What’s with Blue Springs anyhow?
First there was David Cook, blasting his way to victory on “American Idol” and wooing the hearts of girls across the country.
Now there’s Kaitlyn Conner, a loose-limbed and stringy 11-year-old resident who, well, to be perfectly fair, found fame before David Cook.
Kaitlyn was on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in June 2006, while Cook was dreaming of stardom. In front of a live audience, Kaitlyn performed what became her signature stance – a limbo so low that she struck terror in the hearts of ants everywhere.
The performance caught the eyes of producers for the new ABC show “Wanna Bet,” an hour-long show that pits celebrities against each other with piles of money. The judges bet if the performer can pull off their stunt or talent, and if they win, they donate their winnings to a charity of their choice.
When producers saw Kaitlyn on Leno, their interest was piqued.
“They called and asked if she could make it more extreme,” Kaitlyn’s mother, Victoria, said. “We thought we could.”
Skating since the age of four at Watson’s Rolladium in Blue Springs, Kaitlyn has snagged several skating titles. She’s best known for the splits on skates beneath the limbo bar. She is the state’s current Limbo Skating record holder.
“She’s had the limbo bar lowered to about seven or eight inches from the ground,” Victoria said.
For the show, scheduled to air locally on Channel 9, Comcast channel 12, at 8 p.m. Monday, Kaitlyn’s new trick involves limbo bars, but exactly how they are arranged remains a secret.
“We’re gagged from talking about it,” Victoria said, adding that her daughter is also restricted from performing the stunt publicly for about two years. “I wish we could talk about it.”
Training for the trick began in February 2007 after producers contacted her. Practicing after hours at the rink,
Kaitlyn put in as many as three days a week practice time, each session lasting about two hours.
Once she mastered the trick, she and her family flew to Los Angeles in August 2007, taped the event and had a good old time – visiting sites, eating food, all on ABC’s dime. Originally the show was to appear last season, but the writer’s strike postponed its start date.
So far the show has offered some strange talents.
One episode depicted a man who could lick compact discs and know their contents. For the upcoming Monday show, performers are described as head kicker, spaghetti tractor, weight guesser and the limbo queen.
Kaitlyn, who turns 12 next month, said she’s excited. She’s suffered a few bumps and bruises in her pursuit to master the trick, which she describes as “cool.”
“It was hard, too,” she said. “I worked and worked on it, and I finally got it.”
Kaitlyn’s family plans to have a watch party at the skating rink Monday night, but it’s by invitation only. To learn more about Katilyn, visit her Web site at www.kaitlynconner.com.
