SAN FRANCISCO -- In preparation for her fund- raising benefit show, "A Golden Moment," which took place on Sept. 18, two-time World Champion, 1992 Olympic women's gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi spent the summer flexing some new muscles.

   "Being a producer has been a huge learning experience because, obviously, I've never been on this side of the business before," Yamaguchi said. "This is such a huge cause-related event, and people have really stepped forward and made it easier for us. Even though we've been learning along the way, people have been wanting to get involved in supporting it."

   The show which raised money for breast cancer research, will be broadcast on Lifetime Television on Nov. 7. Yamaguchi, 28, endeavored to make sure that all details were in order. She worked with the event's producer, Tom Howard, and the executive director of her Always Dream Foundation, Dean Osaki, to coordinate the skaters, which included Ekaterina Gordeeva, Rosalynn Sumners, Katarina Witt, Peggy Fleming and Tara Lipinski, and the live vocalists, including Sarah Brightman and Anne Cochran.

   Yamaguchi also spent time working on the production of another special event - her wedding to professional hockey player Bret Hedican, 29, scheduled for July 8, 2000. Over the summer the couple had an engagement party in San Francisco.

   "Alot of Bret's family from Minnesota were able to come. It was quite a get together," reports Yamaguchi. "We were up on the top of the Nikko Hotel, and we had a great view of the building where we got engaged. So that was pretty neat.

   At press time, Yamaguchi only had commited to one professional competition for the autumn, Ice Wars. She was working on choreography for new programs, most of which would be choreographed by Stars On Ice director Sandra Bezic.

   Yamaguchi also continued her work as a spokesman for Celanese Acetate and Mervyn's California. She said she would consider additional endorsements if they were a good fit.

   "As long as it's a strong, upstanding corporation that has the same philosophy I have, [I'd consider it]," she explained, "and, obviously, if it's a good product."

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Excerpt from the article Celebrating The Gold:

   Kristi Yamaguchi's account of her 1992 Olympic "celebration" in Albertville was perhaps the most surprising.

   "After doping control (drug testing) and after the press conference, I snuck my sister back into the Olympic Village with me. It was about two in the morning when we got back, after everything in the arena had taken place," she recalls.

   "There was a little pub in the Olympic Village, and a lot of Canadians were still there. By then they had stopped serving food, so the Canadian skaters said they were done and that we could eat their leftovers. They had some bread and scraps of cheese left. We said, 'We're starving; we'll eat anything.' That was bascially it."

   On a more exciting note, Yamaguchi reports that on that same evening, she got word Sports Illustrated wanted to photograph her the next morning for the magazine's cover. Asked if 8:00 a.m. was too early, Yamaguchi remembers shrieking, " 'Are you kidding? Even if I get one hour of sleep, I'll be there!' "

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