chuckm said:Hmm. "Goal oriented about acting"--what the heck does that mean? In figure skating, you progress through juvenile, intermediate, junior, senior, or make your way up the ladder to the top of the podium.
The only goal for an actor is to keep getting roles, and hope for a big break. But getting that big break requires two things: luck and TALENT. Tara was an extremely talented skater, but IMHO, she is a dismal actress.
Well she's probably going to auditions, getting feedback and taking acting lessons. She can't skate at a high level anymore so she probably wants to do something else where she can compete (and acting is competitive). In Brennan's book, Bezic said that Tara really loved the lifestyle of a skater. The lifestyle of an aspiring actress is probably similar: acting classes, fitness training, going from audition to audition and getting feedback, and hanging out with other hopefuls. The difference between Tara and others is that Tara doesn't need to wait tables to make a living.
That said, I think Tara is a pretty decent actress. She has always had a polished speaking voice and manner on the camera. At the very least, she can probably fall back on being a commentator. She might not make it now, but as the years go by, she might age a little more and then get plum roles. She might even change her name and then in 10 years she might make it. I bet no one could have foreseen Hilary Swank getting an Oscar after her roles in 90210, the The Next Karate Kid etc. Hilary struggled a lot with getting work and she's not exactly a physical ideal. She's not bad looking but she's no raving beauty.