Kurt Browning skates to Monster Mash

Something to fit in with the mood of Halloween!

Tara Lipinski - Defining Moments

American Sweetheart

Tara Lipinski didn't begin figure skating until she was a six-year-old, but it was a discovery which would change her life forever.

"I would say my defining moment was the Olympics," Lipinski recalls. "Looking back I would say that standing on the podium watching the American flag go up, hearing the national anthem, that was always something I dreamed about and how cool it would be and I knew that my life would change forever."

"It is one of the most gratifying feelings, to feel that you can change someone's life for the better."

Thanks to her signature maneuver, a triple loop/triple loop jump combination, Lipinski won the Olympic gold medal in figure skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics to become the youngest ladies Olympic Figure Skating Champion and the youngest individual gold medalist in Winter Olympic history, which is a record that may stand forever unless the current age rules are changed.

Lipinski also recognizes the impact she has made on other skaters. "It seems so sureal that I could have that affect on someone," Lipinski gushes. "It is one of the most gratifying feelings to feel that you can change someone's life for the better."

After winning Olympic gold at Nagano in 1998, Lipinski became a professional figure skater and toured with Champions on Ice and Stars on Ice. She also started acting and had guest appearances and cameos on several TV shows including Malcolm in the Middle, Still Standing and 7th Heaven. Lipinski is currently a commentator for Universal Sports Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series.

"I am not sure if I will have another defining moment for myself, but the one I had was so good I don't care."

Ice Princess Music Video I Will Be

Another clip from Ice Princess.

Reachin' for heaven - Ice Princess

I love this film. If only I could skate like this.

Jeremy Abbott - 2010 US Nationals SP

Michelle Kwan is working on her next chapter

School takes priority, but skating is still a great love

Michelle Kwan at Flywheel Sports with Yolanda Jackson of the Women's Sports Foundation. Kwan took part in a spinning class to raise money for GoGirlGo. (Lois Elfman)

By Lois Elfman, special to icenetwork.com

(10/12/2010) - This morning Michelle Kwan took a spinning class, even though it isn't really her thing. Kwan, however, agreed to get up before dawn and take a class at Flywheel Sports in New York's Flatiron district to raise money and awareness for the Women's Sports Foundation's GoGirlGo program. Tonight is the WSF's 31st annual Salute to Women in Sports and this morning Kwan and other female athletes were joined at the spinning studio by sponsors and others who paid to work out with them.

Considering how busy her schedule has been as of late -- juggling graduate studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston with skating and speaking engagements -- it was somewhat surprising she made time to come to New York. The bottom line is she may never have become Michelle Kwan, nine-time U.S. ladies champion, five-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist without the WSF. "I received a [travel and training] grant when I was 13 years old," Kwan recalls. "At that time, it was really tough on my dad and my mom making ends meet. It wasn't a huge grant, but it was huge in the sense that I'm not sure I would be here if I didn't receive it." Kwan doesn't recall exactly what they spent the money on, but it was probably new custom skates. She reveals a fact that she thinks she's never said before, "At one point I skated in used custom skates [purchased from someone else]. I won Olympic Festival (1993) in those used custom skates. That's an example of how a thousand dollars made a huge difference." While Kwan says she always knew there would be a point where "I wouldn't be running long programs and I would be doing something that is different," the last four years have still been challenging. It wasn't easy to transition from the structured schedule of training to school. "Doing research, writing a paper, writing a memo -- it takes a different sort of focus and a different sort of energy," she says. "It takes the same discipline. It takes discipline to be a good skater and it takes great discipline to be a good student or to be good at anything. So it's making that transition smooth in terms of focusing on what you have to do and accomplishing it by setting goals." Among the goals Kwan set herself was to return to skating form. In the summer of 2009, she skated in public for the first time in three years, performing in Yu-Na Kim's show in Korea.

Earlier this month, Kwan and Kim brought the show to the Staples Center in Los Angeles. "I got on the ice the first time when they announced my name and it was like, 'Oh my God, I missed this so much,'" says Kwan of All That Skate L.A.. "It was emotional, but yet it was so much fun because it was in L.A. with my friends and my family. I've never had a list of friends and family in the audience that long. I don't know if it's going to be another four years. You've got to appreciate it. You never know what's going to happen. "It had to be a very spectacular show for me to come back and it was definitely that. It was all that." Kwan loved performing with the incredible cast, including three of the four Olympic gold medalists from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. It was her introduction to some of the young faces in skating. "It was the first time I met Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Patrick Chan and Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett," she says. It felt like a great progression for Kwan, who skated her first U.S. championships as a novice while Kristi Yamaguchi was still competing. She notes of the span of skaters she competed against or toured with during her career, such as Nancy Kerrigan, Oksana Baiul, Tara Lipinski, Sarah Hughes and Sasha Cohen. She found the whole presentation of All That Skate L.A. to be incredible and she particularly enjoyed working with choreographer David Wilson. "It was such a great visual -- the lighting, the backdrop, the videos," she notes. "There was nothing missing." With Kim now relocated to Los Angeles and training at East West Ice Palace in Artesia, Calif., Kwan is sorry she doesn't have more time to be on the ice with her. She doesn't know what Kim's future will hold, but she marvels at Kim's potential and says she respects the effort Kim is making to keep her skating fresh and new. After tonight's WSF gala, Kwan will head back to Boston and direct her energies into writing her master's thesis. "I personally just adore school," she says. "I wish the [two-year] program was longer -- not a lot longer, but a bit longer." She's "flirting" with the idea of pursuing a doctorate, but will take her time to decide. "I will keep all doors open like I've done the last few years," Kwan says. She anticipates there will be another State Department trip in her future. She was appointed a public diplomacy envoy during President George W. Bush's last term and has continued in the position under President Barack Obama. She has also recently been appointed to the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition and enjoyed meeting fellow members like NBA players Grant Hill and Chris Paul and track star Allyson Felix. On a side note, she says the intensity of Bikram yoga, which she does regularly, helped her get through spinning class. It's an exciting and dynamic time for Kwan as she moves forward with her life. "Going forward in other chapters of my life I understand I've had great success in sports, but you have to approach it like a starting line in a race," she says. "You have to go at it and you have to work hard. "It's exhilarating," she adds. "You have to fight for everything you want."

