performance
Soul of a SKATER
Registered nurse and WPU grad Jessica Hatfield alwaysreturns to her first profession
WRITTEN BY MELANIE ANZIDEI
Jessica Hatfield thought she had it all figured out . The Morris Plains native had just graduated from William Paterson University , where she studied nursing , and accepted ajob at alocal hospital . Everything was going according to plan .
Hatfield was also alifelong ice skater , having competed throughout childhood in Manhattan and maintaining her ties to the sport through college asan instructor . On awhim , she decided to make anaudition tape to send out to several ice shows for possible casting . It was during her second day at her new nursing job when she got the call . They asked her : Can you fly to Amsterdam in 10 days ? Hatfield found herself at acrossroads in her early 20s . “ I just went to school for four years , got this degree , got this job . DoIput it all aside and just get on aplane and go to Amsterdam to join an ice show ?” Hatfield says . “ It seemed pretty crazy , but most of the people in my life said , ‘ You have to give it atry , atleast .’ So , Idid .”
Fourteen years later , Hatfield , 36 , has been on tour ever since .
Hatfield isaprofessional skater for Disney onIce , where she most recently performed asCinderella . She travels the world doing what she loves and has no plans to hang up her skates any time soon . Through her long career in entertainment , she has found alove for spreading joy through skating .
“ That feeling you give to families — you really are helping them make memories ,” she says .“ It ’ saplace where people can come to see ashow , but also forget all their cares and whatever else is going on in the world . In that moment , they ’ re just there at the show with their favorite characters and favorite storylines .”
Hatfield describes Disney onIce as her “ home .” She has been touring with the show since 2015 . Prior to that , she performed oncruise ships , attheme parks and at shows all around the country . Her very first show — the one whose producers called her fresh out of college — was Holiday onIce .
But she discovered her love of skating well before that .
3A . M . DRIVESTOMANHATTAN
When Hatfield was around 2years old , her older sister was invited to an ice-skating birthday party that kickstarted Hatfield ’ slove for the activity . Their mother then tried skating with her , though she now jokes she probably fell one too many times to really give it
JESSICA HATFIELD
ashot . She tried again afew years later , and that ’ s when it stuck .
As she got older , Hatfield joined the Skating Club of Morris and skated at Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown . By the time she was 11 , she started training under ahigh-level coach in Manhattan . Her mother —“ a saint ,”
Hatfield says — would drive from Morris Plains to Manhattan six days a week at 3:30 inthe morning . Hatfield would skate for two hours , then rush back to school for first period . “ I would say itwas an unconventional lifestyle , for sure , especially for ateenager ,” she says . She quit the grind for a little while to try her hand at a “ normal ” social life , but missed skating .“ When you ’ re ateenager , you don ’ t really put it together that what you ’ re doing is something really special ,” Hatfield says . “ I wanted togoback to competing , soIdid , and Icompeted all the way through the end of high school .”
During college , Hatfield would drive from Wayne to Manhattan three days aweek to keep up with practice . Her persistence is something that stood out to her longtime coach , Adam Leib .
COURTESY OF FELD ENTERTAINMENT
12 MAY 2023 WAYNE MAGAZINE