TSN.ca: Stars go to Disneyworld for great cause
By Steve ArgintaruWWE Superstars Trish Stratus and Val Venis were among the celebrities who accompanied 265 sick and disadvantaged children from Southern Ontario and Western New York on a one day adventure to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom on the 14th annual "Dreams Take Flight."
The day began before sunrise at the Air Canada hangar in Toronto with a dose of reality - a SARS check for each of the passengers. There's nothing like having a complete stranger stick a digital thermometer in your ear at 5 in the morning! But that was quickly forgotten once the carnival-like atmosphere at the airport was in full swing. Trish and Val were a big part of the morning's entertainment, meeting kids and signing autographs.
The party continued on the planes, as the two Air Canada 767s known on this day as Mickey 1 and Mickey 2 made their way to Orlando.
"I was the head of a conga line on this flight, probably one of the wackiest flights I've been on," enthused Stratus. "We had conga lines, birthday parties, pillow fights - you name it, we did it on this flight. It was really fun. The kids were really excited, the crew was into the festivities with us. It's been a big celebration from 4 a.m."
Val Venis didn't let the early wake-up call bother him either.
"I'm running on about an hour and a half of sleep. I said to myself, 'I'm going to sleep the second I get on that plane from Toronto to Florida.' Just as I started dozing off, I got whacked with a whole pile of pillows, then the pillow fight started and I've been up ever since. It was a great time on the ride down, the kids were getting more and more pumped up as time went by on the plane. It was a fantastic time."
Joining the WWE contingent on the trip were retired hockey greats Johnny Bower, Mark Napier and Rick Vaive, as well as TSN Off The Record host Michael Landsberg. But once they arrived at Walt Disney World, the celebrities were as wild-eyed as the kids they were escorting. That was especially true for Trish Stratus and Val Venis, both of whom experienced Magic Kingdom for the first time.
For the two wrestlers, their day at Disney seemed to mirror a WWE card, at least as far as the rides were concerned - a couple of prelim attractions, followed by the mid-carders, all building up to the main event. They started off with the ExtraTerrorestrial Alien Encounter, followed by a spin on the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. Trish seemed to be travelling 10 km/h slower than everyone else on the track, which wasn't anything new to Val Venis.
"That doesn't surprise me. Trish holds up traffic wherever she goes."
The pace picked up considerably after that with rides on a couple of roller coasters - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain, which according to Trish, "came at a great time because it was a really hot day today (approaching 30 degrees Celsius). We were soaking wet from head to toe from the sweat, then Splash Mountain made us wet from head to toe as well."
No matter what the age, any visit to the Magic Kingdom wouldn't feel complete without a visit to It's A Small World. It was easy to get a sense of how small our world is when Trish and Val spent the entire ride pointing out all the countries they've been to as part of the WWE.
With all their travelling, World Wrestling Entertainment stars get recognized wherever they go. Trish and Val were stopped numerous times by fans at Disney World, and happily obliged by signing autographs and posing for pictures. So it was an eye opener to see the glass slipper on the other foot when WWE Diva met Disney icon. TSN was fortunate to be on hand when Trish Stratus and Mickey Mouse hooked up for the hug felt 'round the world. Ever the gentleman, Mickey then kissed Trish's hand. Trish returned the favour by touching Mickey's ears.
Fortunately, Mickey was able to compose himself long enough to flex his muscles (or is that mouse-cles?) for a photo op with Val Venis.
With the day at the Magic Kingdom rapidly coming to an end, it was time for the main event - Space Mountain. The two wrestlers had been looking forward to the attraction all day and the build-up didn't disappoint. So much so, they took went for a second ride on the ultra-fast roller coaster.
Trish and Val ended their day along Main Street, U.S.A., with the Spectromagic Parade, a spectacular light and music show featuring all the Disney characters.
After taking the ferryboat back to the parking area, the WWE crew boarded the bus that would take them to back to the Orlando airport. The group of kids that greeted were exhausted from the day, but the excitement in their eyes was unmistakable.
"It's certainly one of the most unique experiences I've ever had," said Trish. "We work with a lot of charities and a lot of children as well, and this is really special. I'm very happy to be part of it."
Dreams Take Flight boasts to have taken more than 10,000 children over the last 14 years on their one-day trip to Walt Disney World. This is the second year World Wrestling Entertainment Canada has been involved with the program. For more information, visit their website at www.dreamstakeflight.ca.
Toronto to Orlando and back to Toronto, all in one day. It is a small world, after all.
source: tsn.ca
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