Skate for the heart 2010

Courtesy of KathrynJMcSwain - Youtube

Johnny Weir - Heartbroken

Thanks to Shooshmar - youtube

Tara Lipinski Talks Return To Figure Skating, 1998 Olympics and New Career As Sports Commentator

Matt Thompson

Many sports fans remember Tara Lipinski as the 15-year-old who shocked the world and won the gold medal for figure skating in the 1998 Winter Olympics. Twelve years later, she’s back in a big way. After spending the better part of the past ten years getting roles in Hollywood, Lipinski has begun a career in commentating. Most recently, she commentated at the 2010 World Figure Skating Championships in March. She spoke with TheCelebrityCafe’s Matt Thompson about her career, the 1998 Olympics and commentating.

TheCelebrityCafe: You made some comments a couple months back that you were looking to get back into figure skating. How serious were you about this?

Tara Lipinski: Well, very serious. I skated my whole life. I was on the ice at 3. When I was 21, I decided I wanted to take a little break. I didn’t really know how long, I just knew that I wanted to have a normal life. [I wanted to] have a home base. It was great, I had as much as a normal life as I could [have]. Of course, I was itching to get back into the sport. I feel like a year and a half ago, I decided that I wanted to. I wanted to be involved in many ways. I got back on the ice a little bit this past year. Mainly, I just started commentating, which really threw me back into the sport full force. It’s been a lot of fun.

TCC: Do you have a target date or maybe not a target date, but maybe a year or a month in mind where you would like to fully return professionally?

TL: I don’t have a specific date as of yet. I have a lot of ideas. I also want to produce and come up with show ideas. Of course many of them I want to be involved in on the ice as well. I think right now I’m mainly focusing on this coming year with the commentating and sort of playing it by ear, playing on the ice. Just sort of seeing when I want to get back.

TCC: The main reason you’re saying that you haven’t skated since you were 21 is just time off? There were some questions about whether it was due to injury.

TL: Yeah, I know that’s been a huge misconception. I had surgery, but I had it when I was 19. To be honest, it saved my career. I was probably in worse shape before I had the surgery then I [ever have been] after. I was on the ice seven days [after] the surgery. I was jumping a month later. I opened “Stars on Ice” in November and I had the surgery in September. For me, it [definitely] saved my career. A lot of people might have thought that was the reason [for leaving], but it wasn’t.

TCC: As far as your skills, how do you think they will match up to your skills at the 1998 Olympics and after then as well?

TL: Well I won’t be doing triple loops, that’s for sure. As a professional skater, that’s one of the biggest things I learned. I was on the ice doing like twelve triples a night and I was in competitive shape still. I realized the professional world is more about entertaining and growing as a professional and growing as an entertainer. Shortly after the Olympics, I cooled it down a little bit. I don’t know, I think it would definitely depend. I’m pretty driven and a little bit of a perfectionist. I’m sure I would want to be in really good shape. It really depends on the venue and the type of show I would be doing.

TCC: Tell us a little bit about your commentating. You commentated earlier in the year at the World Figure Skating Championships and you have commentating dates forthcoming.

TL: I was really, really itching to get back into the sport. Scott Hamilton has been a role model of mine as a skater when I was a little girl to [when] I was growing up in the sport. Hearing him commentate and be at all the events, I think he really inspired me. I was watching Nationals maybe two years and I was like, ‘Wow he’s so amazing and cool to do that.’ At least for me, I’m very passionate about competition. I just threw it out there to see if I could do it. I started really on a small level and went with Ice Network. I was like, ‘Oh my God I don’t know what I’m doing.’ But then I just really enjoyed myself and had fun and it seemed to work out. Then Universal asked me to do Worlds this past March and I had a complete blast. It was just so much fun. I really feel at home. I know it is really something I wanted to do.

TCC: So you’re saying you plan on making a career out of this?

