ICE-SKATING MEDALISTS GETS ROLES IN SPECTACLE

His knees are slightly bent, his arms are held parallel to the ice, and the back of his white, multicolored striped jacket billows with air as the skater glides fast enough to make a nervous on-looker think he is going to smack into the wall.

But Matt Buttrey, 20, of Cape Girardeau moves with such grace that he easily accomplishes his goal, a combination spin in the middle of The Ice at the Plaza Galleria: first a flying camel, then a sit-spin with a final 1-foot spinner.

Although the moves, which make Buttrey look like a giant, speeding screw, would make anyone on dry land feel dizzy, they have been the ticket to Buttrey's ice-skating success.

Thirteen and a half years ago he won his first gold medal at the International Skating Competition in Detroit, Mich. Nearly 200 medals later he has signed a contract with "Disney on Ice."

"I have always liked to perform and entertain people," he said. "It might not be Broadway, but it's close enough for me."

Buttrey, the son of Tom and Betty Buttrey of Scott City, auditioned with the touring ice show on March 14 at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Following his interview he was told the auditioners liked what they saw and that there was a place for him in the show. A month later he received his roles and signed a contract for a 14-month tour.

His roles include a dalmation in "101 Dalmations," a fish in "The Little Mermaid" and the butt of a horse that draws a carriage in "Cinderella."

"I have to start from the bottom, literally, and work my way up," Buttrey joked.

Being a butt isn't all bad.

"The cool thing is that you get paid $50 a week more for that role," Buttrey said with a smile. "Hopefully, I can work my way up. They have a lot of girls in the show and they want to match me up with one of them for future shows."

This works well since Buttrey's main background is in pair skating. He skated with Sarah Booth of St. Louis from 1991 to 1995. The two won numerous medals from the United States Figure Skating Association and the Ice Skating Institute of America.

The highlight of their career was winning a bronze medal for novice pairs at the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Detroit. Buttrey can't decide what he remembers more about the event: moving from seventh to third place or Nancy Kerrigan's knee being bashed.

When he started skating at 7, Buttrey would have considered the bronze medal one step closer to his childhood dream of competing in the Olympics. But he has set higher and more realistic aspirations for himself now.

"I used to think I wanted to go to the Olympics all the time, but preparing for it costs way too much money and you have to dedicate your whole life to that one goal," he said. "I know a lot of people dream of competing in the Olympics, but I want too many other things in life."

At the top of his list is education.

"I just don't want to be stupid," he said. "There are a lot of skaters out there who have to be tutored, and I don't want that."

Although the Disney tour will push him off a year, Buttrey will finish his majors in theater design and interior design and his minor in architectural design from Southeast Missouri State University by the year 2000.

Then he will pursue a master's in theater design and interior design at the University of Missouri-Columbia or Southern Illinois State University and continue in interior design until he obtains a doctorate. He also wants a degree in set design from the University of Indiana.

Buttrey has one month to practice before he leaves June 30 for the first stretch of his tour to Japan. He will have a short break before continuing on to Asia and Australia. The tour ends September 1998.