by Ann Kennedy
Big John tells Kim that, next week, he wants him to learn to skate backwards. Kim reminds him that he can’t even skate forwards yet. Big John tells him that he will be balancing on different parts of his blades when skating backwards, which will help him understand where to plant his weight. He says, “Balance is everything.”
Two weeks later, Big John tells Kim, “You’ve done good in such a short time, but you still have a long way to go. It’s time for you to get out on the rink when others are skating. Kids of all ages take lessons at my rink. One group comes in every Tuesday at 3:00 o’clock to practice for an hour before their lesson. A kid named Cooper leads the group. He reinforces the teacher’s lessons during their practice session. Kim, I want you to skate in the rink when this group is practicing. You’ll learn a lot by watching, listening, and practicing what they are doing.”
The following Tuesday, Kim goes on the ice and sees the group of kids that Big John told him about. It is obvious that Cooper, who is the smallest child, is the ringleader. He is in charge of all the kids, and they do as he says. Kim asks Cooper, “Who put you in charge? You are too young to be a teacher.” The boy replies, “My name is Cooper, and my mother works for Duke and Big John. She was a professional figure skater and now teaches ice skating at this rink.”
Cooper goes on to say, “What is your name? I like to know who I’m talking to.”
Kim gives him his name and stops himself from telling Cooper that he thinks he’s a snotty-nosed kid who acts like a general. Then Cooper shouts, “It’s time to start skating!”
Cooper and his group of kids skate off to another area of the rink. Kim is alone skating. A half-hour later, he lifts his arms to shoulder level and imagines that he has a sword in each hand. He does not slip or fall; he is doing better. Then he holds his arms above his head and pretends to throw a sword from one hand to the other, but he loses his balance and falls on the hard, cold, slippery ice.
He decides he is not ready to try these moves yet, so he goes back to skating while holding his arms extended at shoulder level. Slowly, he spins his wrists in small, then larger circles. He does not fall. He skates around the rink several times before Cooper’s group of kids notice what he is doing. Kim’s routine looks like a lot of fun to them, and they want to do the same thing. They get together, form a line, and skate behind him.
Kim continues to keep his balance, but at times it is difficult. He swerves to the left and then to the right. The kids think he is pretending that he is an airplane flying. They like what he is doing and begin to copy him. They start to sway to the left and to the right and zoom down as if they are going to land or crash.
Then Cooper tells Kim and the group, “Everyone, stop! That’s enough stroking.”
Kim is confused. He says, “What do you mean, stroking?”
Cooper snickers. “Oh, come on! You know what you were doing is called stroking. You did a decent job keeping your arms out, but your foot work was awful. I’m surprised you didn’t fall more often.”
A little girl named Melissa pulls Kim aside and whispers, “Don’t pay any attention to him. He thinks he knows everything. In ice skating, when you hold your arms out like you did, it’s the first step to get balance. It’s called stroking.”
Kim is relieved to know that holding his fire swords out will naturally help him achieve more balance on the ice.
Then four kids start complaining that they are tired of stroking. “I hear you loud and clear,” Cooper answers. “There will be no more stroking. Now, we’re going to march around the rink two times.”
Melissa takes Kim’s hand and says, “Come on, march with me.”
Kim doesn’t want to march, but he also doesn’t want to hurt Melissa’s feelings. He says to her, “Don’t skate too close to me. I don’t want to fall on you.” The group of kids and Kim follow Cooper’s orders to march around the rink like soldiers.
Kim falls many times as he learns to march on the ice. The people sitting in the stands are taking notice of Kim skating with the kids. At first, he is slow and trails quite a distance from the group and finishes as the last one in line. All the kids are impatiently waiting for him to finish. The people seated in the stands chuckle as they watch Kim struggle to come in a distant last.
Kim has had enough of skating with the kids today. He packs up and leaves.
Over the next month, he has learned to skate backwards, march, stroke, hold his arms above his head, and achieve far more balance and speed. He also skates with the public to practice. Kim is on a quest to skate like a pro. His bulldog determination does not allow him to give up.
