Skate-a-thon 2011 – Ghoulish overnight fun at the skate-a-thon

Ted Wuebben’s got some creative buddies on his rec league hockey team and they plan to have a little fun during the wee-hours of Saturday morning at the UNMC Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s.

At 1 a.m., eight of Wuebben’s hockey friends will reenact Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video — on ice.

Registration/activities Registration: Register online or make pledges at www.phdomaha.org or by e-mail at info@phdomaha.org. Cost: $10 per skater. Skate rental is free. See the full schedule of skate-a-thon activities.

“They first performed it at my daughter’s wedding then they decided to try it on the ice,” said Wuebben, one of the founders of the skate-a-thon. “I’ve seen the practices, it’s pretty good.”

The skaters will be decked out in zombie gear and other ghoulish costumes for their icy take on the 1980s classic.

It will be the first of two overnight reenactments as at 2 a.m., some more of Wuebben’s hockey buddies will perform a scene from the classic hockey comedy, “Slapshot,” during which players brawl as another does an on-ice striptease for his girlfriend in the stands.

Don’t forget blankets! Blankets are being collected at the Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s for people on the Winnebago, Santee, Rosebud or Pine Ridge American Indian Reservations.

The “Slapshot” reenactment will be the prelude to a “Shiver Skate” — an event designed in the spirit of a polar plunge in which skaters will do 10 laps around the rink in very light clothing.

Minimal clothing requirements for the “Shiver Skate” are:

• For men — at least a one-piece bathing suit; and
  
• For women — at least a two-piece bathing suit.

The period between 3 and 4 a.m. is the “Fire and Ice” hour, in which songs featuring the words “fire” and “ice” will be played and a skating fire juggler will perform.

The overnight activities wrap up with a fiesta from 4 to 6 a.m. that will feature sombreros and breakfast burritos.