By Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz, special to U.S. Figure Skating Online

Former Jamestown FSC skater Kristen Treni portrays Princess Jasmine in the Aladdin sequence in Disney's "Princess Wishes on Ice." (Photo courtesy of The Walt Disney Company)

Kristen Treni lives every little girl's fantasy. At least once a day, Treni dons a glittering Arabian costume to portray Princess Jasmine in the Aladdin sequence in Disney's Princess Wishes on Ice.

Treni, of Jamestown, N.Y., is in her 10th year of touring in professional skating shows, one of several Jamestown Figure Skating Club alumni in this line of work.

Jamestown coaches Kirk Wyse and Lenel van den Berg, of the Wyse and van den Berg Skating Academy, could not be more proud of their former students.

"We have skaters touring all over the world with Disney on Ice, Holiday on Ice and the cruise ships," van den Berg said. "Seriously, on any given day there is a kid from Jamestown performing on five of the world's continents. Two of the stars of High School Musical, both national competitors, were from Jamestown."

The small club, with its 40-plus members, has plenty of reasons to smile. Located outside Buffalo, N.Y., Jamestown has hosted the North Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Championships and U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships. It also sponsors a major summer competition, Skate Chautauqua, and the club counts members from as far as Pittsburgh, Boston and Johnstown, Pa. The club's show skaters credit their training at Jamestown for their love of performing.

Former Jamestown FSC skater Michael Donovan (basketball in hand) toured with "High School Musical: The Ice Tour." (Photo courtesy of The Walt Disney Company)

Michael Donovan, of Rochester N.Y., spent the summer of 2009 in Snoopy Rocks on Ice, a show at Dorney Amusement Park in Allentown, Pa. Donovan also toured in High School Musical: The Ice Tour in the roles of Zeke Baylor and Chad Danforth, and he currently tours in Disney's 100 Years of Magic.

"Kirk and Lenel prepared me for this part of my career by breaking it all down and working on one thing at a time," Donovan said. "First, we sat down and figured out my goals for skating. We then took my best skills and elements, worked on them each day to make them bigger and stronger and put together an audition tape featuring my best skills and elements.

"They know performing so well, it really helped make this process much easier."

What skaters like Carl Linamen, of Panama, N.Y., a cast member in Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey, enjoy most is the performing aspect of the skating.

"To me, the best part of performing is the audience," said Linamen, who traveled to Thailand with Disney. "There is nothing better than being out on the ice and hearing thousands of people screaming at the end of a number."

Ryan Coombs, another cast member of 100 Years of Magic, knows her love of performing was born from her years on Jamestown Ice.

"I have gained self confidence and a love for the sport like no other through the 12 years of skating with Kirk and Lenel," Coombs said. "Being out there entertaining people brings me so much joy and a sense of accomplishment."