TL: Yes, yes. I mean I love skating and I definitely want to be back on the ice. Right now, my main focus and main goal and what I’m really most passionate about is commentating. It’s so much fun. As a professional, you’re in the professional world and it’s all about you and your skating. [But] coming back into the sport and watching the amateur world, the competitive world, it’s just exciting. I really like it.

TCC: You’ve also been involved in acting for the better part of the last ten years. Was acting or commentating always your goal? Or was it something that just happened after ice-skating?

TL: Well, I lived in Los Angeles. So when acting roles would come up, I would have a blast doing them. It was a little out of my element. It was fun and a challenge. But I always knew skating was [my calling card]. After [the 1998 Olympics], there was no way that wouldn’t be a part of my life almost every single day. I didn’t know the exact plan I wanted for it, I was a little too young to do that. As I got a little bit older and I realized how much passion I have for skating and the competition, I just realized that’s definitely what I want to do.

TCC: What’s been your most enjoyable experience in Hollywood and why?

TL: It was all fun. I love comedy and I remember doing “Still Standing.” It was a live audience, which was really fun. It felt even the more similar to skating before performing. I had a blast; I did voiceovers. I still do voiceovers here and there. It’s similar in being entertainment driven. It’s similar in some ways and I was so used to being in front of the camera at a young age. In other ways, it’s completely different and fun.

TCC: Do you have any upcoming things as far as acting?

TL: No, nothing right now. That’s not my main focus, but if anything ever comes up, if I’m lucky enough for an opportunity to do something, I would definitely do it.

TCC: Kristi Yamaguchi did Dancing with the Stars in 2008, would you ever do something along those lines?

TL: I don’t know. It was so fun watching her and Evan [Lysacek] did it last year. I love dancing and I love doing all that. But I don’t know if that’s for me though. I don’t know. It’s definitely so much fun to watch.

TCC: Back to ice-skating. It was heavily criticized after you won at the 1998 Olympics that you retired at such a young age. Do you feel any anger towards this that people made comments?

TL: No, I don’t feel any anger. I’ve always been the certain type of person where I do what I want do and if I’m passionate about it, I’ll do it. As long as I love it, I’ll do it. Anyone around me, my parents, my coaches, whoever it is never really had that much of an impact on any of my decisions. I can be a little stubborn when I want to do something and when I don’t want to do something. I really felt at the time for as long as I could remember I was on the ice. I spent my whole life competing and I had one goal, which was to win the Olympics. Which was incredible that that even happened. I also won Worlds and I won Nationals. I was the youngest to do so. I felt that I could definitely stay in and try to do it again. But I didn’t feel that drive anymore. I really wanted to challenge myself. I was so excited about Stars on Ice and learning to perform and entertain and tour. I’m sure a lot of people thought that I could stay in, but I think my age was the biggest thing. If you look back on Kristi Yamaguchi, she turned pro after she won [in the Olympics]. I just think maybe my age threw people off a little bit. I felt like I accomplished everything. I can’t tell my fans, but if I didn’t win, if I came in second or third, I would have never turned pro. My main goal was [to win] the Olympics. I would have stayed in if it took me another twenty years.

TCC: Do you think you could have won again at the 2002 or 2006 Olympics instead of retiring?

TL: You never want to say that you could win or you can’t. [You never know] what would have happened. I believe the new scoring system would have been in my favor. At the time in 2002, I was still doing triple triples. I don’t know, the competitor in me would love to say yes, but you never know what could have happened.

TCC: Do you feel any angst that many people associate you with only this accomplishment? It is kind of irksome that people keep talking about this?

TL: No, not at all. For one, that game changed my life in every possible way. Talking about it is never a problem. I know that there’s a lot of people and critics and people that may not understand decisions I’ve made or what not, but that’s just the way it is.

TCC: Do you consider Michelle Kwan your all-time rival?

TL: Yes, yes I do. I think it was a great rivalry. To look back on the sport and what we had at the time. It was exciting, it was fun. It pushed both of us to work harder and to accomplish bigger and better things. To be honest, I’m glad that I had such a strong competitor. When I won [those] games, I was up against someone who was so great and that was fun and satisfying. She was definitely my biggest competitor.

TCC: Lastly, you are known for your philanthropic work, you’ve come out with two books and you’ve had plenty of endorsements. Are there any other avenues you’re looking to go down?

TL: That’s part of me. I have so many ideas and so many different things I want to do. I want to produce, I want to commentate, I want to get back on the ice. I’d love to start different businesses. I love real estate. I’m kind of all over the place. I try to sort of calm down and focus on one thing at a time and see where it takes me.

TCC: Is it safe to say your overall plans for the future are commentating and getting back on the ice? Is there anything else?

TL: If I’m looking at the next year, I definitely want to focus mainly on the commentating and build a career there. I’m sure there will be many different other things that shoot off from that, maybe in the same area that I would want to pursue. Definitely getting back on the ice and skating or producing shows. I think mainly just staying involved in skating and commentating. I’d love to start my own foundation, like I said I can [go all over the place]. Definitely this year, the upcoming Grand Prix and the commentating is what I’m focusing on.

Joannie Rochette - Halo

Thanks to Nastliukinfan - Youtube