Kristi Yamaguchi -
By: Dominick A. Miserandino
Actor/Skater/Gold Medalist
Kristi Yamaguchi captured fame in America when she captured the gold
medal in figure skating at the 1992 Winter Games. Since then, she has
dazzled audiences with her ice skating performances for Stars on Ice
and, recently, showed off her dancing skills on Dancing With The
Stars. Kristi now spends her time with her husband hockey player
BrettHedican, and her daughters Kaera and Emma, as well as various
projects. TheCelebrityCafe's Dominick Miserandino spoke with Kristi
about her new adventure in dancing and, what else, the Olympics.
DM: I read a lot of articles that referred to you as Olympic gold
medalist Kristi Yamaguchi. That was 16 years ago, and you've done a
lot since then, but that Olympics title has had a massive impact on you.
KY: It's become my identity, my title that I carry around.
DM: But now you've also just done Dancing With The Stars. Don't
people recognize you from that?
KY: Definitely a whole new generation. A lot of the women who come up
to grew up watching me skating. Now there are girls - 9 or 12 years
old - coming up to me saying 'I know you, you're on Dancing With The
Stars.' I just opened up this new demographic.
DM: Do you find you get more fans than you do with skating?
KY: I think you renew a lot of the fans. People still come up to me
and say 'Congratulations on the Olympics and you were great on
Dancing With The Stars." I think because I skated up until the last
couple of years people still look at me as a skater. This was kind of
a new endeavor.
DM: How often do you skate, just for fun?
KY: A few times a week. It's obviously not the training I used to do.
I love being in shape, but it's more of a hobby now.
DM: Are you still doing the tricks and all?
KY: No, I'm not doing the jumps or anything. I'll do some of the
easier elements. The other stuff you have to do every day or,
otherwise, you're not going to be able to do it.
DM: Would you hope that your kids fall in your footsteps?
KY: Not necessarily. They want to do it, but we get them involved in
a little bit of everything - baseball, soccer, music - and let them
choose their own path.
DM: So if you're not skating as much, what are you doing now?
KY: I'm going to host the annual Friends and Family Show. I'll be
skating with my oldest daughter a little bit. That will be coming up
in the fall as a two-hour NBC special. I've also got a few
appearances coming up with The American Lung Association to educate
and get the word out about the importance of the flu vaccine.
DM: We're in the height of the Olympic season. Is your TV basically
glued to the coverage?
KY: Pretty much. Obviously the kids want to watch their shows during
the day but it's so great being a fan of the Olympics and to watch
and cheer on the U.S. team.
DM: Do you see these games as any different from what you went through?
KY: There are obvious differences. The Winter Games are maybe a third
in size to the Summer Games. Each country as host has a unique way to
present itself. This year the venue is just incredible. The Games
continue to break barriers with each generation.
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