Two weeks later, Kim goes to the rink to skate with Cooper’s group of kids again. He marches with them, and this time he comes in first. Cooper decides that they have marched long enough. It’s now time for them to march and then slide and finish by performing the dip. Kim watches as the kids march, slide, and finish with a dip. Then he tries to do what they are doing. Then all of the children show him and give him instructions, and Kim listens to them.
The next morning, Kim goes to the rink for his early morning practice and sees Big John and Duke on the ice. Duke hollers to Kim. “Go get the pair of hockey skates that are in my office and put them on.” Kim does as he says, but he doesn’t understand why he needs to put on hockey skates.
When Kim goes out on the ice, he is a little wobbly because the hockey skates feel peculiar to him. “Hockey skates are different than figure skates,” Duke clarifies. “It won’t take long for you to figure out how to plant your weight for balance.” Duke goes on to explain that he wanted him to put on hockey skates because the blade is longer, making it easier to skate faster, make turns, and come to a stop.
Kim is surprised when Big John and Duke tell him that they learned to figure skate before they ever skated on a hockey team. Figure skating is harder in form and technique, which is why many hockey players want to learn figure skating first. After a short while, Kim is comfortable wearing the hockey skates and is picking up speed that he never had in his figure skates. He is also gaining more confidence and balance now. The three of them race each other on the ice, and Kim loves the speed and is confident he won’t fall. He may be far from the best, but he is having fun for the first time since he began his ice-skating journey.
After Kim finishes skating with Big John and Duke, he decides to perform for the Rotary Club of Toronto’s Annual Ice Revue. He calls the producer, and they begin to make the arrangements. Kim is now committed to doing the show.
Over the next two weeks, Kim practices everything on his own. He skates backwards, stokes, slides, marches, and finishes with a dip. It is all coming together for him now. Then, on Tuesday, Big John says, “Kim, I want you to skate with the kids today. They will be practicing important skills that they just learned, and you need to learn them, too.”
Kim goes back to the rink at 3:00 o’clock and finds Cooper and his kids practicing. He joins in and believes he can do whatever they are doing. The kids are still practicing sliding and finishing with a dip. He does their routine flawlessly and his confidence is soaring. Once the group finishes, Cooper snidely tells Kim, “You must have paid attention to my instructions the last time you were here.” Then he smiles and tells the group to do it again.
“I don’t want to do it again!” one child protests. “I want to do the Bunny Hop! It’s what we were supposed to practice today.” The rest of the kids cheer and shout in unison, “Bunny Hop, Bunny Hop, let’s do the Bunny Hop!” Kim does not want to try to hop around the rink like a bunny.
He says, “I’ll watch all of you do it.” The children are not happy with his comment and react by moaning and groaning.
One little boy begs Kim, “Please Bunny Hop with us!”
Kim looks down at him, stares into the child’s innocent eyes, and replies, “I’m sorry, kid, but I don’t want to Bunny Hop.”
All of the children shout out, “It’s easy! We’ll show you how!”
In a gruff voice, Kim say
s, “I told you, I don’t want to do it. I’ll just watch you do it first.”
They do not take no for an answer. In unison, the kids chant, “Please, please, oh please Bunny Hop with us around the rink.”
A man in the stands shouts out at Kim, “For crying out loud, Bunny Hop with those kids!”
Then all the kids become quiet. Melissa tells Kim, “Watch me, I’ll show you how it’s done.”
Melissa demonstrates the movements as she explains them, saying, “You choose either your left or right leg to glide on the ice. I am going to glide on my left leg. Then you kick with your other leg, which will be my right leg, and you kick that leg straight out. Then I jump and land on my right leg.”
Kim is surprised to see that Melissa is proficient in her jumps. After she finishes, Kim tells her that she did well, but he’s got to leave to go to work. She does not believe him. She tells him that none of them will laugh at him if he doesn’t get it right away.
