The air conditioner in Hilton Coliseum will be on high Thursday night, making sure the floor doesn’t melt before 7 p.m. Hilton is playing host to the coldest show on Earth — “Champions on Ice.”

“‘Champions on Ice’ has been coming to Ames for many years,” said Sara Barr, Iowa State Center marketing director. “We have a good working relationship with the company and always enjoy having them come year after year.”

The tour is celebrating its 25th anniversary and is presented by Tom Collins. Ames is stop No. 7 on the tour, which will feature ice skating champions from all over the world, including past and present world, national and Olympic medalists.

The lineup of stars includes five-time world champion Michelle Kwan, three-time world silver medalist Surya Bonaly, Irina Grigorian, Elvis Stojko, Timothy Goebel, Victor Petrenko and Oksana Kazakova.

“We have a lot of big names coming to Hilton,” Barr said. “People always enjoyed this competition because it is a top-quality one and skaters always give their all for the fun of competing for the audience.”

Ticket prices range from $41 to $61 and tickets are not sold out. Sales have been going well, but the interest in skating hasn’t peaked as it has in past years, Barr said.

“There is much excitement in skating, but the interest is never as high when you are in an off Olympic year such as this one,” Barr said. “The sales have been fairly steady and I think tickets are at a good price when you compare the quality of talent you are receiving in one night.”

One of the stars that will be performing at Hilton is Ann Patrice, a 2002 World Junior Champion. This is the 17-year-old’s first visit to Iowa in what she hopes is a great experience. The skater has been on the ice since the time she was 3 1/2.

“We have done six shows already and been practicing since we found out that we will be performing in ‘Champions on Ice,'” Patrice said. “Which, by the time they approached me, has been almost a year now.”

Patrice will join the ranks of a star-studded show to perform a solo act to “Sugar, Sugar,” a piece that was choreographed for her performance in “Champions on Ice.”

“The greatest thing about being asked to be in on the show is the lifestyle — the traveling from show to show,” she said. “It’s just a great and very fun experience and to be with all the talent is a great change of pace from just a regular season of practice.”

Patrice said pre-performance jitters are a thing of the past for her. To mentally prepare for her performance, she goes over her jumps, warms up and mentally sees her performance.

“In my piece, I will be performing a number of jumps,” she said. “I do a couple of triple-doubles and a double-axel.”

The hardest jump Patrice has to master is the triple, one she will not be doing in her performance for the Hilton audience.

“We are fortunate this year to have a great lineup of stars and a lot of Olympic hopefuls,” Barr said. “With people like Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan, there is no way the audience will leave unhappy or disappointed. It’s just an all-around great show.”