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.