Nice Kristi article

Kristi Yamaguchi, off the ice for the first time since she was 6 years old, dreamed about skating.

"Usually, it would be about an event and I wasn't prepared. I'd be walking in and they were announcing my name and I couldn't remember any of the choreography," Yamaguchi said. "I look at the other competitors and think, 'How am I going to do this? My consistency is just not there.' It was all just because I wasn't skating."

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That so funny. Must be Kristi's worst nightmare. Sounds like the skaters' version of the dream where you show up for school and realize you have to take a exam you didn't know about and haven't studied for.

Go Kristi!

Kristi is such an inspiration! What a great role model!

Even awake, Kristi once said that every time she competed, just before she stepped onto the ice the thought always flew through her head, "What if I forget my choreography? What if I forget how to skate altogether?"

Mathman

Thanks ... what a great article! She has set such a fine example over the years ... I'm so happy that she is getting to enjoy this new part of her life.

I have always liked Kristi and enjoyed seeing her in SOI. Best of luck to her with her new life and family!

From the article:

"During the pregnancy, Hedican noticed that when the two of them were flipping television channels, Yamaguchi would begin to linger on figure skating, something she had never done before.

"Usually, she would go right by it. Now, she'll stop and watch a little. She still has that fire," Hedican said. "And it's part of who you are and part of how you express yourself."

I thought that was a bit odd. Why would she flip right past skating on television? I would think an athlete would be interested in watching his/her own sport--especially one as varied as figure skating.

Maybe when she was skating all the time, doing 50 shows a year with SOI, practicing and working on routines every day, she was probably glad to have a few hours away from skating altogether when she went home. Now that she is not on the ice all day, she is starting to get back in the groove by checking out the television.

I hope this means that she is not done as a performer. Kristi could skate for another decade if she wants to, and if she finds a way to pace herself and to balance her two careers -- world champion figure skater and (so I believe in my heart) world class mom.

Mathman

Its great to read some updated info on Kristi and how she has been doing. I agree with Mathman here. I think she could skate for quite a few more years so long as she can balance being mom and being skater. And I still haven't seen her skate live yet so I selfishly hope she comes back to SOI in the near future!

Mathman said:

Kristi could skate for another decade if she wants to

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Yeah, I don't think she's done skating just yet. Personally, I'm hoping she follows in the footsteps of the Protopopovs and skates into her sixties! LOL!

KwanFan1212...I hope you get to see Kristi skate live! I've been fortunate enough to see her skate live 11 times (each of which was a total pleasure)!

Twinnie,
I can understand flipping right by skating, especially when she was with Bret. When you eat, drink, and sleep something 25-plus weeks of the year, living in hotels and on planes, like Mathman said, I'm sure Kristi would flip past anything with ice cubes. When she was on tour, I bet the cast would watch tapes of Nationals and Worlds, and of course Kristi was in the stands at the Olympics--crying, I'll never forget, when Todd Eldredge missed his quad in his LP and knew there would be no Olympic medal for him. Besides, if I had a honey like Hedican, I'd keep the TV off altogether--unless something was on with the right mood

I like the quote about Kristi's timing always being excellent. I enjoyed the article, but in the thread about underrated skaters and I picked Kristi, several people thought it was an odd choice. What's not in this article is part of why I chose Kristi as underrated. No where does it say something like, "One of the most technically strong and artistically gifted skaters of her time," or "Kristi maintained her wonderful technical skills as a skater throughout her 10 years with SOI and was especially known for her artistry and versatility" or some "props" for how great she was as a skater. The most it said about her skating was that Kristi "earned a reputation as a tireless trouper during 10 years of professional skating." Given what Kristi did on the ice at ever phase of her career, not saying at least something about how great her skating was is why I picked Kristi as underrated. And it seems to happen a lot with Kristi. Perhaps journalists feel if they say "Olympic gold medalist" that's all they need to say.

But I'm sure Kristi couldn't care less. She seems thrilled to be a new mother and excited to get back on the ice with this show. Besides, producer Steve Disson said about Kristi, "Kristi is one of the most giving people. She cares about the sport and she isn't selfish. Even during her pregnancy, she's done all kinds of things to promote this event. And as long as the baby was on time, she said she'd try to skate in it. She knows people are also coming to see her." Awwwww...
Rgirl

^^^It was the sight of Kristi crying in the audience after Todd's SP that really started ME crying that night during SLC. I was holding it together til I saw that moment! If I wanted that medal SOOO much for him, then I couldn't imagine how much longtime friends of his, like Kristi, wanted it for him too.

*still hoping Kristi comes back to SOI sometime in the future*