Kim finally agrees to do it, getting in line with the kids and trying to imitate their skating techniques. Then Cooper shouts at Kim to glide, keep gliding, and take a hop. All of the kids make the jump, but Kim falls and lands on his backside. The people in the stands find it hilarious that the kids can do the move and are coaching Kim.
The children cannot hold back their laughter, either. Cooper, in a bossy tone, shouts, “Kim, stay right where you are and watch my feet as I skate.” Cooper starts skating while he says to Kim, “You stroke and stroke and stroke. Then you take a few hops by kicking one leg out straight, and then glide with your other leg. You’ll get it. When you go home, you can practice it in your shoes.”
Then Cooper says, “Kim, I have to go home now. Maybe I’ll see you here tomorrow and we can play some more.”
The next morning, Kim is at the rink practicing when Big John walks up to him and laughs, asking him if he did the Bunny Hop yesterday. Kim replies, “Man, I couldn’t believe you wanted me to learn the Bunny Hop. I thought you were playing a prank on me Then when I tried to do it, I found out it was hard.”
Big John tells him, “It may be a silly name, but mastering the skills and techniques in the Bunny Hop will give you what you need to succeed.”
A month later, Kim has all the basics of skating down pat. He is at an intermediate level now. He just needs to continue practicing, which he does. He has five months before his performance. Kim now has a new goal. He must combine his fiery swords while ice skating to choreograph a unique dance.
Months have gone by, and its finally time for Kim to take a plane to Canada. When he arrives at the airport, a limo driver is there to meet him. There will be two days of rehearsal before the performances, one of which will be a dress rehearsal.
During the rehearsals, Kim loves watching the champion ice skaters perform their graceful and swift motions. All of their difficult arrangements are perfectly executed. Their precise lifts, swift speeds, and flying jumps are outstanding. Their shimmering, radiating costumes are spellbinding. Kim knows he is way out of their league.
It is time for Kim to perform. He stands, waiting for his for his music to play. The audience now sees him. They begin shouting at him. Kim thinks that they are in awe because he is holding his lit fire swords. Then he hears the crowd shouting, “Fire! Look behind you, the curtains are on fire!”
Kim turns around and sees the fire. Within a minute, two men use fire extinguishers to put it out. The audience cheers and applauds.
Then Kim begins skating with his flaming swords extended to his shoulders as he strokes around the arena. Skating to the center of the rink, he stops as he juggles and spins fiery swords from one hand to the other. He holds his head up as he marches and throws two swords above his head and easily catches them. He glides to the left side of the rink, then to the center and takes a dip. The audience rewards him with deafening applause. His first performance is a hit with the crowd, and so is his second.
One reviewer writes, “The performances thrilled 5,000 at the Rotary Ice Review.” Another reviewer wrote, “An ice skater was there. He was billed as Kim Kahana - Fire Dancer. No other fire dancer has dared to attempt such a dangerous feat. One has to be proficient as both an ice dancer and a fire sword dancer.” Another reviewer wrote, “The fire dancer skating on ice with his flaming swords was Kim Kahana. He made his Polynesian number look like he was playing with flames. He made it look as dangerous as knitting.”
After his performance, Kim gets a program and asks if he can have three more. He wants one program for his wife and kids, one to show to others who are interested in booking him, and the last to send to his dear friend Jenny.
A few days after Kim returns home, he goes to the post office and writes the following note to Jenny: “I skated for you. You are the champ. Thanks for everything.” Then he signs his name on the note and puts the program and note in a large envelope, mailing it in care of the Veterans Administration.
Six weeks go by, and Kim hasn’t heard from her. Then he sees an envelope addressed to him that is postmarked from Japan on his kitchen table. He tears the top off the envelope and takes out a note from Jenny. She writes, “I just received your program. It took time for the VA to forward it to me. I am so proud of you! Thank you for remembering my dream of skating in the Olympics. I will treasure your program forever.”
