015. She also regularly stars in the Christmas shows hosted by the O’Brien Icehouse, having performed in the principle role of the Wicked Witch of the West in its 2018 production of the Wizard of Oz.

In 2013, Georgia met coaches Brian Duckworth and Melanie Carrington who had previously performed for Disney on Ice themselves for a number of years. 

“Mel and Brian are like my second mum and dad,” Georgia said. “Their ability to help me through whatever life was throwing at me, and the experiences they guided me through was incredible.” 

“They pushed me to work and train harder, they never gave up on me and that was the biggest thing.”

Georgia said that this opportunity was a dream come true for her and she hoped that she could serve as an inspiration for children interested in ice skating. 

“Dreams are reachable if you create a plan and work hard, build the steps to get there and you can get there.”

Disney on Ice will be performing in Melbourne from July 4 to July 8 at Rod Laver Arena. Georgia and a group who are currently rehearsing an ice segment to perform in front of the Disney on Ice audience will be performing a pre-show demonstration at Rod Laver Arena on the morning of July 5.

Good luck Georgia!