Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 8, 1994 TAG: 9403080177
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOE KENNEDY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``Part of me said it would be great to be out there skating again,'' she said, ``but when I watched the competition I was definitely glad not to be out there. I didn't feel I could go through the pressure again.''
In 1992 at Albertville, France, Yamaguchi became the first American woman since Dorothy Hamill in 1976 to win a gold medal for figure skating. Now she is a headliner with The America Tour, an ice show that will visit the Roanoke Civic Center on Wednesday night at 7:30. Others in the cast include Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist, Paul Wylie, the 1992 Olympic silver medalist, and Brian Orser, Rosalynn Sumners and Kitty and Peter Carruthers.
Like practically everyone on Earth, Yamaguchi followed the drama between American skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding as it unfolded. Kerrigan was attacked Jan. 6 after a practice session in Detroit, when a man clubbed her on the knee. Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, pleaded guilty to racketeering in the attack and agreed to testify that Harding, with whom he had been living, approved it.
Harding denied any advance knowledge of it, but later admitted that she kept silent after learning about her ex-husband's role in it. She was cleared to skate in the Olympics after suing the U.S. Olympic Commitee for $20 million. The suit was dismissed in her settlement with the USOC, but the assault case is still under investigation.
Harding's ballyhooed showdown with Kerrigan fizzled when Harding finished eighth after struggling with a broken shoelace. Kerrigan took the silver medal, but Oksana Baiul, a 16-year-old orphan from the Ukraine, won the gold.
The scandal sent television ratings soaring and soiled skating's pristine image in a way that Yamaguchi's actions never did. She said, though, that the benefits will outweigh the negatives. Skating's audience undoubtedly has increased because of it.
At 22, Yamaguchi, a native Californian, remains a gracious veteran, even-handedly discussing the fortunes of Baiul, Kerrigan and Harding. In Lillehammer, she saw Baiul skate in person for the first time.
``I was really impressed with her. For a 16-year-old she has quite a bit of poise and a lot of charisma. Her maturity was incredible.''
Kerrigan, Yamaguchi's roommate at the Albertville Olympics, skated more confidently than ever, the 1992 champion said. The choice for the gold was difficult.
``Oksana seemed to skate with a little more speed. Nancy was great, but it could have been that Oksana was a newcomer and her style is more traditional, more of a balletic style.''
And Harding?
``Once she was out there, she gave it her all,'' Yamaguchi said.
Yamaguchi went to Lillehammer to participate in U.S. radio interviews sponsored by Diet Coke. Last week, she was in St. Petersburg, Fla., preparing for the start of the ice show's tour to seven major cities, 14 smaller ones and 11 performances in Canada. The tour will wind up at the end of April.
Professional skating is different from amateur in more ways than money, she said.
``When I was an amateur I had four times [in each competition] to go out and skate well. Now, it's every night that you want to skate well. It's not a make-or-break-your-career peformance, but you want to give the people what they came to see and prove your name.'' One obstacle to that is having much less practice time.
Yamaguchi signed on with the tour after taking two courses at the University of Alberta in Canada, where her coach lives. She has two solo numbers, one to music from ``Romeo and Juliet'' and one to Barbra Streisand's ``Being Alive.'' She also performs in the opening and closing production numbers and an ensemble piece.
Touring keeps her away from her home in Reno, Nev., for months at a time, but Yamaguchi says she will continue with it as long as she enjoys it. After that, she may re-enroll in college and eventually marry and start a family.
Skating professionally is ``still kind of new,'' she said. ``It gets to be long, but I know I won't be doing this forever, so I'm really enjoying it now. The hard part is traveling - getting on the airplane.''
The America Tour: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Roanoke Civic Center. Tickets, $19.50 and $25, available at TicketMaster locations, charge by phone at 343-8100, and at the civic center box office. 981-1201.
by CNB