Kim had wondered why she didn’t respond after he sent her the program. Now he knows, and he is grinning from ear to ear.
Chapter 19
Uh-Oh Chongo
In 1967, Kim receives a phone call from Jean, one of his agents. He picks up the phone and she immediately begins talking. She says, “Kim, I have two exciting bookings for you. As you know, The Flying Nun with Sally Field is a tremendous success. The show’s ratings are through the roof.”
Kim does not have a chance to respond to his fast-talking agent. He wants to tell her that he watches the show and likes it. However, she is not through telling him her news. She continues. “Kim, the producers of the show want you. Yes, my darling, they want you to be Sally Field’s stunt double. I demanded top pay for your performances, and they agreed.”
Annoyed, Kim says, “Jean, you know I’ve never been a stand-in or stuntman for an actress before. Why do they want me?”
She replies, “Kim, you’ve moved to the top of the ladder in your profession and are one of the best stuntmen and stunt coordinators in Hollywood.”
Kim responds, “Jean, you don’t need to butter me up. Just tell me why they want me.”
Jean pauses. “Well, it’s also because your small stature makes you perfect for the role.”
“Why don’t they hire a stuntwoman?” Kim asks. “There are a lot of great ones in Hollywood.”
She quickly answers, “Sweetie, that’s true, but they want you! It’s a terrific opportunity. You’ll be flying for Sally Field. It will be great for your career—and think about all the residuals you’ll get for a long time.”
After Kim tells her that he will accept the job, Jean says, “I also received another request for you. It’s for a new TV series called The Girl From U.N.C.L.E starring Stephanie Powers. The producers want you to stunt double for the actress, who is playing the part of an undercover agent and karate expert.”
Kim accepts the job. After he hangs up, he thinks it’s odd that the studios want him to stunt for a woman who is pretending to be a karate expert.
In 1968, Kim is in high demand and is busy working on a few sets. He hears many people talking about the Hanna-Barbera Company’s new project. Kim learns that they will be producing a new weekly television show called the Banana Splits Adventure Hour. The hour-long program will include a few different shows that will run every week. One of these programs is Danger Island, which will be filmed in Acapulco, Mexico.
J.R., one of Kim’s friends, is working on the set with him and he also is working behind the scenes in pre-production on Hanna-Barbera’s new show. He tells Kim that they are auditioning for the part of Chongo. Kim replies to J.R. that he knows
all about it and is not interested in auditioning because he doesn’t have the time.
J.R. is very persistent, not taking no for an answer. He wants to convince Kim, when he says, “Kim, you are perfect for the role! It’s a starring role.”
Kim is skeptical when he responds, “You think I’d be perfect in a starring role?”
“Yes, absolutely,” J.R. answers without hesitation. “Lots of actors, gymnasts, and stuntmen have auditioned for it, but no one can do the stunt they want.”
Taking a rolled-up copy of the audition script from his pocket, he hands it to Kim.
Kim looks it over, then says, “I can do it, but I have no time to go on an audition.”
J.R. says, “No problem—I’ll just call the producer now and get you an audition during our lunch hour.”
At this point, Kim agrees because he wants to get his friend off his back. He knows his friend is anxious because he is working on the show, and casting for Chongo is crucial for the production to begin.
The friend calls the casting office, then tells Kim that everything is set to go.
During their lunch hour, Kim’s friend drives him to the audition. When they arrive, Kim marches into the producers’ office because he does not want to waste any time. He knows they want someone to do a backflip from the floor and land on a desk. He had heard that many gymnasts had tried and couldn’t do it.
He walked into the office with the script in his hand, then threw his script up in the air and did a backflip from the floor, landing perfectly on the producers’ long desk. He finished with monkey-like chattering sounds and bird calls.
The next day, Kim receives a phone call from Bruce, who is Joseph Barbera’s assistant. He congratulates Kim that he got the part of Chongo. He also tells Kim that the producer and director would like to visit him at his house this weekend. They want to discuss his role and the show.